It's been a few years, a lot of frustration, quite a few injuries, and a couple seasons of "close but no cigar," but the St. Louis Blues are back in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Their finish as the second overall seed with 109 points was higher than any pundit could have predicted; many hockey know-it-alls were saying that the Blues'd be fighting for one of the bottom three spots in the top eight. This season exceeded expectations for the players and fans alike.
Who would have expected this team to be the second most successful in Blues' history, with the second fewest goals allowed in NHL history? Who would have thought that the Blues would have the Jennings Trophy winning goaltending tandem? Between Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott, the Blues allowed the fewest goals against a game on average with 1.89. They allowed 155 goals, 15 fewer than the Los Angeles Kings' tandem of Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Bernier. They're also the first tandem in NHL history to finish with a combined GAA under 2.00.
The thing about the Blues is that they play as a group. Look at the team stats: David Backes and T.J. Oshie both finished with 54 points for the team lead. While 54 points is nothing to laugh at, it's indicative of just how balanced of an attack the team has. No one guy is going to make or break a game, but the whole team can.
Who's going to win the first round? Who're the Blues matched up with? Hang around here for your playoff coverage. It hasn't happened in St. Louis for a while, so trust me, SB Nation St. Louis is covering the heck out of it.