“They dial it up”, Hitchcock said. I think I even nearly tried to kick at some point.
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Toews admitted he kept thinking over and over that the Blackhawks would come through in the clutch, delivering a memorable win as they have so many times before. – Ken HitchcockLet’s celebrate, St. Louis! Now, it’s time for the Blues to show it. 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.
Scottrade Center and all of St. Louis erupted.
There’s going to be a lot to think about after this season, but I just wanted to briefly say thank you to everyone who’s read and commented on Second City Hockey over the past seven months. Unfortunately, the magic ran out in Game 7 as the Blues hung on to beat a team that never considered itself out. If I don’t put that one in, I quit.
“They’re a good hockey team”, Hawks forward Patrick Kane said of the Blues, who won Game 7 of their first-round series 3-2 on Monday night in St. Louis to oust the defending Stanley Cup champions. But once again, the Blackhawks could lose a valued player because of the salary cap. The Blues were fixed, after so many gut-wrenching handshakes in year’s past.
No matter who stays or goes, the Blackhawks likely will have a very similar look next season.
The Blues held on to win the series, their first game seven win since 1999, and their first series win since they defeated the Sharks in 2012. Chicago got a goal from Marian Hossa, the 52nd of his career in the playoffs, with 1:30 left in the first period, and a power-play goal from Andrew Shaw at 3:20 of the second period.
“He’s been great for us all year”, said Pietrangelo.
We are all winners after St. Louis and Chicago put on a playoff series to remember.
It took 89 games into the season, but the trade by GM Doug Armstrong paid off dividends. While some key parts remain from teams that made three straight first-round playoffs, players like Brouwer, Scottie Upshall and rookies like Robby Fabbri and Colton Parayko have made this a different kind of club. With a 4-3 lead, The Blackhawks scored 2 more to win 6-3 and force a game 7.
“I don’t know if this is a milestone, but it’s a hump”, Hitchcock explained.
“They’re obviously a physical team”, said Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski. You find yourself on the bench just in awe of some of the things they do. “It’s going to be the players that get us to that next round, and get it done for us, nobody else”.
“It just doesn’t really feel right”, Kane said. “They’re two evenly matched teams”.
In this moment, in any moment, he’d package it all up in exchange for the opportunity to do what the Blues will be doing later this week – playing the Dallas Stars, keeping their Stanley Cup dreams alive.
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I asked a guy at work who hates the Blues. They immediately took control, spinning the Blues out of control. “We’ve hit the wall a few times in the past but this time we pushed through”. We came back and had an answer tonight. “But we just have to worry about ourselves”. “We’ve had a long, tough season and to see us get rewarded like this, especially against a division rival like the Hawks in such dramatic fashion, it’s all smiles around here”.
