Blues are A-OK with another matchup against the Coyotes
The St. Louis Blues are 10-1-1 in March. They scored 38 goals while allowing just 21 in those 12 games, goalie Jake Allen has a .951 save percentage this month and the power play (21.9 percent) hasn't missed a beat following a trade-deadline deal that sent power-play catalyst Kevin Shattenkirk to the Washington Capitals.
All that has earned the Blues, for now, the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, a comfortable lead on the Los Angeles Kings for that last playoff spot, and a chance to leapfrog Nashville for third place in the Central Division or Calgary for the first wild-card spot.
"I think it's going to go down to the last couple of games," said Allen, whose team faces the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday at Gila River Arena, marking the second meeting between the clubs in the last three days and the third meeting in the last 12. "We always had a luxury before where we knew we were in by now and had a top seed the last four years, but now it's different and I think that's going to help us going into the playoffs. We're just going to have to play hard every night, every shift, and hope that momentum carries us in and brings us some wins in the first round."
The Blues are benefiting from an easier schedule. Including tonight's meeting in Arizona, which has already been eliminated from the playoff race, St. Louis faces just one team in its final seven games that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.
"If you're a competitor you love playing meaningful games at this time of year regardless of the opponent," said Blues coach Mike Yeo, whose team is 13-0-1 in its last 14 games against Arizona, with its last loss in regulation to Arizona coming in 2012. "That's a team that challenges you with their speed and their skill. They have structure, they're well coached. Every game is a new challenge. I just love that we are playing in real meaningful games and we are trying to build our game."
The Blues could get a boost to their lineup against the Coyotes. Left winger Dmitrij Jaskin, who hasn't played since March 13 due to an upper-body injury, skated Tuesday. However, center Paul Stastny (lower body) is week to week and center Jori Lehtera (upper body) is out indefinitely.
Yeo doesn't announce his starting goalie until game day, but Allen is 7-0 in his career against the Coyotes, including 2-0 this season with a 0.50 goals-against average and .981 save-percentage. He's made five straight starts so it's likely he and backup Carter Hutton will split assignments on the team's two-game road trip, which concludes in Colorado on Friday.
For the Coyotes, left winger Clayton Keller will play in his first home game after making his NHL debut Monday in St. Louis, near his hometown of Swansea, Ill.
The Coyotes signed Keller to a three-year, entry-level contract Sunday, the day after his college team, Boston University, was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. Arizona selected Keller with the seventh overall pick of the 2016 NHL draft.
"Really special moment getting the start," Keller said of playing on the opening line with Alex Burmistrov and Christian Fischer against the Blues. "It was something I'll remember forever, and you only have one first NHL game, so it was pretty cool."
Wednesday's game could be one of the final four home games of Coyotes captain Shane Doan's 20-season career in Arizona, and 21-season run with the Jets/Coyotes franchise. Doan hasn't decided yet if he'll retire, adding that he will make that decision after the season with his family.
"I want to be sure," he said. "I don't want to make a decision and then get to a point in the summer where my body feels good and I'm feeling like I could still contribute."
Doan is nursing a lower-body injury that has sidelined him for the last six games. He is considered day-to-day. Defenseman Kevin Connauton (upper body) is also day-to-day. Center Brad Richardson (broken right tibia and fibula) is on injured reserve.
Mike Smith is expected to start in goal for Arizona, despite a 4-14 career record against the Blues with a 3.52 goals-against average and .885 save percentage.