St. Louis Is One Loss Away From Elimination and Chicago Wants No Part of Saturday's Desperation Game

The St. Louis Blues are running out of miracles. After climbing back into playoff contention with a blistering 10-1-2 stretch that had them within four points of a wild card spot, the Blues have completely fallen apart. They're 2-3-1 in their last six games, and with a record of 33-33-12 (78 points), they're now seven points back of the Los Angeles Kings for that final playoff berth. Here's the brutal part: the Blues could be officially eliminated from the postseason picture Saturday against Chicago. All it takes is one regulation loss to the Blackhawks, a Kings win over Edmonton, or an overtime loss to Chicago combined with either a Kings point or a Predators win.

What Went Wrong Fast

The Blues were playing winning hockey just weeks ago. Then something switched off. Blues coach Jim Montgomery pinpointed the issue after Thursday's 3-2 home loss to Winnipeg: "We seemed to have lost how fast we played north and how quickly we were attacking their net." The team that was attacking with precision is now getting shredded defensively. Back-to-back losses to Colorado (3-1 at home on Tuesday) and Winnipeg exposed the same problem. St. Louis is getting torched on east-west plays in their own zone, and Montgomery knows they don't have time to fix it if they want to salvage anything from this season.

Chicago's Already Toast, But There's Pride on the Line

The Blackhawks are officially done. They were eliminated from contention following a 3-1 loss to Edmonton on April 2, and they've been a dumpster fire ever since, going 1-6-1. At 28-37-14 (70 points), they're second to last in the entire NHL standings, only ahead of Vancouver. They got torched 7-2 by Carolina on Thursday, but coach Jeff Blashill isn't ready to pack it in. "I don't want to overreact to a bad night," he said. "Our fans deserve better, for sure."

The one bright spot in Chicago's wreckage has been 18-year-old Anton Frondell, the No. 3 pick from the 2025 draft. Since his March 24 debut, he's put up eight points (three goals, five assists) in nine games and scored both Chicago goals in the Carolina loss. For Frondell, at least, the season still matters. "I love to score. It's the best feeling ever," he said after his two-goal night. "Of course, fun for me to score, score two goals, but it sucks to lose."

Both teams need Saturday. For St. Louis, it's desperation. For Chicago, it's one last chance to play with pride before the season ends.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.