As of March 26, the St. Louis Blues currently hold the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, earning 83 points in 73 games with a .568 points percentage. With just nine games left in the regular season, the question on every fan’s mind is: can the Blues hold onto that spot—or even overtake the Minnesota Wild for the first wild card position?
Let’s break down the path ahead.
Chasing the Wild for First
The Minnesota Wild currently hold the top wild card spot with 85 points in 72 games, a .590 points percentage, and a game in hand over the Blues. That two-point gap might seem small, but with only nine games remaining for St. Louis, the margin for error is razor-thin.
If the Blues were to win all nine of their remaining games—a perfect 9-0-0 finish—they’d end the season with 101 points. For the Wild to fall behind, they’d need to earn 15 points or fewer in their final 10 games, translating to a record of 7-2-1 or worse (e.g., 6 wins, 3 losses, 1 overtime loss).
The Wild’s current pace suggests they’re likely to finish around 100-102 points if they maintain their .590 points percentage, which would require the Blues to be near-flawless down the stretch. A more realistic strong finish for St. Louis might be 7-1-1, earning 15 points and bringing them to 98 points.
In that scenario, the Wild would need to stumble, earning 12 points or fewer in their last 10 games (e.g., 6-4-0).
While Minnesota has been solid this season, a late-season slump isn’t out of the question—especially if forwards Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov cannot return from injury until the end of the regular season. For Blues fans, the dream of snagging that first wild card spot is alive, but it’s a long shot. A continued hot streak from Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, and the rest of the squad, paired with stellar goaltending from Jordan Binnington, could make it a reality. With the most recent seven-game winning streak, nothing is off the table.
Securing the Second Wild Card Spot
Holding onto the second wild card spot looks far more promising for the Blues. Trailing St. Louis are the Calgary Flames (79 points in 70 games), Vancouver Canucks (78 points in 71 games), and Utah Hockey Club (75 points in 71 games). With 12, 11, and 11 games left respectively, these teams are within striking distance—but the Blues have effectively put themselves in the driver’s seat.
To secure the second wild card spot, the Blues will need approximately 96 points. That means earning 13 points in their final nine games—a record of 6-2-1 (6 wins, 2 losses, 1 overtime loss) would do the trick. This is well within reach for a team who will see games against Nashville (62 points), Detroit (72 points), Pittsburgh (69 points), and Seattle (66 points).
If Calgary maintains their .564 points percentage, they’d likely finish with 92-93 points, meaning the Blues would only need 10 points (e.g., 5-4-0) to stay ahead. Vancouver and Utah would need even hotter streaks to catch up, with projected finishes of 90 and 87 points, respectively, if they play to their season averages.
For St. Louis, the recipe is simple: take care of business against non-playoff teams, steal a few points against tougher opponents, and avoid any prolonged losing streaks. With a likelihood of 80-85% to secure the second wild card spot, Blues fans have plenty of reason for optimism. The team’s veteran leadership, combined with the scoring punch of players like Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg, and Brayden Schenn and the defensive stability of veterans like Justin Faulk, Nick Leddy, and Ryan Suter, it should help them close out the season strong.