Game Report: Rangers 4, Blues 2
It didn’t happen the way they would have liked, but the Blues clinched a spot in the playoffs on Friday night.
The loss to the Rangers in New York forced the Blues to wait until the game between Colorado and Arizona was over to see if they would be able to secure the playoff spot on Friday night. They needed an Avalanche win, in any manner, to make it happen.
The Blues were feeling good for much of that game as Colorado took a 2-0 lead, only to see Arizona come back and tie the game in the final minute of regulation. Neither team could score in overtime but then Colorado got the 3-2 win in a shootout to put the Blues back in the playoffs.
Even with a spot in the playoffs set, the Blues still want to focus on finishing as high in the standings as possible in the final week of the regular season, and to do that they will have to avoid games like they played against the Rangers.
The Blues built a 2-0 lead on goals by Vladimir Tarasenko, his 30th of the season, and David Perron in the first period but they then let the Rangers come back and tie the game with a pair of goals in the second period.
The Rangers broke the tie early in the third period and then added an empty-net goal in the closing seconds as the Blues saw their four-game winning streak come to an end.
Looking ahead: The Blues stay in the New York area to play the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night.
