Games
Chicago Blackhawks 0 - St. Louis Blues 1 (OT)
St. Louis would get an advantage minutes into the game, as Viktor Svedberg got called for holding Alexander Steen's stick. While they racked up the shot attempts, the Blues could not get anything on net. St. Louis didn't get their first shot on net until the eight minute mark. Chicago soon got a couple of powerplays of their own, as St. Louis would get into penalty trouble. The Blackhawks would rack up the shots, but Brian Elliott stood tall, keeping the puck out of the net. The first period ended with the game tied at zeroes. Jonathan Toews got a good chance early in the second, keeping on a 2-on-1, but his shot was stopped by Brian Elliott. St. Louis controlled play for most of the second, but could only get a third of their shot attempts on net. Their best chance saw Jaden Schwartz try to beat an out-of-position Corey Crawford, but his shot was blocked. Another scoreless period in the books, as both teams failed to find the back of the net. The script flipped in the third period, as it was the Blackhawks who controlled play. Artemi Panarin had the best chance in the period, but his shot what stopped by the elbow of Elliott. The game was still deadlocked at zeroes after regulation, meaning overtime was needed to determine a winner. Just under seven minutes into the extra frame, Chicago found themselves on a 3-on-1. The puck would be past to Andrew Desjardins, who would see his one-timer sail over the net. Moments later, St. Louis would get set up in the attacking zone. The puck went to David Backes near the side of the net. He attempted to pass the puck rink-wide to Alexander Steen, but his pass would hit Trevor van Riemsdyk's skate and slide past Crawford. That would be the game winner, as the 1-0 win put St. Louis up 1-0 in the series.
Chicago Blackhawks 3 - St. Louis Blues 2
It was a bit of a struggle for both teams to gain control of play in the first period. Chicago did get its turn with the puck five minutes in, but even with a powerplay, could not register a shot on net. St. Louis also had a powerplay in the period, but only managed one shot. It was a low-shooting affair in the first 20 minutes, with the Blues leading on the shot counter 7-2. The game remained scoreless heading into the first intermission. A few shot attempts were exchanged in the second, but it took a while for things to really get going. halfway through the period, play started to go back-and-forth, with the Blues getting a slight edge in attempts. A scrum would ensure 11 minutes into the period, but cooler heads would prevail. Slowly, St. Louis started taking control. It helped, as they scored the first goal of the game with less than five minutes left in the period. Vladimir Tarasenko received a pass from Jaden Schwartz and snapped it past Crawford, making it 1-0 for the Blues. The Blackhawks started storming back, looking to tie the game. They managed to do that with five seconds left in the period, as Duncan Keith blasted one past a screened Elliott. The second didn't end peacefully, as a scrum happened near the boards. Richard Panik and Joel Edmunson would be the only penalties out of it, meaning the third period opened with both teams playing 4-on-4. Despite the more open ice, neither team could find the back of the net. Play would remain relatively close, but even with another 4-on-4 opportunity, the score remained 1-1. Tarasenko looked to have his second of the night later in the period, once again receiving a pass in the slot and snapping it past Crawford. It was challenged by the Blackhawks, and upon further review, it was determined Jori Lehtera's back skate was off the ice before the puck crossed the blueline, making him offside. The goal was called back, as the game stayed 1-1. It got worst for Tarasenko. Just minutes later, he would be sent to the box for slashing (and breaking) Andrew Shaw's stick. Chicago did not let this powerplay opportunity go to waste. Shaw would jam home the puck, putting the Blackhawks in the lead. This time, it was St. Louis' turn to challenge a goal. It was determined that goaltending interference didn't happen on the play, and the goal was upheld. The Blues tried to tie the game, but could not find the equalizing goal. Artemi Panarin added an empty netter. Just before time expired, Kevin Shattenkirk blasted one past Crawford. It was too late though, as Chicago won the game 3-2, tying the series at 1-1.
