Photo by: (AP Photo/LM Otero)
The St. Louis Blues can say something for the first time since 2001.
They are going to the Western Conference Finals.
After a dominating 6-1 victory on the road against the Dallas Stars, the Blues will advance to take on the winner of the Nashville/San Jose series.
Given the regular season seeding, the Blues will have home-ice advantage with games one and two happening from the Scottrade Center.
Troy Brouwer, Paul Stastny Robby Fabbri each tallied three points in the victory while seven different players had multi-point games.
In net, Brian Elliott had a rebound performance after being pulled in the first period after allowing three goals. Elliott stopped 31 of 32 shots faced in the game.
The Blues poured it on from the opening whistle with three goals in the opening period.
On the power play, Stastny passed to Troy Brouwer in the slot. Brouwer fired on net as Kari Lehtonen made the first stop. The Blues kept jamming as Fabbri stuffed it home making it 1-0 with 14:37 left in the opening period.
Vladamir Tarasenko thought he had goal number two of the game on his blade when he scored on Lehtonen late in the first, but upon further review, Tarasenko’s skate blade was before the puck entered the zone, so the game remained 1-0.
The game didn’t remain that way for much longer as the Blues tallied two quick goals.
Stastny circled down low and fed Fabbri coming out from above the end line. Fabbri passed to Brouwer on the edge of the creases with a man on Brouwer’s back. Brouwer slid the puck to Stastny as he roofed a shot over the shoulder of Lehtonen making it 2-0 with 1:38 left in the period.
About a minute later, Jori Lehtera fed Patrik Berglund by the blue line. Berglund wristed a shot on net that lazily found its way past Lehtonen with seconds remaining to make it 3-0.
In the second period, the Blues didn’t take their foot of the gas pedal as Antti Niemi replaced Lehtonen in net.
Berglund chipped the puck lightly into space as David Backes skated to corral it. Backes then fired a shot past the blocker making it 4-0 just 3:50 into the second period.
Later in the period, Kevin Shattenkirk slid the puck into the attacking end as Stastny gained control and waited for reinforcements. Stastny dropped to Fabbri who quickly made a cross-ice pass to Brouwer for the goal giving the Blues a commanding 5-0 lead.
Each team added a goal in the third period as the series came to an end.
Game one of the Western Conference Finals will be determined upon the conclusion of the Sharks/Predators game on May 12.
