To say Thursday's meeting between the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks carries a little extra meaning would be an understatement.
The two clubs are tied for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference at 75 points. Vancouver is technically ahead of St. Louis with a game in hand, but the Blues hold the next tiebreaker with 34 wins to the Canucks' 32.
"It's the biggest game of the year," Blues head coach Jim Montgomery said ahead of the contest, per The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford. "We've put ourselves in a situation where we're in sights of Vancouver. They have a little bit of an advantage on us with the game in hand, but tonight is a four-point game. Everyone's excited for puck drop."
The matchup is also the final game of the season between the clubs. St. Louis won the first meeting 4-3 in overtime, and Vancouver won the next 5-2. The rubber match will significantly affect the teams' playoff chances.
The Blues enter the contest with a 41.2% chance of making the postseason, slightly ahead of the Canucks at 37.2%, per MoneyPuck.
St. Louis has been playing its best hockey lately, holding a 9-2-2 record since the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
"It's an opponent that we're battling with in the standings and a good challenge for us," Blues forward Jake Neighbours said. "We've been playing so well since the break, and I'm really excited for the opportunity to play someone that we're competing with."
Vancouver is coming off a 6-2 victory against the West-leading Winnipeg Jets and has won three of its last four games.
Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet spoke about the importance of puck management in the high-stakes tilt, saying his club will need to make the Blues earn everything they get to be successful.
"They're a hot team, so we've got to make sure we take care of the puck," he said. "We know they're a real good rush team, and they have a lot of swagger and confidence right now. When you play teams like this, when there's a lot of swagger, you got to make sure you don't give them any freebies. I think that's something we've got to really dial in tonight: no freebie goals. We've got to play smart but aggressive."
Puck drops at 7:30 p.m. ET in St. Louis.
