Blues try to climb back into playoff spot vs. Capitals

ST. LOUIS - The Blues didn't play on Sunday but the Colorado Avalanche and Anaheim Ducks did.
The Ducks needed overtime to get a 4-3 win over the Avalanche, which allowed Colorado to earn a point and knock the Blues out of a playoff spot again. The Blues have a game in hand on the Avalanche, trail by one point and could climb back into the Wild Card with a win on Monday against the Washington Capitals (7 p.m., FSMW, FSGO, KMOX).
The Blues have four regular season games remaining as they seek a playoff spot for the seventh consecutive season.

THE MATCHUP

BLUES The Blues gained a hard-fought point in a 4-3 overtime loss in Las Vegas on Friday, but they were shutout in a 6-0 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday at Gila River Arena to go 0-1-1 on the two-game road trip out West.
While Blues Head Coach Mike Yeo wasn't satisfied with Saturday's overall effort, he was taking an optimistic approach following the game.
"Three weeks ago, I don't think anybody would have put us in this place (of battling for a playoff spot)," Yeo said. "The opportunity that we have here now, that's something we need to be excited about and we've got another chance to show how hard we're going to fight and how hard we're going to bounce back."
CAPITALS The Washington Capitals won a huge road game Sunday in Pittsburgh to clinch the Metropolitan Division championship for the third straight season.
T.J. Oshie, Dmitry Orlov and Tom Wilson built a 3-0 lead against the Pittsburgh Penguins before Patric Hornqvist broke Philip Grubauer's shutout bid with 3:45 remaining in the third period.
The Capitals are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games.

HEAD-TO-HEAD The Blues and Capitals have met just once this season. Washington earned a 4-3 overtime victory on Jan. 7 in Washington, D.C.
Since the start of the 2014-15 season, Vladimir Tarasenko ranks second in the NHL with 147 goals, while Washington's Alex Ovechkin (181) ranks first.
Monday's game will be the Blues' last matchup with an Eastern Conference team during the regular season.

HOT VS. WASHINGTON

• Jaden Schwartz has four points in his last two games (one goal, three assists)
  - Alexander Steen has seven points in his last four games (five goals, two assists)
  - Tarasenko has seven points in his last six games (six goals, one assist)
  - Alex Pietrangelo has three points in five career games (one goal, two assists)

BLUE NOTES

• Fan Appreciation Week begins with a postgame Jerseys Off Their Back opportunity. Fans can purchase scratch-off tickets for $5 each outside Section 110, 114 or 126 for a chance to win a jersey from a player after the game. Players will deliver the jersey to the winners after the game and take a photo to commemorate the night. Scratch-offs will also feature other great prizes, including game-used sticks, autographed pucks and more. Proceeds from the scratch-off tickets will benefit local charities. Learn more at
  stlouisblues.com/fanappreciation
  .
  - Chris Thorburn dropped the gloves with Coyotes defenseman Luke Schenn on Saturday for his eighth fight of the season, which is the fourth-most in the NHL this season.

• Alex Pietrangelo tied Al MacInnis for fourth among Blues defensemen in games played on Saturday with his 613th career game.
  - Mitch Reinke made his NHL debut on Saturday in Arizona, recording 13 minutes and 5 seconds of ice time. He blocked two shots.

THIS DAY IN BLUES HISTORY

On April 2, 1977, Bernie Federko scored his third career hat trick to lead the Blues to a 9-2 win over the Cleveland Barons.