GDT Game 64: 2/27/18|7:00 PM CT|@ Wild|NBCSN/KMOX

[theohall]

SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- The St. Louis Blues are slumping at the worst time and their rock-solid playoff hopes have taken a serious hit as coach Mike Yeo searches for answers.

It's a scenario that Minnesota Wild fans have seen before, most notably when Yeo coached there and a second-half swoon happened seemingly every season.

Heading into Tuesday's meeting with the Wild, the Blues have lost six in a row, including being shut out in back-to-back games. That leaves Yeo, and the rest of the team, desperate for answers as their playoff chances have dropped to a season low.

"When you're winning and playing well, you have confidence. When you're losing and finding ways to lose, obviously confidence goes away a little bit," Yeo said. "We've got to focus on the small picture, what the next game is and not look at the big picture, not worry about what's going on with other teams and other scores."

It's familiar territory for Yeo, who is in his first full season behind the Blues' bench.

Two seasons ago at about this time, things were clipping along for the Wild before a horrendous swoon in January caused the team to fire him in February.

Yeo took over the Blues late in the season a year ago and coached them to an upset of the Wild in round one of the playoffs last spring. But after looking like a sure-fire playoff team two months ago, St. Louis has struggled mightily.

The Blues' lineup got a different look on Monday as well, after they sent forward Paul Stastny to the Winnipeg Jets at the trade deadline in exchange for a 2018 first-round pick and the rights to forward Erik Foley.

St. Louis lost in Nashville on Sunday and heads into another unfriendly Central Division opponent's building on Tuesday, so Yeo is preaching enthusiasm on his bench.

The Blues' struggles are a photo negative of the Wild's recent surge. After sweeping a three-game road trip in the New York City area, Minnesota returned home and trailed the San Jose Sharks 2-0 in the third period before rallying to a 3-2 overtime win.

Their playoff odds now stand at a season-best 92 percent, according to one number-crunching site.

Forward Eric Staal was named the league's first star of the week after putting up four goals and seven points in Minnesota's last four games. Wild coach Bruce Boudreau believes that improving at this point in the season is just as important as winning.

"As long as we can continue to get better, this is something we're doing fine right now," Boudreau said, recalling a late-season swoon a year ago. "Come April, we have to pick that up a lot and in March we have to pick it up a lot. I mean our March wasn't that good last year."

Minnesota made a minor trade deadline move, possibly signaling that defenseman Jonas Brodin will return from injury soon, as it dealt blue-liner Mike Reilly to the Montreal Canadiens for a fifth-round draft pick.

[gaijin]

I was anticipating a different-looking lineup in tonight's game, but as it turns out... no.

This sums up how I feel about the trade deadline:

[ibldbl]

Blues lose, but take a giant leap forward and actually score a goal!

Blues - 1
Wild - 3

[Oaklandblue]

Blues stop the skid and climb back into the playoff hunt. Start Hutton.

Blues 4
Wild 0

[gaijin]

Blues stop the skid and climb back into the playoff hunt. Start Hutton.

Blues 4
Wild 0

We are currently behind LA and Calgary for a wild card berth, both of which also play tonight. LA plays Vegas (in Vegas) and Calgary plays Dallas (in Dallas), so the odds favor both of those teams losing.

Calgary vs. Dallas is an interesting matchup from St. Louis's perspective. Is it better for Dallas to beat Calgary so the Blues can pass the Flames in the wild card race? Or is it better for Calgary to beat Dallas so we can catch the Stars in the Central?

*edit: Also, I just looked and Nashville and Winnipeg play each other tonight. That should be a damn good hockey game.

[Oaklandblue]

Blues stop the skid and climb back into the playoff hunt. Start Hutton.

Blues 4
Wild 0

We are currently behind LA and Calgary for a wild card berth, both of which also play tonight. LA plays Vegas (in Vegas) and Calgary plays Dallas (in Dallas), so the odds favor both of those teams losing.

Calgary vs. Dallas is an interesting matchup from St. Louis's perspective. Is it better for Dallas to beat Calgary so the Blues can pass the Flames in the wild card race? Or is it better for Calgary to beat Dallas so we can catch the Stars in the Central?

*edit: Also, I just looked and Nashville and Winnipeg play each other tonight. That should be a damn good hockey game.

