12/03/24
April 03, 2019
From Last Place to Playoffs in 3 Months: The St. Louis Blues were dead last in the NHL on January 2 with 34 points. They have 94 points now and have clinched a playoff spot. "We’re a long way from being done," said coach Craig Berube, hired in November.
The Blues are just too damn talented to remain at the bottom of the heap. They were a playoff-caliber team that had all kind of between-the-ears issues. Rock bottom might have been when Bortuzzo and Stanford brawled at a practice, but that seemed to light a fire under the team's collective ass (that, Berube's hiring, and Jordan Binnington coming out of nowhere to lock down the G).
The 'Canes (in my opinion) have nowhere near the talent as the Blues, but play their hearts out every night. I'm all for them making a deep playoff run, if for no other reason than to watch Don Cherry burst a vein in his forehead every time we see a StormSurge.
posted by tahoemoj at 12:32 PM on April 03, 2019
Burger King franchises in St. Louis have taken note and are now offering an Impossible Whopper as a tribute to the team's miraculous achievement.
posted by beaverboard at 12:34 PM on April 03, 2019
Went to a Blues games back in December. It was astonishing just how bad they were; it was like everyone but Tarasenko had forgotten how to play the game. Seriously, I've seen WHL teams that looked more like an NHL squad. One of the strangest games I've seen due to one team being so spectacularly below expectations.
posted by deflated at 01:13 PM on April 04, 2019
The Hurricanes were at 37 points on the same date. They are still looking to clinch a playoff spot, but at 95 points they are in a wildcard position right now.