Playoff Picture (as of 3/16)

-The Blues have their work cut out for them. And it's not even that easy. They need somebody else to hit a bump in the road. And it looks to me they need more than one somebody's road to get bumpy.

They have three games left with Nashville...which appears to be a key to jumping into a playoff spot. But even if The Note wins all three of those games (1 home, 2 away) and claim all six points in regulation, that would only make up 6 of the 8 points they are currently behind the Preds. Nashville currently sits in the 7th playoff spot. Detroit is 8th, 7 points ahead of the Blues. Then you've still got to jump past Calgary in 9th place, 4 ahead. The good news there is that the Flames have only been .500 in their last 10 games. Everyone else ahead of the Blues and fighting for a spot is playing strong hockey....particularly the Wings who are finally healthy.

Minnesota, Dallas, and Anaheim are still nipping at our heals. So, they will be playing with energy as well which can be viewed as helpful if they should be playing one of the teams ahead.

The schedule is no pushover. The only apparent easy win would be the Edmonton game at home, Sunday 3/28. You might add the Columbus game at Scottrade on April 5th as a "should win" game. Other than that, you've got a huge fight on your hands every time out.

• 2 games with the Blackhawks (1 home 3/30, 1 away 4/7)
• @ Rangers 3/18 (fighting for a spot in the East), @ Devils 3/20 (just darn good)
• Home to LA on 3/25-(might be easier since the Kings have a spot pretty much secure)
• Those 3 with Nashville (home 3/21, away 4/1 & 4/10--last regular season game)
• Dallas, home 4/3--depending on how things go, Stars could be done, or fighting for a spot. But they're trending down right now)
•  Anaheim, last home game 4/9. This should be a win if there's still hope by then.

Any way one analyzes it, the Blues are in a multi-team scramble that can only go well if they win almost all of their remaining games and someone ahead, and a few behind, play in a way that helps The Note on each given night. It's not an impossible scenario. But it's hard, even for a die-hard like me, to be overly optimistic on the face of it.