ST. LOUIS (AP) -- After 12 games, the St. Louis Blues had the NHL's best record. They finished strong, too.
What happened in between left them out of the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons.
Several front-line players missed considerable time as David Perron, T.J. Oshie, Andy McDonald and Barret Jackman were all sidelined for at least 20 games. Too often in times of misfortune, the Blues couldn't hang tough.
The Blues and the 2001 Phoenix Coyotes are the only teams in NHL history to earn as many as 20 points in the first 12 games and not make the playoffs. A franchise-record 9-1-2 start was wasted, immediately followed by a five-game losing streak and far too many lows that negated the good times.
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