What made this moment with “lots of panic”, as he put it, insane was the fact that Brouwer played for the Blackhawks from 2006-2011, and he helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 2010. “Then he nearly tried to kick it. We would have had a heart attack”.
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It was an awesome game in a series where six of the seven games were one-goal decisions, and the fantastic second period was hold-your-breath stuff for the full 20 minutes.
You said before the Game 7 win that St. Louis “needs this”.
The Blackhawks didn’t back down, as Marian Hossa scored before the end of the first period and then a goal by Andrew Shaw in the second period tied the game.
St. Louis will face Hitchcock’s old team, the Central Division-winning Dallas Stars, in the second round. Here is a look at the second round schedule for the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues Western Conference semifinals series.
“It was close”, Quenneville said.
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 Blackhawks Monday, April 25, 2016, in St. Louis.
A Troy Brouwer goal in the third period got past Chicago goalie Corey Crawford to break a 2-2 with what proved to be the game victor midway through the period. It’s safe to say that Oshie-Brouwer trade in the offseason worked out. “Getting out to a 2-0 lead, making sure we were not too far ahead of ourselves like we were in Game 6”.
St. Louis moves on to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in the last three seasons, while Chicago goes home after round one for the first time since 2012. That will most definitely be a series to watch, with the offensive skills of the respective teams and the divisional rivalry aspect working heavily in its favor. “It was really eye-opening what a championship team can do, like them, when they dial it up. We had to find a way to battle through it. We have knowledge now of what it takes, and we have to use it”. Just over seven minutes later, a period entirely composed of intense Blackhawks pressure, Brent Seabrook – who has been an unlikely hero for Chicago so many times that perhaps the term should no longer apply – unleashed a slapshot.
As Kane said, it doesn’t feel right.
“‘Brouws’ is so good in the off days for us because he is so focused and he keep everybody focused and moving forward”, said Hitchcock. “It’s a tough way to go out”. “Just wasn’t in our favor”. They never gave in, even as the Blues kept throwing their best punch. But as they settle into the summer and these Stanley Cup playoffs roll on without them, their presence will be felt.Brouwer called it the ugliest goal of his career. I could go back on my soapbox of why this format is cheating us – this series was Western Conference final-worthy, and it’s a damn shame one team had to be eliminated.
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The first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs haven’t been very kind to the St. Louis Blues in recent years. The Blues re-inserted rookie D Joel Edmundson after sitting two games in place of Robert Bortuzzo…. Teravainen, who scored four goals and 10 points in 18 games in last year’s playoffs, was a versatile contributor in the 2015-16 regular season – 13 goals, 35 points in 78 games, averaging 15:21 of ice time.
