The playoff payoff: A 9-1-1 finish gives Blues new life and a series against Vancouver

~ St. Louis was the hottest team in the NHL the second half of the regular season.

ST. LOUIS -- No NHL team had a better second half than the St. Louis Blues, who surged to a sixth-place finish in the Western Conference.

They may be on the verge of getting one of their stars back, too, in time for Wednesday's playoff opener at Vancouver. Forward Paul Kariya, the team's highest-paid player, has been rehabbing in Colorado from a pair of hip operations that have kept him out since November.

Team president John Davidson said Monday that Kariya has yet to be cleared.

"There's no timetable," Davidson said. "All I know is he's getting closer. From what I hear, his skating has gone really well.

"He sure would help us, but we just don't know yet."

Davidson said there was no truth to rumors that defenseman Erik Johnson also was preparing a comeback in time for the Blues' first playoff appearance since 2004. Johnson has missed the entire season following reconstructive knee surgery from a freak accident on a team golf outing, and Davidson said the No. 1 overall pick in 2006 won't be ready until next season.

The Blues also have played much of the season without captain Eric Brewer, a defenseman out following back surgery.

With or without Kariya, the Blues figure to be a handful. They were 2-2 against the Canucks in the regular season.

Owner David Checketts had the team over for dinner a few weeks before the end of the regular season and told the players they could make the playoffs.

"I frankly believe anything can happen," Checketts said. "I said, 'Something magical is starting to happen here. I don't know how far we can ride, but let's enjoy it together.'"

The Blues were last overall in 2005-6 and tied for fourth-worst last season.

"I don't know if the rebuild is over, and I don't know when it started exactly," Checketts said. "We set out to do one thing, which was to have a chance to be the group that finally brought the Stanley Cup to St. Louis.

"You can't bring the Stanley Cup to St. Louis until you get into the playoffs."

St. Louis was 25-9-7 the second half of the season and finished 9-1-1 to clinch a playoff berth with one game to go in the regular season. Just making it to the postseason was plenty, and everyone involved with the organization was giddy after beating Columbus at home Friday to clinch a spot, especially considering they were last in the Western Conference on Feb. 15.

"It's a battle, it's keeping our sights on the next game," said Brad Boyes, who got his team-leading 33rd goal Sunday. "If you think you've got to climb seven spots and try to do it all at once, you're not going to get very far.

"Guys kept at it, kept working."

Coach Andy Murray refused to look past the next game and hammered that philosophy at players. He said he could count on one hand the games when the team gave it less than full effort.

"I'll probably look back on it and realize how difficult it was," Murray said. "I just think we continually tried to be as good as we could be in every game we played."

The Blues jumped to sixth Sunday with a 1-0 victory at Colorado, riding goalie Chris Mason's sixth shutout of the season in his 33rd consecutive start. Mason seized the job from since-demoted Manny Legace in January.

"I feel great," Mason said. "The off days they give me rest, and you find the energy when the game starts, it's just there."