“They peaked at the right time.” We’ve heard that expression used to describe late-blooming Stanley Cup playoff juggernauts for years. The 2018-19 St. Louis Blues are the ultimate example: last place in early January, second-half turnaround, best record in the league over their final 10 games, eventual champions.

Like the beer-bellied, balding former starting quarterback trudging into his high-school reunion, you don’t want to peak early, right?

If you’ve followed my work long enough, you’ll know I enjoy challenging hockey adages to see if they ring true when we dig into the data. Are the 2018-19 Blues the norm or the exception? How much does it matter to play your best hockey in the stretch run of a season?

On one hand, it’s hard to compare the data from every team and every season without understanding their subjective situations. The 2014-15 Chicago Blackhawks, for instance, struggled down the stretch because their superstar Patrick Kane was out with a broken collarbone. He returned for Game 1 of the postseason and Chicago was off and running to a third Cup in a five-year stretch. Also, teams who clinch playoffs spots early often have the luxury of load-managing their top players, which can lead to a dip in team performance in meaningless games.

But I counter that notion with: the data still matter in that context, too. Whether a contending team is legitimately struggling with a full-strength roster or simply dulling its senses with games that don’t impact the standings, how either scenario translates to playoff performance is meaningful information.