St. Louis Blues 3 - Chicago Blackhawks 2
An early powerplay in this one helped the Blackhawks get the lead. Brent Seabrook's point shot beat a screened Elliott minutes into the game. Halfway through the period, St. Louis would get a powerplay goal of their own. Colton Parayko's point shot was tipped by a defender and beat Crawford, tying the game. The period ended roughly, with Edmundson and Shaw getting penalties for going after each other. 30 seconds later, the first period ended, with the score at 1-1. The 4-on-4 to start the period would favour the Blackhawks. Artem Anisimov received a pass from Panarin and wasted no time putting the puck past Elliott. The Blues pushed back a couple minutes later, but even with a 3-on-1 at one point, could not tie the game. It was mostly Chicago for the rest of the period. It looked like Andrew Ladd might have scored later in the period, but his shot would bounce off the outside of the post. The second period ended with the Blackhawks up 2-1. The Blues pushed back in the third, and would be rewarded for their efforts. Patrik Berglund stepped over the blueline and snapped a shot on net. The puck hit a defender and bounced past Crawford, tying the game. Both teams would go back-and-forth, looking to take the lead. St. Louis would get a powerplay midway through the period, as Patrick Kane was given a double-minor for high-sticking. The Blues did not their powerplay go to waste. Schwartz finished off a tic-tac-toe play, putting St. Louis in the lead. Chicago managed to pull Crawford for an extra attack late, but it didn't help. The 3-2 win put St. Louis back in the series lead.
St. Louis Blues 4 - Chicago Blackhawks 3
Chicago looked to tie the series back up, and came out pressing for an early goal. They looked to have got one midway through the first, as Anisimov's shot managed to beat Elliott, but stopped before crossing the goal line. St. Louis ended up being the one who would stick first. Tarasenko took a pass from Lehtera and snapped it past Crawford, making it 1-0 Blues. The Blackhawks put on pressure late in the period, but would run out of time. St. Louis was up a goal heading into the first intermission. The Blues got an early powerplay in the second period, but failed to score on it. The Blackhawks would get a powerplay of their own seven minutes into the period. They could not score on it, but seconds after it expired, Hossa released a shot that hit Shaw and went into the net, tying the game. It got rough minutes later, as Fabbri was pushed into Crawford. Crawford took exception to this and started going after Fabbri. A scrum ensued, resulting in four roughing penalties and in interference call on Fabbri. Seconds after the faceoff, Steen and Panarin were both headed to the box as well. Later on their powerplay, the Blackhawks would strike. Keith would pinch in, collecting a rebound and shooting the puck past Elliott. Chicago kept up the pressure, but it was derailed when Ladd was called for interference. The powerplay allowed the Blues to tie the game up, as Tarasenko scored his second of the night. The second period would end with both teams tied 2-2. St. Louis would get a powerplay early in the third period. It didn't take long after for Schwartz to bury a rebound, putting the Blues in the lead. Minutes later, Steen would break up a cross-ice pass and go in on a breakaway. He made good on his attempt, snapping it past Crawford to make it 4-2. Chicago would turn up the pressure, as they looked to close the gap. It took a while, but the Blackhawks managed to answer back, as Keith's point shot was deflected up and over Elliott and into the net. Chicago tried to tie the game, but could not find an equalizer. The game didn't end peacefully, as a last second draw saw Shaw and Steen go at it. Soon, everyone on the ice was going at it (minus the goalies), and they all received game misconducts (which didn't matter as the game was over). The 4-3 win put St. Louis up 3-1 in the series.
Chicago Blackhawks 4 - St. Louis Blues 3 (2OT)
St. Louis looked as though they wanted to end the series now, but their attempts early on were stopped. Chicago started taking control midway through the period, but were kept off the scoreboard. A late push by the Blues did nothing to change the score, as the game remained 0-0 after 20 minutes. An early powerplay for St. Louis did nothing to help them. Chicago would get a powerplay of their own minutes later, but could not take advantage of it. Midway through the period, the Blues were back on the powerplay. It benefited the Blackhawks at first, as Hossa streaked down his off-wing and snapped one past Elliott. A minute later, Schwartz stepped over the blueline and wired one past Crawford, tying the game. Chicago went on the attack after that. Minutes later, a dog pile in the Blues crease saw Anisimov whack home a rebound, putting the Blackhawks in the lead. Just before the buzzer went in the second, Panarin one-timed a pass from Kane into the net. It was reviewed, and determined it beat the buzzer by 0.4 seconds. The second period ended with Chicago up 3-1. St. Louis came out firing in the third, as they looked to close the gap. They got one back midway through the period. Fabbri skated into the high slot and snapped a shot past Crawford. The Blues managed to tie the game later in the period. Backes deflected Pietrangelo's point shot, resulting in the puck sliding past Crawford. A powerplay gave St. Louis a chance to take the lead, but they could not capitalize on that opportunity. The period ended with the score still 3-3, meaning overtime was needed. Both teams had chances in the extra frame, but neither could break the deadlock with an extra 20 minutes. Another overtime would be played to decided a winner. It didn't take long in the second overtime for a goal to be scored. Patrick Kane received the puck in the offensive zone and deked around a couple of defenders. Kane fanned on the shot, and the puck slid to the over side of the net. Kane was able to go around the net and pick up the loose puck. He wasted no time completing the semi-wraparound, beating Elliott before he could get his pad over to stop the shot. Kane's goal won the game for Chicago, as the 4-3 win gave them their second win of the series.
