Don’t get me wrong. Last night’s Blues’ victory in Chicago was a statement made by St. Louis. The Blues have engrained the reality that it truly isn’t over until it’s over in all of our minds, more specifically to the 19,000+ at United Center in downtown Chicago last night.
Chicago drew first blood at the 12:40 mark of the second period, as captain Jonathan Toews scored for the third time in as many games. Andrew Ladd missed on a failed penalty shot attempt as St. Louis goalie Brian Elliott stood tall, making an immense, impactful save. Toews’s goal would prove to be the game winner, or so we thought.
Late in the third period with St. Louis down 1-0, Elliott was pulled for an extra attacker. Following a Kevin Shattenkirk shot, Vladimir Tarasenko capitalized on a juicy rebound, firing the loose puck past Blackhawks’ goalie Scott Darling. In overtime, Tarasenko proved to be the hero again, scoring the game-winning goal on a tic-tac-toe play crafted nicely by Paul Stastny and Alex Pietrangelo, pulling Darling out of position and allowing Tarasenko to fire the puck into the wide open net.
Robby Fabbri, who was injured during the third period of the March 29th contest against Colorado, has missed the last four games. However, the rookie will be back in the Blues lineup as he’ll take the ice for the season finale on Saturday against Washington in St. Louis.
St. Louis and Chicago could very well be a first round playoff series, and we’re most definitely in for an entertaining series if it happens. If we’ve learned anything from last night, it’s that the Blues and Blackhawks always have a knack for entertainment when the two teams take the ice against each other. Nail biters, nerve-wracking games, whatever you want to label them as.
One thing for sure is that the Blues must prove to their fans that this team is capable of getting past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Blackhawks will be a tough opponent, especially once Duncan Keith comes back after serving his suspension. Regardless, Blues vs. Blackhawks will be a series for the ages and will be very entertaining.
If the Blues end up facing the Blackhawks in round one, St. Louis and Chicago fans will be jumping for joy. Waiting. Anticipating. Thinking of insults to yell at the opposition (both players and fans). Planning what they’ll do if their team wins or loses. Regardless of what happens in round one, if St. Louis squares off against Chicago, there’s one thing that St. Louis fans will be doing for sure. “Go crazy, folks! Go crazy!”
