NHL Lessons Learned: Western Conference Blues

The St. Louis Blues’ red-hot run is among the biggest lessons learned in the NHL recently.

Mar 23, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn (10) is congratulated by teammates after scoring an empty net goal against the Nashville Predators during the third period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Blues and Montreal Canadiens are surprising the NHL as the regular season winds down. Both teams are fighting for the right to play in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the playoff picture slowly comes into focus. Let’s dive into a few of the most important lessons learned in the NHL this past week.

1. How About Them Blues?

Winners of six straight, the St. Louis Blues have jumped into the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. They enter the latest week of NHL action with a four-point lead over the Calgary Flames and a five-point lead over the Vancouver Canucks. Star forward Jordan Kyrou just hit the 30-goal mark for the third straight campaign as he leads the team in scoring. Everyone else is pitching in as well as they find numerous ways to win. Their recent stretch has surprised the entire NHL, but no one is surprised any more.

2. Something is Cooking in Montreal

Speaking of surprises, the Montreal Canadiens are shocking the Eastern Conference as they currently occupy a Wild Card spot. What's even more surprising is that this team has a paltry goal differential of -18.

Despite the glaring issue with their goal differential, the Habs are collecting points. They’ve won five of their last 10 games, but picked up at least one point in nine of their last 10 to keep climbing the standings.

3. Gustavsson Rolling

As the Minnesota Wild try to keep pace in the Central Division and Western Conference Wild Card race, they are getting excellent play from their starting goalie. Filip Gustavsson has three straight wins and he's allowed just two goals over those victories. This stretch has improved his record to 28-15-4 with a 2.48 goals-against average and .917 save percentage. He's given the Wild a boost and his best performances at the perfect time, and it's helping the team cling to a Wild Card spot.

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