Blues clinch final West Division playoff spot

Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty ImagesWith tonight’s 4-3 overtime loss against the Vegas Golden Knights, coupled with the Los Angeles Kings’ 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, the St. Louis Blues are headed to the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Blues haven’t missed the playoffs since the 2017-2018 season, when the Colorado Avalanche edged the team out by one point.

This season hasn’t been an easy one for the Blues. While not directly impacted by Covid-19, the schedule was subjected to the quirks of the Covid era, and the Blues lost innumerable man-games to injury. The lack of consistency in the lineup caused momentum issues for the team, which lead to prolonged losing streaks and the…