The St. Louis Blues look to extend their winning streak and continue their climb up the Western Conference standings when they visit the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. St. Louis, which has won five consecutive games, is even in points with Minnesota but trails the Los Angeles Kings by two for fourth place in the West. The Blues are 2-0-0 on their four-game road trip thanks to Brian Elliott, who posted back-to-back shutouts in 1-0 victories over the Detroit Red Wings and Nashville Predators.
Each of Minnesota's last three games have ended in shutouts, with the Wild coming out on the wrong end in two of them. The club was blanked at Los Angeles on April 4 and also failed to score at home against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. In between, Niklas Backstrom posted his second shutout of the season as Minnesota recorded a 3-0 triumph over the Blue Jackets in Columbus. Technically seventh in the West, the Wild trail the Vancouver Canucks by six points in the Northwest Division.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), FSN North, FSN Wisconsin (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE BLUES (22-14-2): Prior to his shutout against Nashville on Tuesday, his 28th birthday, Elliott was named the NHL's Second Star of the week ending April 7. He posted a 3-0-0 record, 1.45 goals-against average and .952 save percentage in three games. Not coincidentally, St. Louis has not lost since acquiring defensemen Jordan Leopold and Jay Bouwmeester. Coach Ken Hitchcock gives credit for the winning streak to the new blue-liners. "We had a tendency to shovel the puck and make it someone else's problem under pressure. We don't do that anymore," he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
ABOUT THE WILD (22-15-2): Goaltender Josh Harding practiced with the team for the first time since landing on injured reserve on Feb. 12. Battling multiple sclerosis, Harding thinks he can return to action very soon. "The way I felt today, I don't think that it can take too long to get back into game mode," Harding said. The trade-deadline acquisition of Jason Pominville became even more important after the Wild learned Dany Heatley would miss the remainder of the regular season, as well as the playoffs, after undergoing successful shoulder surgery. Pominville has recorded a goal and an assist in three games since coming over from the Buffalo Sabres.
OVERTIME
1. Backstrom is tied with Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury for the league lead in wins with 20.
2. The Blues have won four straight overall meetings with the Wild but only four of their last 17 visits to Minnesota.
3. The home team has captured five of the last six games in the all-time series.
PREDICTION: Blues 3, Wild 2