THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: The Blackhawks acted quickly and agressively when NHL free agency opened Wednesday, most notably inking Marian Hossa to a 12-year, $64 million deal. This comes on the heels of signing top free agent defenseman Brian Campbell last year. Already stacked with players like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp, have the Blackhawks now supplanted the Red Wings as the team to beat in the Central division?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
Chicago began that process even before the Marian Hossa signing. The Blackhawks were 2-2-2 against the Red Wings during the 2009-10 regular season, and even though the Wings beat the Hawks 4-games-to-1 in the Western Conference finals, two of Chicago’s losses came in overtime. Now Hossa and his 40 goals are moving to Chicago, and he’s bringing with him Tomas Kopecky, a nice young player. The Red Wings also are losing Mikael Samuelsson, who scored 19 goals last season

Chicago lost forward Martin Havlat, a big loss, and goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who had a terrific season, in free agency; but if Hossa can play as well as he has, he should top the numbers of the injury-prone Havlat. And goaltender Cristobal Huet should benefit from being the definite No. 1 netminder in Chicago. If Huet can match what the aging Khabibulin did last year, the Blackhawks should be the team to beat in the Central Division next year.

TOM TIMMERMANN
Well, the last two seasons, Marian Hossa has been a good indicator of who will come in second place. I think it’s too soon to say the Hawks have passed the Wings. The Hawks have a lot of parts, but it remains to be seen if they all fit together. And as Sidney Crosby can tell you, there’s a lot of pressure that comes from the high expectations put on young superstars. I do think that Chicago is clearly the No. 2 team in the West, which makes the Central Division that much tougher for the Blues since they’ll have to play two very, very good teams a lot. Hossa hasn’t shown himself to be a savior the past two seasons — though this year the gap between the Wings and Penguins was pretty small — so I don’t know if he gets the Hawks over the Red Wings hump.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
Not a chance. Detroit has won the division 8 straight years and losing Hossa isn’t going to change that much with the depth of talent they still have on that roster.

Besides, Hossa (40 goals, 31 assists, 71 points) is merely replacing Chicago’s 2008-2009 leading scorer Martin Havlat (29 goals, 48 assists, 77 points), who left for Minnesota in free agency. Hossa had 11 more goals than Havlat but had fewer points, though it should be pointed out that Hossa played in 7 fewer games than Havlat.

Oh and the Hawks lost goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, the guy that carried the load late in the season and in the playoffs. A team led by Cristobal Huet doesn’t exactly inspire me. The Blackhawks and Blues are getting closer to Detroit’s level but there is still ground to make up.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)
In my opinion, the Chicago Blackhawks won’t supplant Detroit until they start beating the Wings in seven-game series, winning Western Conference Championships and, ultimately, the Stanley Cup. Last time I checked they have yet to do any of the three.

Obviously they have made some considerable strides over the past few seasons, they’ve spent money in free agency and have collected some impressive names, but with that being said, Detroit isn’t going anywhere in the short-term. Last time I checked Detroit just went to the seventh game of the Stanley Cup finals and are bringing back a loaded roster once again.

Chicago better find a goaltender or it really won’t matter who they have on their roster. Anybody believe Cristobal Huet is the answer in net? Martin Havlat was their best player in Chicago for much of the second half of the season and they replaced him with Hossa, who will receive nearly all of his salary in the first eight seasons of his 12-year deal. Chicago still has some important players to sign this season and moving into next year, and oh, by the way, the cap is expected to go down after this coming season.

I don’t get caught up in hype created by monster free agent signings, but I do recognize they are very, very talented and have a great coach. We have seen plenty of teams make a splash in free agency only to fizzle. Ask the Rangers or Philadelphia where that has gotten them?

THE WATERCOOLER:
QUESTION: Pittsburgh is at Detroit in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals tonight. Who do you like in the game and which is better: a Game 7 in the NHL, NBA or MLB?

BERNIE MIKLASZ:
Pittsburgh-Detroit: I’d like to make a case for a Pittsburgh upset in Game 7, but Bill Mazeroski doesn’t play hockey. The visiting team hasn’t won Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final since Montreal went into Chicago Stadium to put away the Blackhawks in 1971, and it won’t happen this time. The only possible way I’d see this happening is if Chris Osgood fell apart in goal for Detroit, but in the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs he’s 11-1 at home with a .948 save percentage. And Pittsburgh’s Marc Andre-Fleury has had his worst moments of the postseason at Joe Louis Arena; in the first three games there his save percentage is a terrible .857. I just can’t see Detroit’s goaltender or team having the kind of breakdown that would set up a Penguins victory. Pittsburgh’s big stars haven’t showed up so far on the road in this series; Crosby and Malkin have combined for one goal and are a combined minus 6 at The Joe.
Game 7s: As for which sport has the best Game 7 - well, they are all great and lead to intense anticipation, so it comes down to a personal preference. And I’ll take baseball only because of the personal memories that live with me still. And no sport has a richer tradition than baseball.

