MINNEAPOLIS _ A two-game sweep of its recent road trip through western Canada pushed the Wild to the brink of a playoff spot, a boost that moved the team just three points shy of the second wild card seed in the Western Conference.
But in its return home, the Wild couldn't sustain that momentum and fell 4-1 to the Blues on Sunday at Xcel Energy Center.
The loss was a mixed message just hours before the NHL trade deadline hits at 2 p.m. Monday.
The Wild is now five points back of the Jets for that last berth.
St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington came close to posting his third straight shutout, recording 32 saves in his third consecutive victory, and a two-goal head start by the Blues in the first period ended up being all the offense they needed to down the Wild for the third time this season.
Early in the first, it was the Wild that had control of the puck but as soon as the Blues found a rhythm, they took over.
Winger Jordan Kyrou got the ball rolling at 11 minutes, 3 seconds when he scooped up a Marco Scandella rebound and wired it past goalie Devan Dubnyk from near the goal line.
The Blues doubled their lead at 14:43 when a failed Wild clearing attempt landed on the stick of winger Brayden Schenn, who sent the puck behind Dubnyk.
Only 1:43 into the second, the Wild finally capitalized _ the first goal given up by Binnington after back-to-back shutouts. Winger Marcus Foligno scooped up a loose puck and lifted it over Binnington for his first goal in 15 games.
Not only are Foligno's 10 goals tied for his second-most in a season, but he's one point shy of tying his career-best 23.
With an assist on Foligno's goal, winger Jordan Greenway tied his career-high point total from last season (24).
Before the goal was confirmed, the officials conferred to determine if Foligno batted the puck into the net with a high stick. But video showed Foligno swung and missed.
But that's as close as the Wild could get to the Blues.
At 9:28, St. Louis reinstated a two-goal cushion on a shot by center Oskar Sundqvist off a Wild turnover deep in its zone.
Despite the hole, the Wild had ample opportunity to cut into its deficit on the power play.
The team had a look late in the second and two chances early in the third. But the Wild struggled to execute and even gave up a shorthanded goal.
After a sprawling Carl Gunnarsson poked a puck out of the slot, the Blues were eventually able to clear the zone and charge into the Wild's end. Once there, center Ivan Barbashev buried a give-and-go with Sundqvist at 5:04. It was the fifth shorthanded goal surrendered by the Wild this season.
Overall, the Wild went 0-for-4 with the man advantage and the Blues were 0-for-2. The Wild's power play is now 0-for-13 over the past five games on the heels of a tremendous stretch that saw the team rack up 15 power play goals in its previous 11 contests.
Dubnyk finished with 22 saves.
Not only was this the Wild's final showing before Monday's trade deadline, but it was also its first test drive with a new-look lineup after injuries to center Luke Kunin and defenseman Carson Soucy.
How those losses may or may not affect Bill Guerin's trade plans is unclear. But the general manager has made it clear if he is to continue tinkering with the Wild, the changes must help the team.
