For the second time in as many playoff match-ups, the St. Louis Blues were forced to play a winner-take-all Game 7 Wednesday night, and for the second straight series, the team advanced to see the next round. Dallas last played in a Game 7 in the 2007 first round, losing 4-1 on the road to Vancouver….
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The Blues, powered by three first-period goals, routed the Dallas Stars for a Game 7 win. Three of their losses in the second round were by multiple goals, including a pair of 6-1 losses, but you have to wonder if he could have made any kind of difference in that Game 2 overtime loss.
“We had a shot to, I think, win it this year”, Jamie Benn said, after the Stars were thrashed by the St. Louis Blues, 6-1 in Game 7.
On Sunday, the Blues will host either San Jose or Nashville in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
With the Stars eliminated, it means that none of the NHL’s regular-season division champions (Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers, Anaheim Ducks and Dallas Stars) will play in the conference finals. He stopped 35 of 37 shots in Game 6 to keep the Stars’ season alive.
The Blues were ahead just five minutes, 23 seconds into the first period thanks to Robby Fabbri before the 20-year-old turned provider.
The St. Louis Blues will be sticking with Brian Elliott in net tonight.
The St. Louis Blues said goodbye to fan favorite T.J. Oshie last summer and hello to a proven postseason commodity in Troy Brouwer, who has the remarkable distinction of playing in eight consecutive playoff series that ended in Game 7s. The Blues dominated to advance to their first Western Conference finals since 2001.
Hitchcock is now 5-2 in Game 7.
Would the result be different if All-Star center Tyler Seguin, who missed most of the playoffs with a lower body injury, was on the ice?
As tough as a way to go out as this is, the Stars should nevertheless hold their heads high. He allowed three goals in the first period, sparking another intermission goalie change for Lindy Ruff and the Stars.
Though he’s been quiet lately, Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko can be explosive. Fabbri also had eight points (two goals, six assists). The problem for Nill is that both goalies are signed for two more seasons and they combine to eat up $10.4 million on the cap. As for Niemi, he had a 2.67 GAA and a. 905 save percentage during the season and his numbers also decreased in the postseason (3.29, .865). Stars coach Lindy Ruff is 0-4.
Hitchcock had been asked how he made his roster decisions for a Game 7 and said: “I know this (game) is going to be played with a lot of emotion and a lot of intensity, and I want people who are not going to spit the bit when that happens”. The Stars looked a beaten team and the energy that had filled the American Airlines Center had been sucked out of the fans in victory green. The Dallas Stars’ weakest link cost them, in their biggest game of the season. While they were only credited with seven shots on goal, they had a ton of chances.
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The Blues’ Paul Stastny said there was never a doubt Elliott would start Game 7, adding that, “When a guy’s been riding you through the whole playoffs, did he have a bad game?”