JEREMY RUTHERFORD:
Pittsburgh-Detroit: I picked Pittsburgh to win the series, and I think a Penguins’ win tonight would be great for the NHL. The league has been bragging about Crosby, Malkin, Staal and Fleury for a couple years, and watching them skate around with the Cup would finally mark a changing of the guard. Having said that, I can’t see Detroit losing Game 7 at Joe Louis Arena. Throughout history, home teams are 12-2 in championship games. I am going to stick with Pittsburgh and be pleasantly surprised if they pull it off.
Game 7s: I don’t think there’s a better spectacle than a Game 7 in the NHL. But I have to be honest: I grew up playing baseball in the sandlots. We set up every situation like it was the seventh game of the World Series. Bruce Sutter …. here’s the pitch …. I’ll go with baseball.

JEFF GORDON:
Pittsburgh-Detroit: The Penguins can only hope to create such a game in Motown and take their chances at the end. But the Red Wings will throw four lines of skill at the pedestrian Penguins defense and try to bust this game open. I don’t see this Pens team holding up under that sort of pressure. Only a miraculous game by goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury can save them.
Game 7s: The NHL Game 7 is better because one bounce of the puck can decide the championship. If two teams are tied late in the decisive game, every shift — every second of every shift — can be agonizingly tense. The puck can hope over a stick and create the decisive break.

TOM TIMMERMANN:
Pittsburgh-Detroit: When this series began, I said Penguins in 6 after they won one of the first two in Detroit. Well, that didn’t happen, but if they can win Game 7, I’m only off by one game. The odds are certainly against them — home-ice seems to make a difference in this one — but I’m going to stick with the Pens for consistency sake.
Game 7s: I’ve long maintained there is nothing in sports to compare to an NHL postseason overtime. The intensity is constant. An NHL Game 7 is like a 60-minute overtime. Every shift is important. Baseball Game 7’s come one day after Game 6, so there’s less of a buildup, And the pace of NBA games subtracts from the intensity. I’ll take an NHL Game 7.

DERRICK GOOLD:
Pittsburgh-Detroit: Would love to see former St. Louis Blues p.r. man Frank Buonomo and his Pittsburgh Penguins hoist the Cup tonight, but alas it will Chris Osgood and the Detroit Red Things that skate with Stanley tonight. (And thus usher Osgood into the Hall of Fame, perchance?)
Game 7s: I’ve had the fortune to cover Game 7s in baseball and Game 7s in hockey, including several Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Finals. And while I’ll never forget being knocked in the head by the Stanley Cup as they handed it to Ray Bourque for a sip in the dressing room after Game 7 in 2001, the best Game 7s I’ve ever covered and ever attended have been baseball Game 7s. Give me Game 7, bases loaded, rookie closer on the mound, Shea Stadium over Game 7, Detroit undressing Patrick Roy, Joe Louis Arena any day. So naturally when it comes to choosing the best kind of Game 7, I have to side with … well, venue over sport. A Game 7 at old Busch is going to trump a Game 7 at Pepsi Center (sorry, Denver), but something tells me a Game 7 in Montreal would rival a Game 7 at, say, Chase Field. Why no basketball? Because for me even a Game 7 in the NBA cannot hope to rival the intensity of hockey’s velocity or baseball’s tension in a Game 7. Basketball’s got no shot.

RICK HUMMEL:
Pittsburgh-Detroit: Home team has won every game in the NHL series and Pittsburgh hasn’t even come close in Detroit. It will be closer tonight but Detroit wins.
Game 7s: Game Seven in baseball is the best because the crowd isn’t as much of a factor and potential influence on officiating as it can be in hockey and basketball.

