After a rollercoaster of a season, the St. Louis Blues clinched a playoff spot in the Western Conference this evening with a 3-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.  A loss by the Nashville Predators against the Minnesota Wild earlier in the evening helped seal the deal.  It was do or die…. had Nashville won and St. Louis lost, the Blues would be out of the playoff hunt.

Old time Blues fans will remember when it was almost a given that the Blues would make the playoffs.  (Some would says it was also almost a given that they would bow out before seeing the Cup too.)  But hard times fell on the Blues, and they haven’t had a playoff bearth for the past 5 years.  In the preseason, some “experts” were picking the Blues to be in last place this year, because the team has been rebuilding from within and going with a lot of younger players.  But the Blues proved them wrong with a stunning late season comeback.

The Blues were in last place in the Western Conference on February 15th, and have been the NHL’s best the second half of the season at 24-9-7.  As a fan, it’s been great to watch.