Canucks: Blues turning back competitive clock is bad news for playoff hopefuls

Yahoo

27-03-2025

It started with a St. Louis Blues head coaching change Nov. 24 that brought amazing results.
Then came a startling string of post-NHL-break success that is causing the Vancouver Canucks plenty of playoff-pursuit stress.
With well-travelled Jim Montgomery running an energized Blues bench five days after being fired by the Boston Bruins — and relying on his previous franchise connection as an assistant to exact maximum commitment and performance — the resurgent club went 12-2-2 following the 4-Nations Face-Off.
The Blues don't have a player in top-35 league scoring — Jordan Kyrou does have 31 goals — but have won seven straight to stay in the final Western Conference wild-card spot with 83 points. They face the struggling Nashville Predators on Thursday, one of their five remaining games against non-playoff teams.
The Predators are 21 points shy of the Blues and would need to somehow leap seven teams to advance to the post-season. Good luck with that.
If the Blues beat those non-playoff clubs, and lose all four to those in a post-season position, they would still move the expected playoff bar from 92 to 93 points. And, who knows, maybe higher. The bottom line is that momentum means everything this time of year.
Everybody is dealing with injuries (just ask the Canucks) and roster depth is being tested around the league.
The Blues expect to get giant defenceman Colton Parayko back before the regular season ends. He had a knee scope in early March and the timeline for a return was six weeks, but he is advancing the rehab curve. And that would be a big boon.
Parayko has a career-high 15 goals and 35 points this season and a team-leading 90 hits and 140 shot blocks.
The Canucks are hopeful injured forwards Filip Chytil (concussion) along with Elias Pettersson and Nils Hoglander (undisclosed) return soon. In the interim, they're gutting it out with great goaltending, depth scoring and a care factor that resonates with captain Quinn Hughes.
'Young guys coming up and the veterans holding it together, you can't say enough about that,' Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet said following practice Thursday. 'Our defence is a strength and we can hold the fort. And we're getting timely goals from guys who are now chipping in.
'This time of year you need everybody.'
The Canucks were just three points back of the Blues with a game in hand heading into league play Thursday.
St. Louis holds the tie-breaker with more regulation wins, but the Canucks have another pressing concern. The Columbus Blue Jackets await Friday and they are only two points shy of a post-season spot, but are also on an ill-timed 2-7-1 slide.
'We're playing desperate teams in similar situations and it's actually good for us,' added Tocchet. 'You just have to be ready for every game. Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of leeway right now and every period is important.
'What I like is the resolve and the no-quit. Whatever happens, whether it's a bad period or lack of execution for a short period of time, we're regaining (composure) pretty quick and that helps. And so does really good goaltending.'
It's akin to what the Blues accomplished in a remarkable title run in the 2018-2019 season.
Craig Berube was promoted from his assistant position in November of the 2018-19 season and guided the Blues to a Stanley Cup championship. He turned around a confusing club that had talent, but was in last place before finding its way.
In that fateful championship season, the Blues were hammered 6-1 in a Dec. 1, 2018, embarrassment by the Tocchet-coached Coyotes in Glendale, Ariz. The Blues looked lost. They were 10-16-1 and last in the Western Conference.
'We went out for beers after and I remember there were a couple of people there, but Craig wasn't saying much,' Tocchet told Postmedia. 'All he said to me was, 'I've got to make these guys understand that if everybody does their roles, we're a damn good team.'
'And the next thing you know he's on stage lifting the Stanley Cup. He's the best. He did a helluva job of making every one of them important. That's what I learned from him. How important the top guys and even the fourth line are.
'If we can instil that confidence here — we all play the right way and do the right things — you can overcome some deficiencies.'
And here the Canucks are. Still kicking and clawing and scratching for a playoff position.
OVERTIME — Kevin Lankinen popped up in a practice video Thursday in Columbus. The Canucks goalie was reportedly dealing with a 'minor injury' and played at less than 100 per cent in a loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday. He didn't serve as the back-up to Thatcher Demko on Monday in New Jersey and also Wednesday against the New York Islanders. If he's not at least the back-up Friday, that's another story.
Canucks Coffee: Are we worried about Kevin Lankinen now too? Maybe?
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