榴莲视频

We鈥檝e seen this before.

Late January.

Blues went on a big winning streak.

At the time, I acknowledged that it was a fun run, but it wasn鈥檛 going to sway me to say something extreme, like declaring the Blues are a playoff team. There were, after all, some clues in their play.

Well, from that point, they went 6-9-1 until this most recent winning streak, this one featuring four wins.

OK, sure, beat the surging Avalanche on Tuesday and that could move the needle 鈥� St. Louis enters the game four points out of the final wild card spot (with 14 games remaining). But right now, even with the Blues streaking, this team still isn鈥檛, well, retooled enough to make the postseason.

Remember a year ago? That was the plan, right? To retool, without a need to rebuild. But now it appears St. Louis has another year of retooling to go.

As for the recent play? Of course, winning games, as Nuke LaLoosh said, 鈥渋s like, better than losing.鈥� But even within the streak, you can find signs of the same ol鈥� Blues.

OK, the first win of the four 鈥� 5-1 against a wicked-good Boston team 鈥� was astounding. Even resounding.

Against the Kings, though, it took 40 Jordan Binnington saves to stave off Los Angeles. The analytics on the site MoneyPuck implied the Blues should鈥檝e lost, but they won 3-1.

Against the Wild, the Blues blew a 2-0 lead in the third period. They allowed Minnesota, a team also in the wild-card hunt, to earn a point with a 2-2 score after regulation. The dramatic shootout win, however, made many overlook the fact they were in overtime to begin with.

And then against the Ducks on Sunday, where were the Blues in the first 30 or so minutes? Yes, it was a back-to-back. Don鈥檛 care. They came out flat in a must-win. Three failed first-period power plays? Fortunately, the opponent was a sitting duck. The Blues and Kevin Hayes finally found some ways to win. Interim coach Drew Bannister tinkered with the power-play units. St. Louis beat one of the worst teams in the league 4-2. Hooray.

This season, the Blues are routinely outshot during five on five.

They have one of the lowest averages of goals scored per game.

They are reliant on absurdly amazing play by their goaltenders, notably 鈥淏inner.鈥�

They don鈥檛 get consistent play from some big-money men.

They are what they are 鈥� a team that鈥檚 not terrible but one on the outside looking in of the playoff picture.

OK, you want some 鈥渟o you鈥檙e sayin鈥� there鈥檚 a chance鈥� stats? At least consider the schedule down the stretch. This season, the Blues have found ways to win at home more often than on the road. At Enterprise Center, the home team is 21-11-1. That鈥檚 the sixth-most home wins in the National Hockey League (Colorado, which is an avalanche of a hockey team, has the most). Of the Blues鈥� final 14 games, eight are at home. And those are against many of their tougher upcoming opponents, be it Colorado, the winners of six straight games, or Vegas, the defending champs currently in the final wild-card spot.

Meanwhile, three of the six road games should be winnable 鈥� at Ottawa, San Jose and Anaheim. But with this up-and-down Blues team, you can鈥檛 write a 鈥淲鈥� in pen for any game, especially a road game.

There are a couple of standings鈥搒waying games in the Blues鈥� final 14: In addition to hosting Vegas (79 points), they play at Minnesota this Saturday (the Blues have 75 points, while the Wild have 74). And St. Louis is at current wild-card Nashville (82 points) on April 4.

And regarding the strength of schedule, the Blues have the fourth-easiest schedule remaining in the NHL, per the stat site Tankathon. However, the Kings have the third-easiest and the Wild have the fifth-easiest.

If anything, at least the Blues are in the mix. Without this current four-game winning streak, the season might鈥檝e already needed an obituary on these pages. Instead, it鈥檚 simply getting a skeptical column.

Crazier things have happened in sports than the 2024 Blues making the playoffs.

But all year, very little about this team has screamed 鈥淧LAYOFF TEAM!鈥�

To think that suddenly this is one? Hard to believe it.

We鈥檒l have a better gauge after Tuesday night. Defeat Colorado and suddenly there鈥檚 an extra two points you weren鈥檛 supposed to have. But the Blues will likely lose. Because Colorado? Now that鈥檚 a playoff team.