St. Louis Blues’ Colton Parayko, right, is congratulated by teammate Patrik Berglund, of Sweden, after scoring during the first period in Game 7 of an NHL hockey first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Chicago Black…
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There will be a new Stanley Cup champion this year after the St. Louis Blues defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in Game 7 of their first-round series on Monday night at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh).
In Game 7 at home they finally put away the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks with a 3-2 victory.
ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Blues playoff breakthrough has arrived, their streak of first-round failures is over.
On Monday night, the series comes to an end with Game 7 in St. Louis.
Meanwhile, the Nashville Predators forced a deciding seventh game in their first-round play-off series against the Anaheim Ducks thanks to a 3-1 win.
An overtime goal by Patrick Kane gave the Chicago Blackhawks the win in Game 5. It would put them up against the Dallas Stars in Round Two.
“It’d be nice to have the lead, but every game has been different, and it’s been a little bit unpredictable in that regard”, said Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville. “Sometimes when you are not able to do it, you start doubting yourself, and tonight is a huge encouragement for us”.
“That’s a good question”, Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. At 3:47, Andrew Ladd hammered in a lose puck from the right faceoff circle, with only the third Blackhawk shot of the game.
“We feel like we have proven anything until we win this game”, Shattenkirk said. Then they figure out how to beat you and they start to attack the areas they think they can attack you on.
Heading into Monday’s showdown (8 p.m. EDT, NBCSN), history is against the Blues, who have lost in the first round the last three seasons. Roster turnover means not everybody is carrying around that burden, though.
“You don’t want to regret anything”, Stastny said. Panarin has the elite offensive skill, both at 5-on-5 and the power play, to provide that secondary scoring. In games we’re looking for balance, we still think we need four lines to win. The Ducks have been eliminated in Game 7s each of the last three seasons, including last May in the conference finals at home against Chicago. Fans of the Blues are no strangers to first round exits and this year could throw them yet another one. “I love it, I love it in him”. But I’ll try my best to keep things even. Washington and Pittsburgh played five times during the regular season, and Pittsburgh won three times.
Now, the pressure perhaps shifts to the Blues. It’s not just about moving on in the postseason; it’s about proving that they are who they say they are. “Getting out to a 2-0 lead, making sure we were not too far ahead of ourselves like we were in Game 6”. Heavy offence vs. heavy all-around hockey, Stars-Blues has the makeup for another dynamite series.
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Hitchcock hinted at possible lineup changes.