St. Louis Blues 3 - Chicago Blackhawks 6
It did not take Chicago long to open the scoring in this one. Just under four minutes in, Andrew Ladd collected a loose puck and beat Elliott glove side, making it 1-0 Blackhawks. Desjardins had a chance to extend the lead minutes later, but he redirected the pass from Dale Weise wide of an open net. Seconds after that miss, St. Louis turned the puck up ice. A 2-on-1 saw Scottie Upshall feed Steve Ott a pass. Ott proceeded to shot the bouncing puck past Crawford and into the net, tying the game. The Blues turned up the pressure, and it worked. Two minutes later, Pietrangelo's point shot found the back of the net. It didn't stop there, as two more minutes later saw Tarasenko score to make it 3-1 for St. Louis. Chicago would push back after that, but to no avail. St. Louis also had some attacking time before the end of the period, but failed to extend their lead. The first period ended with the Blues up 3-1. The beginning of the second period was all Blackhawks. Goals weren't immediate, but they did draw a penalty, putting them on the powerplay. Marian Hossa's shot on the man advantage was stopped, but Anisimov was there to tap in the rebound. Chicago's offense tapered a bit before going back on the attack. Midway through the period, van Riemsdyk finished off a tic-tac-toe play to tie the game. The Blackhawks took the lead minutes later, as Weise received a pass from behind the net and snapped it past Elliott before he could react. The Blues looked to have caught a break late in the period with a powerplay opportunity, but could not capitalize on it. Chicago got a bit of a scare with seconds left in the period, as Crawford went down after stopping a high shot. He would recover after a few minutes and stayed in the game. The Blackhawks went into the second intermission up 4-3, and Tarasenko went into the intermission mad at Hitchcock for not giving him more ice time. St. Louis came out of the intermission on a mission to tie the game. Despite that, it was Chicago who had the best chance at a goal. Andrew Ladd received a pass on a 2-on-1, but his shot would ring off the crossbar. The Blues kept up the attack, but could not beat Crawford to tie the game. Their fate would be sealed late in the period, when Jay Bouwmeester was penalized for hooking. Shaw scored on the powerplay, making it 5-3 Blackhawks. A minute later, Hossa added an empty netter, as Chicago went on to win 6-3. The win tied the series at 3-3, meaning a Game Seven was needed to determine a winner.
Chicago Blackhawks 2 - St. Louis Blues 3
It didn't take long for the first goal in this game to be scored. One minute into the opening frame, Bouwmeester's point shot was deflected by Lehtera and past Crawford, giving the Blues the lead. Play would go back-and-forth for a while, with the Blues grabbing control midway through the period. Parayko would score on a point shot, extend the Blues lead to two. The Blackhawks pushed back after that. Late in the period, Hossa would step over the blueline and wire one past Elliott, pulling Chicago to within a goal. The period ended with St. Louis up 2-1. Chicago pressed early in the second, and got a powerplay for their efforts. Shaw would score on the man advantage, as his past banked off a Blues defender and into the net. Chances were exchanged throughout the period, with Crawford and Elliott doing all they could to keep the puck out of their respective nets. Both teams heading into the second intermission tied 2-2. The Blues did get a powerplay early in the third, but failed to score on it. Midway through the period, a nice passing play resulted in the puck getting to Troy Brouwer, who was open near the net. His initial shot hit the post, but he managed to bury the rebound before anyone else got to the puck. Chicago was on high alert, with the prospect of their season ending in 11 minutes. Brent Seabrook came very close to tying the game. His point shot found its way through a mass of bodies (including Elliott's), but would hit both post and bounce away from the net. Even with Crawford pulled, Chicago ran out of time. St. Louis hung on to win the game 3-2, resulting in a 4-3 series win.
Three Thoughts on the Series
- Should have been called "The Series of Unfortunate Reviews"
- Playing "Let It Be" during a goal review? Kudos to the Blues game ops.
- I know NHL has been criticised for their lack of handing out discipline, but good on them for giving Shaw a game for what he said.
Shaw giving double-rockets to the ref.
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| (Picture via Yahoo Canada Sports) |
Highlight of the Series
Nice pass from Patrick Kane to Patrick Kane on this double overtime goal.
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