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Backes hopes Blues have learned playoff lessons

David Backes, Jordin Tootoo

St. Louis Blues’ David Backes, left, steals the puck from Nashville Predators’ Jordin Tootoo, right, during the second period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Sarah Conard)

AP

For all the regular-season games the St. Louis Blues have won in the last two years, and for all the Western Conference clubs that would prefer to play some other team in the playoffs, the Blues are still a franchise with one -- count it, one -- postseason series victory in the last decade.

St. Louis captain David Backes knows his team still has a lot to prove.

“We can’t rest like we’ve accomplished something,” Backes said, per the Post-Dispatch. “We tried that five years ago in Vancouver and we got to go home pretty quick that year. I think last year we thought we had accomplished something after winning one series and the same thing happened. So lessons have been learned and we’ll use those to hopefully push us further and further in the playoffs.”

The Blues have had a rather tumultuous season. They’ve had a six-game winning streak; they’ve had a five-game losing skid. Their goaltending has been great during stretches; it’s been awful during others. Earlier in the season, the offense was rolling; lately, it’s sputtered.

Will it all come together for the playoffs?

First things first -- St. Louis is still battling for seeding. The Blues have two games left, both at home, versus Calgary tomorrow and Chicago Saturday. At best, they can finish fourth in the conference. At worst, seventh.

Related: Blues GM Armstrong on playoff matchups: ‘I don’t want to play Chicago’