It was almost a week ago, before Game 4 between his St. Louis Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks, that Blues coach Ken Hitchcock reflected on the Blackhawks’ potential in this first-round series despite trailing it at the time 2-1.
Advertisement
St. Louis Blues’ Alexander Steen, right, and teammate Alex Pietrangelo celebrate after the Blues’ 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 7 of an NHL hockey first-round Stanley Cup playoff series Monday, April 25, 2016…
All in all, erasing a 3-1 deficit is a testament to the Chicago Blackhawks’ resilience and experience that has come with three Stanley Cup championships in six seasons. The Stars dispatched the Minnesota Wild after 6 games in their first round series. The Blues had their chance in Game 6 with a 3-1 lead entering the second period, but they lost 6-3. “I think he felt like he could have helped on that power play”.
“He’s emotional always, that’s what makes him a special player”, said Stastny.
Somebody actually asked Hitchcock if Elliott was starting Game 7, though, like he’d ever bring young Jake Allen out of the bullpen. And then two goals in just under four minutes from the depth scoring that the Hawks have so sorely missed in this series arrived. Sure the Blackhawks had major cap problems but still they chose to trade Patrick Sharp along with Stephen Johns.
“I guarantee this will be our best performance of the series and we’ll put it all on the line”, Backes said. Ladd jumped on a turnover by Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and beat Elliott on the glove side at 3:47 of the first.
St. Louis was able to stabilize the game in the final frame after a furious second period comeback by the Blackhawks.
“Not for me”, Pietrangelo said. Last year, he played 49 games, and five in the playoffs.
The Blackhawks are the defending champions and a win would further their quest to become the first repeat champion since the 1998 Detroit Red Wings, while the Blues are hoping to reach Round 2 for the first time since 2012. “But he’s not able to play that way… maybe at 28 or 29 he can play that way or whatever, but he’s a young guy who plays a big man’s game that’s physically demanding, especially at this time of the year”, said Hitchcock. We want to change that in our dressing room, for our franchise. The Blackhawks may not defeat the St. Louis Blues in tonight’s Game 7.
The Chicago Blackhawks have played more playoff games than just about anybody else over the past several seasons.
That also opens up the first and second lines to produce more offensively, and it showed in Game 6.
“And then the last two games, it was the progression we’re looking for”. But they get to the playoffs, they win a few games…and they can’t close the deal here. But playoff veteran Marian Hossa cut the lead in half with a minute-and-a-half left in the period before Andrew Shaw tied it early in the second, setting the stage for Brouwer’s third period heroics.
“We feel like we haven’t proven anything until we win this game”, he said.
Advertisement
In Game Seven the Blues will need to play hard, no matter what the scoreboard says.
