from Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

Here’s one more thing driving Blues fans crazy: The path to the playoff bracket has remained clear and open this winter.

Winnipeg, Nashville, Calgary, San Jose and Vegas are rolling toward postseason play, but the other three Western Conference slots are there for the taking. Every other team on this side of the NHL is sputtering.

Week after week after week the Blues failed to capitalize on that collective failure. It took them until mid-January to build their first three-game winning streak of the season.

The Blues are better than this. They proved that, beating the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals twice during a span of 11 days. But they also proved they can lose to anybody, particularly at home.

They have lingered on the edge of the playoff race, such as it is, despite this unsteadiness. That makes their struggle more agonizing for long-suffering fans and their situation more complicated for general manager Doug Armstrong.

If the Western Conference was as fiercely competitive as usual, the Blues would be dead and buried.

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