You know, I didn't even look at the standings as deep as you did and thank you for the update . Honestly? Right now I want to see a solid Blues win. I want to see this team come out tonight like the team they really are, not lazy or lackadaisal. They got talent and skill and they need to knock off the lulling. They're better than that and Yeo (and Pie) needs to be on top of that.

In any case, I'm going to say we come out walking tall and take out the Wild. This team needs to send that message and back it by action, not words.

P.S. - Given the choice you gave, I'm going to choose catching Dallas in the Central. Getting a WC spot should be a last-ditch solution.

[glen a richter]

I say tank so you get back the 1st rounder that was conditional to the Flyers. It shouldn't be too hard for this team to tank, it's not like they care anymore anyway, and they're certainly not being motivated by Pietrangelo or Yeo. That's for sure.

Wild 5
Blues 1, on a delayed penalty the Wild throw it into their own net. Hutton, last Blue to touch the puck, is credited with the goal.

[Toasted Oates]

Lines for the morning skate per Rutherford:

Steen-Barbashev-Tarasenko
Schwartz-Schenn-Soshnikov
Berglund-Sobotka-Thompson
Upshall-Brodziak-Jaskin/Thorburn

D pairs
(Bortuzzo*)-Pietrangelo
Dunn-Parayko
Gunnarsson-Schmaltz
*Bouwmeester not skating

G: Allen in starter’s net

Welp...

I respect your optimism, Oakland. I hope you're right.

I also appreciate your logic, Glen, in tanking a little to get that pick back.

I'd rather they just play hard and eek out a W but I don't know how far playing hard will get that squad listed above. Especially with how the Paper Tigers from Minny have played @ the X lately.

Wild 3 (Blue killer Zucker x2, Parise)
Blues 1 (Dunn)

[Robb_K]

Too bad The Blues are doing their best to undermine any hope of them rallying in the face of adversity, by giving up 2 early goals. For those of us who feel that The Blues HAVE to win SOME time...........Maybe we are wrong. Maybe they'll lose EVERY game the rest of this season. Then, next season they'll lose ask 82 games, and be dropped out of The NHL for embarrassing The League.

And just as I type this, Tarasenko scores!!!! Maybe I shuuld put them down more!

But, just asI type the good news, The Wild score again! BOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

[glen a richter]

One month to meaningful baseball games

[Robb_K]

I say tank so you get back the 1st rounder that was conditional to the Flyers. It shouldn't be too hard for this team to tank, it's not like they care anymore anyway, and they're certainly not being motivated by Pietrangelo or Yeo. That's for sure.

Wild 5
Blues 1, on a delayed penalty the Wild throw it into their own net. Hutton, last Blue to touch the puck, is credited with the goal.

NO! NO! NO! The 2018 draft is much deeper at the top! The Blues are better off to get that 1st choice in 2019. They've already added the 1st rounder in 2018 for Stastny. And, perhaps they can trade off Sobotka and a few others at The Draft for other choices they can add together to move up higher to grab actual quality player.

[Robb_K]

Taraseko buries the rebound!! Blues back within 2!!!

But, The Wild score again! Boo!

[theohall]

No idea what to say other than the league's worst road power play finally scored a goal.

And both Blues goalies have allowed 3 against, so...

This team needs to pull it's head out of it's butt. Hard to believe they are still the league's 4th ranked overall defense considering how poorly they are defending.

[Toasted Oates]

The Blues are utter trash defensively. Just when I thought Jaden Schwartz was the MVP of this team it was really Joel Edmundson all along? Jesus.

And Bouwmeester's delay of game was one of the worst plays I've seen all year. What a freaking idiot. Then the 6th goal deflected off of him after Hutton made the save. This guy...

[gaijin]

Wow. Could this team BE any worse?

If they can't beat Detroit tomorrow...

[theohall]

Wow. Could this team BE any worse?

If they can't beat Detroit tomorrow...

And the Blues have been playing worse at home lately. Hard to play worse than they did tonight, though.

[gaijin]

Wow. Could this team BE any worse?

If they can't beat Detroit tomorrow...

And the Blues have been playing worse at home lately. Hard to play worse than they did tonight, though.

But hey! We scored three goals! We're back on track!