ST. LOUIS _ When the NHL announced a year ago that St. Louis would host the 2020 All-Star weekend, it seemed like a consolation prize to the city for having a bad team. The Blues were 12th in the Western Conference at the 2019 All-Star break and were three points out of a playoff spot _ and that was an improvement over their last-place standing a few weeks earlier.
The Blues staged a remarkable second-half surge that set them on a path to the Stanley Cup and turned this year's All-Star event into an extended celebration hosted by the reigning champions. They'll resume play Monday as No. 1 in the West, having become a model of what can happen in a short time when talent, work ethic and insightful coaching come together to form a perfect mix.
"They had an amazing year last year, and they've been a great team this year too, so it's pretty interesting how they've turned the corner and become a top team in the NHL," Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane said. "But I think their story is something a lot of teams will look at, especially coming into the last 30 games of the season, where teams are in the standings and if you can go on a run you could do something special."
The Blues don't seem to be complacent.
"I think we're very good, and we know how good we can be," forward Ryan O'Reilly said. "We've got to be playing our best hockey at the end of the year."
It's tough to say whether another team can come close to replicating the Blues' revival. The hottest teams entering the All-Star break were the Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets, each with a six-game winning streak. The young Panthers led the NHL by scoring an average of 3.67 goals per game, and their power-play efficiency was a healthy 24.5 percent. The Blue Jackets were tied for second best in goals-against average at 2.51 partly because Elvis has entered the building: Latvian goalie Elvis Merzlikins has won five straight games, compiling a 1.00 goals-against average and .970 save percentage in that span, with three shutouts.
Florida was third in the Atlantic and Columbus had the East's first wild-card spot as the All-Star break began. That's significant for both teams: The Panthers have missed the playoffs the last three years and six of the last seven, while the Blue Jackets reached the second round last season but have never gone beyond that. It's difficult to see them making long playoff runs, but few people thought the Blues would either.
