The set-up: The 31-26-5 St. Louis Blues are in Winnipeg Friday night to face the 28-30-6 Jets. Neither team is currently in playoff position, although the Blues (67 points) are in better shape than the Jets (62). The Kings currently won the final wild card spot in the West with 68 points.

St. Louis: The Blues lost 2-1 at home Tuesday to Edmonton, falling for a fourth straight time. One doesn't have to look too closely to identify the problem, as St. Louis has scored just six goals in its four-game skid. St. Louis has been strong on special teams all season, ranking sixth in the NHL in power play (22 percent) and eighth in penalty killing (84 percent). However, since defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk made it clear he would not sign an extension with the Blues after the season, they traded him to Washington on Monday. In Shattenkirk, St. Louis lost a player who led the team with 31 assists and was second with 42 points. Forward Vladimir Tarasenko is one of the top scorers in the league with 28 points and 28 assists but has gone without a point in three games.

Winnipeg: While the Blues are in a funk, the Jets had earned points in five consecutive games (3-0-2) entering a week-long break. However, they fell behind by three goals Tuesday at home to Minnesota before rallying to tie. But in the end, they lost 6-5. The Jets are a modest 14-15-1 at home on the season but have five games remaining on this current six-game homestand. To have any chance to get back in the playoff race, the Jets will need to play well in these next five games!

The pick: Winnipeg is a poor defensive team overall (3.19 GPG ranks 27th in the NHL) but the Blues are in a deep scoring funk. The Under is a 10* play in this one.