Oilers, Blues to battle for chance to clinch playoff spot Wednesday
Published
The Edmonton Oilers and St. Louis Blues will both be looking to punch their tickets to the postseason when the two clubs go head-to-head on Wednesday.
The Oilers will clinch a playoff spot for the sixth straight year with a win over the Blues and a Calgary Flames loss in regulation to the Anaheim Ducks Wednesday.
The Blues need a win in regulation against the Oilers and also to see the Flames fall in regulation to clinch their spot. St. Louis surged back into the playoff picture with a 12-game win streak that came to an end on Monday against the Winnipeg Jets.
St. Louis has a six-point cushion on the Flames with two more games played and sit two points ahead the Minnesota Wild, who occupy the final wild-card spot, with two more games played. The Blues have not reached the playoffs since 2022 and have won just one playoff series since winning the Stanley Cup in 2019.
The Oilers, who fell to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last spring, continue to sit third in the Pacific Division, four points back of the Los Angeles Kings. The Oilers and Kings are on track to meet in the first round of the playoffs for the fourth straight year. Edmonton has advanced past the Kings in each of the previous threes matchups.
Edmonton is looking to lock up their spot and turn their focus to getting healthy for the playoffs with a long list of players currently sidelined. Top-paid players Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl remain out while trade-deadline addition Trent Frederic was scratched due to injury Monday after just making his team debut on Saturday. Defencemen Mattias Ekholm and John Klingberg also remain out with injuries, along with starting goaltender Stuart Skinner, whose absence led Kris Knoblauch to give Olivier Rodrigue his first NHL start in Monday's loss to the Ducks.