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Jim Montgomery, St. Louis Blues (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images)

St. Louis Blues’ 2 Most Likely 1st-Round Playoff Opponents

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Anthony Testaguzza | Last updated Apr 11, 2025 9:45 AM ET

The St. Louis Blues‘ recent 12-game winning streak has put them in a position to clinch a wild card spot. However, if they make the playoffs, the main concern is whether they can keep up with some of the top contenders in the Western Conference, especially with players on the roster who have never played in the postseason before. Here’s a look at which teams the Blues need to watch and prepare for if they make the playoffs.

Winnipeg Jets

When the Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019, they played the Winnipeg Jets in Round 1 and won the series 4-2. That said, it was the last time they played the Jets in the playoffs, and Winnipeg is not what they were seven seasons ago. The Blues could face a team that is most likely to win the Presidents’ Trophy with a goaltender who is the top Vezina Trophy candidate, Connor Hellebuyck. This is also the same Jets squad that ended the Blues’ 12-game win streak on Monday.

However, the Jets are not a balanced team. They mainly rely on Hellebuyck’s top-level goaltending as their defense. Offensively, they are powerful, but if the Blues can use their incredible offensive depth to outwork Hellebuyck, they will have a good chance at prolonging the series and potentially beating them.

The Blues are also carrying a top goaltender, Jordan Binnington, who is excellent in big moments. They also have Colton Parayko, currently sidelined with a knee injury, who is a top-shot blocker and a shutdown defenseman who can be tough to play against if you’re a high-shot volume team like the Jets. This could be a six- or seven-game series victory for the underdog Blues.

Vegas Golden Knights

Last postseason, the Vegas Golden Knights were knocked out in the first round in seven games by the Dallas Stars in a series they could have taken over. However, this year, the Golden Knights could have the upper hand if they play the Blues in Round 1.

The Blues and Golden Knights have played each other three times this season, with Vegas holding a 2-1 series edge. If the playoffs started today, the Blues and Golden Knights would face each other, and this is a difficult matchup for St. Louis, given that their offensive depth is nowhere near the Golden Knights’.

The Golden Knights rank sixth in goals for this season (259) and top five in fewest goals against (205), meaning they’re offensively and defensively sound to make a deep playoff run. Where the Blues have the edge is health and aggression. St. Louis is in the top five in the league in hits and has a healthier lineup than the Golden Knights.

The Blues have three players out with injuries: Torey Krug (injured reserve), Parayko, who is out for the final regular-season games but expected to return for the playoffs, and Dylan Holloway, who has been out week-to-week since April 3. As for the Golden Knights, they have five players on their injury list: Tomas Hertl (out), Ilya Samsonov (day-to-day), Alex Pietrangelo (out), Jack Eichel (day-to-day), and Nicolas Hague (out). If the Golden Knights’ injury situation lingers into the playoffs, this could be a tough matchup, and I could see this going as far as Game 7; however, with the way the Golden Knights’ offense has been playing recently, I would have to give them this series.

Jim Montgomery’s Objective For the Blues

With the Blues still fighting for a wild-card spot, they must keep their heads up and their game tight. If they make the postseason, head coach Jim Montgomery‘s main job will be to turn his squad into a contender-slaying team. The Jets, Golden Knights, and Avalanche are among the top five teams with the best odds of winning the Stanley Cup, and it would be a big step forward if a once-mediocre Blues roster could beat one of them under playoff pressure. The Blues are in a great spot because they don’t have much pressure in terms of winning expectations to deal with as the wild card, and they stunned everyone by entering playoff contention. Everyone will be eager to see how they perform in the playoffs if they clinch a spot.