DAN O’NEILL:
Pittsburgh-Detroit: I like Pittsburgh tonight. Crosby is due to break out. The Penguins have to avoid a quick start by the Red Wings.
Game 7s: Game 7 in any sport is fabulous theater. I think I would rank Game 7 in an NBA Finals last, unless the St. Louis Hawks are playing the Boston Celtics.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: The Stanley Cup Finals kick off Saturday night in a repeat of last year’s matchup of the Detroit Red Wings vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins. Who are you picking to win it all and why?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
I will go with Pittsburgh in 6 games. I picked the Pens last year, but looking back, they just weren’t ready. They are this season. Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury will be a difference-maker. Injuries to Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk could also be factors. Sorry Marian Hossa, you should have stayed in the Steel City.

TOM TIMMERMANN
If you had asked me pretty much any day all year who would win the Stanley Cup, I’d have said the Detroit Red Wings. But today, I’m going with the Penguins. They’re a more mature team than a year ago, and they’ll be a lot calmer in the finals than last year. They’ve got Crosby, they’ve got Malkin, who is not disappearing this year, they’ve got Fleury in goal. Detroit is banged up and with Games 1 and 2 back to back, a younger, better-rested team, which is what Pittsburgh is, will have an edge. I think Pittsburgh’s got a shot to snag a win at Joe Louis Arena and that could be the difference in a tight series. And unlike the conference finals, this won’t be a quick series. But it should be a good one.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)
Have we heard enough about the Pittsburgh comparison to the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s? I’ve yet to read a story that doesn’t make mention of it.

First off, Detroit is incredible. They have an unfair amount of depth that allows them to execute their style even without some of the best players in the world. They should be getting Lidstrom and Datsyuk back for Game 1 but how effective will they be? Niklas Kronwall and Brian Rafalski are more than capable of picking up the slack. If Detroit continues to score one out of every four chances on the power play it will make things very tough for the Penguins. Whether you like him or not, you have to give props to goaltender Chris Osgood, who is Detroit’s Conn Smythe candidate to date. Most pundits didn’t give this guy a chance and for good reason, his performance during the regular season was dreadful. Somehow Osgood finds magic in Hockeytown. I find it interesting that every player on Detroit has a Stanley Cup ring except for former Penguins Marian Hossa and Ty Conklin.

With all that being said, I think Pittsburgh will win this series and I expect it to go the distance. While Osgood has been great, Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has been consistent. Pittsburgh is skilled enough to run and gun with the Wings and should be able to create high quality chances which will make things tough on Osgood. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are the best offensive duo in hockey. Their D-men may not have All-Star names on the back of their jerseys but they’ve sacrificed and are very underrated. I spoke to Billy Guerin on Thursday and he told me he’s having the time of his life. It’s only going to get better as the Penguins will win in 7. Crosby takes home the Conn Smythe (MVP).

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: The Blackhawks ousted the Canucks in the Western Conference semifinals last night with a young team that many thought was a year or two away. “I’m not saying experience is overrated, but the fact is, we’re not just a young team, we’re a good team,” said young star blueliner Duncan Keith. What can the Blues take from watching this series as they head into next year?

BERNIE MIKLASZ:
The Blues need more good players, period. The Blackhawks are ahead of them in the developmental cycle, and this is a reminder that the Blues are still playing catch-up. And let’s not forget that Chicago has more resources and was able to supplement an exceptional youth movement by investing heavily in a couple of free agents. The Blues are on track. Chicago is just farther along. (Bernie has more on this in his blog this morning.)

DAN O’NEILL:
There is a discernible difference between the Blues and Blackhawks in terms of talent, especially on the backline, especially where it impacts offensive transition. The Blues simply did not have defenseman of Duncan Keith’s abilities this season, to use him as an example. The Blackhawks are a step ahead in that regard, but the Blues are getting there.
With their corps of young players, with a talent upgrade on defense, the Blues could be doing what the Blackhawks are doing by next season. Keep in mind St. Louis was 4-1-1 during the regular season against Chicago
So it’s a good news/bad news proposition. The good news is, the Blues can be inspired by what the Blackhawks have accomplished, the bad news is they have to get past the Blackhawks in the years ahead to win a Stanley Cup.

TOM TIMMERMANN:
Add to this that the Penguins were awfully young when they reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2008 and it shows that youth can go some place in the NHL. I think there’s a difference in that the Blues have youngsters who can score goals while the Penguins and Blackhawks have youngsters who can score more goals. Really good puck moving defensemen are good only when they have players to move the puck too. So there’s reason for Blues fans to be optimistic for next season; turnarounds can come quickly, but it’s also no guarantee. The Blues’ rookies aren’t Crosby, Malkin and Fleury; are they Kane and Toews? We’ll see. But it’s also worth remembering that there exists a team called the Detroit Red Wings. I wouldn’t discount the importance of experience just yet.

