ST. PAUL, Minn. -- With one game left before dispersing for the annual All-Star Game, the St. Louis Blues will approach Thursday's meeting in Minnesota trying to end the first portion of the season on a high note.
St. Louis is holding onto the top wild card spot in the West, despite losing five of its past seven games. However, the Blues have won three of their past four road games, including a 3-0 shutout of the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
"We seem to be playing a more complete game on the road," coach Ken Hitchcock told the team's website. "We play with a more compact game. And I just think getting the lead just sets the table for the way we play. I think it makes us more comfortable. The closer the game is, tied or us with the lead, our structure really seems in place. It's a good sign."
Another good sign has been the emergence of Carter Hutton. Hutton made 34 saves Tuesday in earning his second shutout of the season and second in five games.
Hitchcock has decided Hutton will start Thursday in Minnesota after originally leaning toward Jake Allen, who had been scratched the previous two games as part of a "reset."
"The last game changed that ... based on play," Hitchcock told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I mean, there's shutouts and then there's shutouts that are highly earned. That was a highly earned shutout, and you have to reward that. Any coach has to reward that. He had a lot of work, he made big saves, made big saves when it was 1-0, so to me that's an earned shutout and we've got to reward that."
Allen was the No. 1 goaltender for the Blues starting this season after Brian Elliott was traded to Calgary in the offseason. But St. Louis has allowed 3.04 goals per game this season, the sixth-highest total in the league.
St. Louis hopes to build on Tuesday's win.
"It's a huge win," Blues forward Ryan Reaves told the Post-Dispatch. "Obviously, this month hasn't been going as well as we wanted. It's been a real tough month. So, to get a win on the road, especially against a really good team, it's a jump-start. But a big game in Minny coming into All-Star break."
The Blues placed forward Kyle Brodziak on injured reserve Thursday and recalled forward Ivan Barbashev from their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.
Minnesota could close the season's midway point with the best record in the Western Conference after a run that has seen the Wild post 20 wins in their past 25 games.
"We've got to take care of this game, and I think that's our focus right now," Wild forward Charlie Coyle told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "It's one thing to be (in first place) right now and to get to this spot. But it's another thing to stay there and be there come playoff time and get that home ice. That's something we want to do, and we're capable of it. That's our goal."
Since Dec. 4, Minnesota has scored the most goals in the West and is tied for the fewest allowed. The Wild have outscored opponents 93-61 in that 25-game span. Minnesota is tied for first in the NHL as one of six teams with seven double-digit goal scorers.
The Wild had an optional practice Wednesday in preparation for Thursday. Minnesota beat the Dallas Stars on Tuesday in a shootout.
