The Need to Knows
- Time: 7:00 pm PT / 10:00 pm ET
- Place: Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA
- Where to Watch: KHN, KONG, FDSNMW (St. Louis market), ESPN+ (other U.S. markets)
- Where to Listen: Kraken Audio Network on 93.3 KJR
Know Your Enemy
The St. Louis Blues are are deep in the mix with the Minnesota Wild and the Calgary Flames for the Wild Card spots in the Western Conference. The most important job for the Blues is to just win games. They currently sit in the second Wild Card spot, with the Flames chasing their tails. As long as they win more games than the Flames do for the remainder of the season, they should be in.
Yet, there’s a chance that tonight could be the night they clinch. Now, one of the drawbacks of being a writer on the East Coast is that I sometimes have to get these preview pieces in the queue pretty early the night before so I can get enough sleep before I work early shifts at my main job. This is one of those nights. The game against the Wild and Flames is nowhere near completion for me in this moment of writing. I cannot predict the future, sadly, so I have no way of knowing ahead of time which team comes out victorious. If the winner is the Wild (who would clinch their spot), then a Blues win tonight punches their ticket in and eliminates the Flames.
It’s not nearly as dramatic as in 2018-2019 when the Blues went from the bottom of the standings mid-season to becoming the Stanley Cup Champions, but the Blues didn’t always look like they were primed for the playoffs this season. They’ve been surging through the second half of the season, though. They were on a 12-game winning streak, a franchise record, that was only just recently snapped by the Jets back on Monday, April 7. They’re one of the hottest teams in the league, if not the sole possessor of that title, since the Four Nations break, and sometimes late season momentum is all you need. This is a franchise and a fanbase that knows that better than anyone.
Game Preview
It’s been said before, but playing spoiler is the main motivator for the Kraken right now. This will be especially crucial if the Wild did win their game. As someone that has seen it happen in front of my own eyes before, it’s no fun to watch another team clinch the playoffs on your home ice, especially as you sit there knowing your team is eliminated. Granted, I viewed it through the perspective of a fan sitting in the stands, but I can’t imagine it feels much better from the player perspective either. But regardless of if it’s a win-and-in game for the Blues, I think there’s a sense of pride that the Kraken still need to play with.
There are two games left in the season. Both of these contests are home contests. There are going to be those fans who have fully checked out for the season and have redirected their feelings of sports woe to the Seattle Mariners—or have just moved on to whatever it is that occupies summer for them—but there are also going to be those fans who still show up to deliver their proper farewells to the team.
Now, I know there’s also that ever-looming desire to be in better draft position. I fully understand that, too. When I say that the Kraken need to play with pride for the loyal fans that are still by their side even to the bitter end, it doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily win those games. Yet there has to be some sort of reward for continuing to show up.
Going into this season, a feeling of urgency was starting to feel palpable. Firing Dave Hakstol and bringing in Dan Bylsma and signing massive free agency deals with Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson were the big alarm bells. Why was this urgency needed? Expansion teams usually take a while to get on solid footing, right? But I made the point earlier: it’s easy to start turning your attention to other things when your sports teams aren’t winning. Chances are, if you’re the type of person that is glued into everything we write here, you’re invested in the team through the ups and the downs. You’re here for the love of the game. But if the Kraken want to capture the hearts of more casual fans, of people who maybe just started giving this hockey thing a shot but aren’t fully sure, the best thing to do is create a winning team. And, yeah, winning now when the wins don’t mean much of anything isn’t the time to do that, but you also have to be careful as to not make the diehards become apathetic. Giving a fight tonight and in the season ending contest is a reminder to the fans of why sticking around is worth it. It doesn’t feel great now, but going through hard times only makes future victory feel more sweet.