JEREMY RUTHERFORD:
Other than learning how to put traffic in front of Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo, the Blues won’t learn anything from Chicago’s playoff win over Vancouver they didn’t already know, nor will it give them any more confidence they can win with a young team.
Yes, the Blues and ‘Hawks have been pathetic in recent years. Yes, they have been on similar paths, rebuilding through the draft. Yes, this is the year that both teams believed they could emerge. For those reasons, the teams are rightfully linked together.
But for this season anyway, any other comparisons should be thrown out the window. The Blackhawks didn’t deal with the number of key injuries the Blues dealt with this season. The ‘Hawks had their share of injuries, but nothing like the Blues losing Paul Kariya, Andy McDonald, T.J. Oshie, Eric Brewer and Erik Johnson. If you take Martin Havlat, Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg, Brent Seabrook and Brian Campbell out the Blackhawks’ lineup, they’re not playing in the Western Conference Finals. Even if the Blues had everyone healthy this season, they’re probably not as good as the Blackhawks, but they’re not far off.
Also, keep in mind that the Blues and Blackhawks are both young, but Chicago’s Patrick Kane (No. 1 overall pick in 2007) and Jonathan Toews (No. 3 in 2006) are the cream of the crop. If it weren’t for Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, Kane and Toews would be the face of the NHL. You can’t compare them to guys like Oshie (No. 24 in 2005), Patrik Berglund (No. 25 in 2006) or David Perron (No. 26 in 2007). You can compare Erik Johnson (No. 1 in 2006), but let Johnson get back on the ice.
With Johnson and with the rest of their full deck, the Blues can compete with the Blackhawks.

JEFF GORDON:

The big lesson is to stay the course. The Blackhawks stayed with their young skilled forwards and finally got the payoff. The Blues should resist any temptation to deal any of their high-end kids. These guys melded nicely during a months-long run toward the playoffs. Next spring, Patrik Berglund, T.J. Oshe and David Perron will all be better prepared to step up in postseason play. They other key for Chicago was their strong corps of offensive defensemen. That is an element the Blues lacked with Erik Johnson and Eric Brewer and Alex Pietrangelo still developing. The lack of a viable point threat undermined their power play against Vancouver. Expect a different story next spring.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: After flat-lining Wednesday against the Blackhawks, the St. Louis Blues bounced back with a huge 5-4 win over the Wings in Detroit last night to move into the eighth and final playoff spot. Though they play three out of their last four on the road, only Columbus (whom the Blues play at home) is a playoff-caliber team. Given their opponents and their entire surge since the calendar hit 2009, I say the Blues make the playoffs. What say you?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
Yes, the Blues will make the playoffs. With four games left in the regular season, they control their own destiny in the eighth spot. Win all four and you’re in, or go 3-1 and you’re more than likely in.

It comes down to three teams — Anaheim, the Blues and Nashville — fighting for the 7th and 8th spots in the West. Of those three, Nashville has a game in-hand, but that game is tonight in Chicago. The Blues can tell you that’s no guarantee.

The Blues appear to have the most favorable schedule among the three. A look at the schedules:

• Anaheim: at San Jose, vs. San Jose, vs. Dallas, at Phoenix . . . 7-6-1 vs. remaining opponents
• Blues: at Dallas, at Phoenix, vs. Columbus, at Colorado . . . 12-2 vs. remaining opponents
• Nashville: at Chicago, vs. Columbus, vs. Chicago, at Detroit, at Minnesota . . . 10-6-1 against remaining opponents

Three of the Blues’ opponents — Dallas, Phoenix and Colorado — are out of the playoff picture. And the Blues are coming off back-to-back wins over Columbus. Nothing is certain, but for the first time in several months, the Blues aren’t chasing anybody and they will decide if they make the playoffs.

And the way things are shaping up, the Blues will be playing the San Jose Sharks in the first round. Payback will be on the minds of Blues’ fans, who remember what happened in 2000 when the eighth-seeded Sharks upset the top-seeded Blues, winning the series 4-3.

Time for a role reversal.

BERNIE MIKLASZ
I’ll say, “Yes,” and put them in. The Blues are in good shape. If they win all four remaining games, no one will stop them. But for purposes of discussion, suppose the Blues slip? Then it comes down to what the other contenders do. It also comes down to whether the Blues finish seventh or eighth.
Anaheim (currently 7th), has a home-and-home with San Jose, the top team in the Western Conference. That’s a big test, but San Jose has virtually locked up the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, and so you have to wonder about the motivation level. If the Ducks handle San Jose, then they’ll play a couple of faded horses in Dallas and Phoenix.

