Opportunity.
That’s how Head Coach Jim Montgomery described Tuesday’s game for the St. Louis Blues.
“The word opportunity, to me, is such a positive word,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to seize the moment and to do something special. That’s what’s in front of us.”
The Blues (43-30-8) host the Utah Hockey Club (37-30-13) on Tuesday night with the chance to punch their ticket to the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Win in regulation, and they’re in. Anything but that, and they’ll need a little help from other teams to lock up their spot.
After winning a franchise-record 12 consecutive games to get back into the race, St. Louis struggled on their recent road trip, picking up just one point over three contests. But the Blues believe in themselves and their game as they take on the challenge in front of their home crowd.
“This is what we play for,” said captain Brayden Schenn. “Chances like this and opportunities like this are what make the game exciting. And to go out there and play hard for one another and play hard in front of our fans, I think we’re all looking forward to the opportunity.”
One thing the Blues will lean on is their experience throughout the lineup, especially on the defensive side. Every defenseman expected to dress on Tuesday has played in at least a Conference Final series. Included in that list is Philip Broberg, who is available after missing Saturday’s game. Broberg was an integral part of the Edmonton Oilers squad that made it to the Stanley Cup Final last year.
Additionally the team still has five players from their 2019 championship season and numerous others who have had success on a big stage.
“There’s a lot of experience in winning throughout our lineup, and I expect those guys to lead us,” Montgomery said.
Standing in their way is a young but talented team in the Utah Hockey Club. While they have been eliminated from playoff contention for this year, the team is 4-1-1 in April and was in the race up until recently.
After closing out their home slate last week, Utah finishes their inaugural season with a three-game road trip. They started it on a good note with an impressive 5-3 win against the Dallas Stars. Then on Monday night they visit the Nashville Predators before Tuesday’s finale at Enterprise Center.
This will be the fourth and final matchup between the Blues and Utah in 2024-25. The latter won the first two contests, while St. Louis won their latest matchup in early February.
While the Blues dropped their only home tilt between the two this season, they have enjoyed recent success in their barn. The team has won 11 straight games at Enterprise Center dating back to Feb. 23, while Jordan Binnington has a personal 10-game win home win streak.
“The excitement’s going to be in the building, the excitement’s going to be there in the locker room, and we have to go out there and get the job done,” Schenn said.
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