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The Blues feel the buzz in St. Louis, and they expect to feel it Thursday night inside Enterprise Center.

That’s when the Blues will play their biggest game of the season (so far), hosting the Canucks in a battle between the two teams currently tied for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Both teams enter the game with 75 points, though the Canucks have a game in hand on the Blues.

“We’re all excited,� Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington said. “Even after the game last night on the plane, we’re talking about it. It’s the type of hockey you want to be playing.�

While the Blues are chasing Vancouver, they are also trying to hold off charges from Calgary and Utah. But St. Louis only has two games remaining against those three teams. One is the season finale vs. Utah, which may or may not have any significance at that time of the season. The other is Thursday against Vancouver.

How much can a result on Thursday change the postseason fortunes for the Blues? A ton.

According to analytics site MoneyPuck, the Blues currently have a 44.4% chance of making the playoffs. With a regulation win over the Canucks, that would rise to 55.3%. A regulation loss would drop it to 28.1%.

“I think what ramps up is the excitement for tomorrow night,� Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “It’s going to be on both ends. I haven’t been in St. Louis a lot, but I’m curious. ... I expect this building to be rocking tomorrow night. I think there’s some excitement in this city. It’s a great sports town. I know through family and friends, the way they’re talking about it that I imagine the whole city is going to be pretty excited about tomorrow night.�

The Blues are the NHL’s hottest team, piling up a 9-2-2 record since the 4 Nations Face-Off break to completely erase the eight-point gap between themselves and the Canucks. No team has more points since the break. No team has averaged more goals per game since the break. They’re sixth in goals allowed per game and sixth in power play.

With Tuesday night’s 4-1 win over the Predators, the Blues have now outscored their past three opponents 16-4. Only one team this season has had a three-game span with a bigger goal differential, and it was the defending champion Panthers in November.

“This is the most confident our group has been all season,� Montgomery said. “I would say that the excitement we have for the next game is very apparent. We’re not getting too high about it. We’re just really eager to get out and play real good Blues hockey again.�

The Blues have 13 games remaining in their season, and they’ve come a long way from where they were in the fall.

Remember the blowout 8-1 losses to Ottawa and Washington? Or the last-minute losses to Philadelphia, Utah and Boston? Or the offensive struggles that could have contributed to Drew Bannister losing his job?

All of that seems like so long ago.

Under Montgomery, the Blues have become one of the stingiest defensive teams in the NHL, successfully limiting expected goals and high-danger chances better than 30 other teams, according to Natural Stat Trick. They enter Thursday on a 14-game streak of allowing fewer than 30 shots, the team’s longest such streak since the Cup-winning 2018-19 season.

Dylan Holloway, Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou have formed a dangerous second line, one that has supported the resurgence of Jake Neighbours, Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich. Philip Broberg and Justin Faulk have stepped up in the absence of Colton Parayko. And everyone on the team is blocking shots.

The power play ranks fifth in the NHL since the Winter Classic and has scored six times in the past four games. The oft-maligned penalty kill has rebounded lately to kill its past 11 opportunities.

Now, the Blues will have a chance to play in front of a home crowd for their biggest game of the season.

“I expect it to be loud,� Binnington said. “It sounds like the city is getting excited, more excited by the game. We’re excited to play in front of them, and should be a fun night.�

Binnington will start on Thursday, part of a bit of planning by the Blues to start Joel Hofer in Nashville on Tuesday to save their No. 1 goalie for a big moment on Thursday.

It will be the latest big stage for Binnington this season. He made 30 saves on opening day to beat the Kraken. He made 40 saves in his return to Toronto to beat the Maple Leafs. Winter Classic? Twenty-eight saves, including a game-preserving one on Taylor Hall in the second period. He led Canada to a 4 Nations championship, and his heroics in overtimes vs. Sweden and the United States were big reasons why.

“You prepare the same as if it were any other game, but I think subconsciously or deep down, you know the intensity and the level of what’s at stake,� Binnington said. “Just comes out of you naturally if you do the preparation. Every game is different, and you’ve got to prepare the best way you can. Tomorrow’s no different.