Nashville (9th) has a game in hand over the Blues, so that’s dangerous from the Blues’ standpoint — and that’s why tonight’s Nashville @ Chicago game is so big. The Blues need the Blackhawks to take that one. If Nashville wins at Chicago, they leap the Blues and go into 8th place, and that will cause some anxiety in the STL hockey community. But overall, Nashville has a tougher schedule than does St. Louis, with four games against playoff-bound teams (two with Chicago, one each with Columbus and Detroit).

Minnesota (10th place) is 4 points behind the Blues and the Wild also has a game in hand, so you can’t count them out.

Another question: is 6th place totally out of the question?

TOM TIMMERMANN
My original projection was that the Blues would stagger to the final four games and then win out, and make the playoffs, so I think they’ll do quite well here at the end. There are potential problems the next two games — first following up a big win and then playing the final game of a long road trip — but this team looks to have gotten over those problems. The toughest team still to play is at home and may have its playoff spot locked up by then, and then there’s the big finish in Colorado for the Blues.

My original thought was that the Blues would be facing four straight do-or-die games. Now, that may not be the case, and they actually may be able to absorb one loss. Go 3-1 in this stretch, and I think the season is another two weeks longer.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
I said they’d make the playoffs during the Blues Post-Game Show after the loss to Chicago, so there’s no way I’ll change my opinion now. The win against Detroit puts them in outstanding position.

While the Blues finish their season playing 3 out of 4 against teams who are out of the playoff picture, the Ducks play San Jose on back-to-back nights before facing Dallas and Phoenix, and Nashville plays Chicago twice, Columbus, Detroit and Minnesota.

I’m no longer concerned about Edmonton or Minnesota — being 4-points back with 4-5 games is a tough hill to climb — but I do think Anaheim is going to finish strong, capturing the 7th spot.

It looks like this comes down to the Blues and Predators for the final spot in the West and I like the Blues there. Even though they have three road games, they’re all against teams the Blues should beat.

The Preds face a Chicago team battling for home ice advantage in the first round; the Blue Jackets, who appear to be pretty solid in the 6th spot; a Red Wings team trying to get itself straightened out before the playoffs; and, a Minnesota team that may or may not be eliminated from the hunt when the two meet. Plus the Blues hold the tiebreaker over Nashville.

The Blues finish with 89-90 points, winning the 8th playoff spot and the right to face the San Jose Sharks in the 1st round.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)
The best part for the Blues moving forward is that they control there own destiny. This is not a question that requires deep thought and statistical analysis. I do think the Blues will get in. They head into the final week of the season with a ton of confidence, as do the Anaheim Ducks and the Nashville Predators. Two of these three teams get in.

Sorry, Predators fans.

The Blues will probably need to win three of the remaining four to get there. By now most fans are aware of the opponents both Anaheim and Nashville will face from here on out. With the Ducks looking at back-to-back games against San Jose and Nashville hitting the road to battle Chicago and Detroit, you can make the case the Blues have the more favorable schedule moving forward.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: With 10 games to go, how many total points do you think the Blues need to secure the eighth and final playoff spot; and assuming they were to do so, where do you see the points coming from on the remaining schedule?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
The 11th-place Blues will need at least 90 points to make the playoffs. That’s based on the premise that one of the three teams ahead of them in the West — No. 8 Nashville, No. 9 Anaheim, or No. 10 Minnesota — will win seven of its last 10 games and reach the 90-point plateau. (Teams 6-13 in the West have each played 72 games, so no one has any games in hand as of today). So with 75 points and needing 90, the Blues must earn 15 of the remaining 20 points on the schedule to give themselves a chance. You can say the Blues need to go 8-2, 7-2-1, 6-1-3 . . . whichever way, they need 15 points.

Assuming the Blues pick up those 15 points, let’s forecast where they’ll come from:
Tonight vs. Los Angeles: 2 points
Thursday vs. Vancouver: 1 point
Saturday vs. Columbus: 2 points
Sunday AT Columbus: 1 point
April 1 AT Chicago: 1 point
April 2 AT Detroit: 0 points
April 4 AT Dallas: 2 points
April 7 AT Phoenix: 2 points
April 10 vs. Columbus: 2 points
April 12 AT Colorado: 2 points

DAN O’NEILL
I think the Blues may need at least 15 points in their last 10 games to secure a playoff spot, beginning with a home game against Los Angeles tonight. They have a three-game stretch that will be especially difficult — at Columbus March 29, at Chicago April 1 and at Detroit April 2. There also is a game at Dallas on April 4 to deal with.

