Season series presented by Purina: Blues lead 4-2
The St. Louis Blues will host the Minnesota Wild for a two-game set to wrap up the 2020-21 regular season this week at Enterprise Center.
The first game is Wednesday at 8 p.m.
The Blues are locked into the fourth playoff position in the West, but the Wild still have something to play for. If Minnesota can win their final two games against the Blues, they could still claim second place in the division (and home-ice advantage in the first round) if Colorado is unable to beat the Los Angeles Kings in their final two games.
THE SERIES SO FAR
March 25: Wild 2, Blues 0
The Blues fired 37 shots on goal and limited the Wild to only 11 shots, but still fell 2-0 at Xcel Energy Center. Cam Talbot recorded a 37-save shutout to extend Minnesota’s home winning streak to 11 games.
April 9: Blues 9, Wild 1
Ryan O’Reilly scored his second career hat trick en route to a statement 9-1 Blues’ win at Enterprise Center. Justin Faulk and Sammy Blais each had a goal and two assists and Jaden Schwartz scored two goals to give the Wild their most lopsided loss in franchise history – never before had the Wild given up nine goals in a single game. The nine goals for the the Blues was the highest for St. Louis since a 10-3 win against the Detroit Red Wings on March 30, 2011.
April 10: Blues 3, Wild 2 (OT)
With the St. Louis Blues trailing 2-1 in the final minute, Mike Hoffman delivered a game-tying goal with Ville Husso pulled and 42 seconds left in regulation. It was Hoffman’s second goal of the game after being a healthy scratch in the previous two games. Then, with two seconds left in overtime, Ryan O’Reilly roofed a backhand shot over goalie Cam Talbot’s shoulder to cap off a dramatic win at Enterprise Center – the Blues’ third straight.
April 28: Blues 4, Wild 3
Minnesota led 3-1 after 40 minutes but the Blues would not be denied, rallying back to earn a regulation win at Xcel Energy Center in dramatic fashion. Mike Hoffman had two power-play goals in the game, and Jordan Kyrou tied it at 3-3 in the third period. Then, with 23 seconds left in regulation, Robert Thomas beat goalie Cam Talbot to seal a win for the Blues.
April 29: Blues 5, Wild 4 (OT)
Ryan O’Reilly scored two goals – including the overtime game-winner with 1:17 left on the clock – to secure a big two points for his team in the race for the final playoff spot in the West Division. Sammy Blais, Tyler Bozak and Marco Scandella added goals for the Blues, who won their fourth straight overall and gained a five-point edge on the Arizona Coyotes for the final playoff position.
May 1: Wild 4, Blues 3 (OT)
A 3-1 lead for the Blues disappeared in the third period against the Minnesota Wild on May 1 at Xcel Energy Center. Nico Sturm scored at 14:09 of the third and Jonas Brodin tied the game with one minute remaining in regulation for the Wild. In overtime, Kevin Fiala scored to keep the Wild from being swept in their three-game set with the Blues.
BLUE NOTES
Vladimir Tarasenko (lower-body), Sammy Blais (lower-body) and Vince Dunn (upper-body) have yet to return from injuries. Blues Head Coach Craig Berube was optimistic those players might be able to return before the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but we’re not likely to find out whether that happens Wednesday until after the morning skate… The Blues have points in 10 of their last 11 games against the Wild (8-1-2)… Ryan O’Reilly has 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in 13 career regular-season games against Minnesota… Jordan Binnington is 5-1-1 with a 1.72 goals-against average and a .941 save-percentage in his career against the Wild.