It is reasonable to suggest they can win the other six games on the schedule, so they have to find a way to get three points out of those four games, be it a win and an overtime loss, or even three overtime losses. Pivotal to the cause will be beating Vancouver at home on Thursday and beating Columbus at home April 10.

The challenge is mighty for a young team that has to be growing weary of playing for its life, night in and night out. But, regardless of the outcome, it beats the heck out of last year’s lead balloon finish.

TOM TIMMERMANN
The rule of thumb is you need 90 points to make the playoffs, but this year should be an exception and 87 or 88 should do it in the West. So the Blues need to get 12 points from their final 10 games and the way the schedule shakes out, I’m envisioning a mad dash to the finish. They can get four points from their next three games, with LA, Vancouver and Colorado, and then it looks like three straight losses: at Columbus, at Chicago, at Detroit. That will leave them at death’s door, but the schedule shapes up with four winnable games down the stretch, all of which they will likely have to win: at Dallas, at Phoenix, Columbus and at Colorado. I’d only rate it about a 40 percent chance, and they can’t afford to have Nashville, Anaheim or Minnesota get hot. It’s tough that the Blues don’t play any of those teams.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, Team 1380)
I look at the remaining games as nothing more than a ten-game season. It’s a ten-game race with the best team advancing to the playoffs. After each game the Blues will assess their health and move on to the next opponent. Blues management has been scoreboard watching all season long and you know their eyes will be all over the Western conference throughout the final ten games.

This is the real March Madness.

The problem is Nashville already has a two-point cushion on the Blues and leads Minnesota and Anaheim by a single point. Right off the bat I am going to eliminate the Minnesota Wild. They, along with the Blues, have the toughest schedule of the teams fighting to get in. Like the Blues they play four home and six away but they are staring at a four-game road trip that begins tonight in New York and ends in Western Canada. They will also visit Detroit in the first week of April.

Let’s assume Nashville wins only half of their remaining games and loses one of their five in overtime or a shootout. That would mean the Predators would collect at least 11 more points the rest of the way. Under this scenario the Blues would need to collect at least 13 points over the next ten games to tie the Predators, where the Blues hold the tie-breaker. Nashville does have head-to-head meetings with Anaheim and Minnesota remaining.

Anaheim is also looking at four home games vs. six on the road with head-to-head meetings with Nashville and Dallas. They still need to go to Vancouver and will battle San Jose in back-to-back games. Not an easy road for Anaheim either.

I see the Blues finishing with 89 points. It may not be enough but you never know. How do they do it? They need a minimum of five points on this upcoming three-game stretch. I have them beating LA and Columbus but losing in a shootout or O.T. vs. the Canucks this Thursday. The five-game road swing will ultimately determine their fate. To be honest. I don’t usually go through the schedule and say here is who they’ll beat and here is who they’ll lose to, but for the sake of this blog entry here are my predictions.

I predict St. Louis earns a single point in Columbus this Sunday, beating Chicago, losing to Detroit, losing to Dallas, and beating Phoenix. The club will return home to defeat the Blue Jackets and then close out the regular season in Colorado with a victory giving the Blues 89 points on the year.
I’m not convinced a 6-2-2 record over the final ten will do it but it most certainly could. It will at least keep the season interesting and entertaining which is more than what Blues fans expected when the club was pretty much buried just a few short months ago. Enjoy!

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
The short version: The Blues just need to be one game better than the three teams right ahead of them the rest of the way if they’re going to get the 8th seed. If all three teams ahead of the Blues play the final 10 games at the same pace they played the first 72, then Nashville will finish with 88 points and both Anaheim and Minnesota will finish with 87. That means the Blues will probably need at least 13 points to get in. The Blues win the tiebreaker against Nashville because they won the season series.

If they do get that 8th spot I think it will have been the result of getting 6 points for beating the Kings, Coyotes and Avalanche, managing 3 points in their three remaining games against the Blue Jackets and then finding 4 more points somehow in their games against the Canucks, Blackhawks, Red Wings and Stars.

The Blues are 16-8-6 in their last 30 games and even at that torrid pace (which would be good for 100-points over 82 games) they’d finish 5-3-2 in their last 10, netting 12 points. As good as they’ve been the past two months they need to be just a little bit better here at the finish line. Or they need to get some help.