The Blues have taken 3-0 leads in playoff series eight times in franchise history, with five sweeps and three five-game victories including this one. The first period might as well been a sheer rock cliff.
Bruins rookie Sean Kuraly's goal in double overtime Friday sends the series back to Boston for Game 6.
Yet again, the Wild had a significant puck possession advantage over the Blues.
Nick Maxson is the Minnesota Correspondent for The Fourth Period.
"If you can keep your special teams going through the playoffs, it is a big factor in a series", Trotz said on a conference call Saturday. Montreal's power play also is stuck in neutral, failing on all 14 chances.
The Sharks are the veteran team in this series, hoping to turn away the upstart Oilers.
Yeo tightened up the Blues defensively, helping goalie Jake Allen reboot to become Minnesota's latest goaltending nemesis. It was all Wild after that.in terms of pressure. The question remains as to whether they will ever find a permanent home. The Blues have not necessarily looked that great on the road during this year's playoffs, but they have won and that is the most important thing.
The Blues advanced to play Nashville in the second round.
After starting the season 8-12-2 on the road, the Blues hired Yeo on February 1 and have since gone 17-4-1. However, the Blues had a say in the matter and gave the Wild a bit more to think about.
Paul Stastny scored in the 3rd.
Shortly after the Stastny goal, it looked like Niederreiter got a lucky bounce when he crashed the crease.
Allen took his success in the series in stride. Sounds like a goal, right? Not.
The Wild scored two goals in the third period to tie the game. Upon review, Nino was in Allen's grill, for sure, and he did make contact with the goalie. The Blues must not allow that and sweep away any loose pucks that Allen can not wrangle.
We go inside North Korea
Mr Wang said that whichever side provoked a conflict "must assume the historic responsibility and pay the corresponding price". The North has owned up to one such facility, at its Nyongbyon nuclear complex, but the USA government assumes it has more.
Then the Blues got undisciplined.
When asked if he thinks the window is closing on this version of the Wild, captain Mikko Koivu responded, "No". Perhaps this spring has triggered the breakthrough performance for a player the Wild have planned to be part of their core for several seasons to come. Koivu offered the chair.
Everything changes for the St. Louis Blues game plan if they fall behind in a game. Haula tipped the puck past the Blues' defender standing up at the line. "Got to play a better game".
Parise, for one, realizes this season won't be viewed much differently from all the rest, even if the Wild's point total was their best. Minnesota was frenzied in their efforts to win the game in regulation.
Saturday was Mike's Yeo-ment.
Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk had a.925 saves percentage.
The intermission didn't slow the Wild's roll.
They both have eight years left on their deals - the fact Parise had issues staying healthy this season is a concern, especially since he dealt with a back issue last year - and neither has gotten Minnesota past the second round of the playoffs. Kris Russell entered Game 5 with a league-leading 22 blocked shots this postseason but failed to record one in the victory.
The Blues, meanwhile, chased the puck for most of overtime until a simple dump-in yielded Magnus Paajarvi's game-winner on the Blues' eighth shot in the last 30 minutes of hockey.
Despite being a matchup of the playoff-tested Presidents' Trophy victor with 118 points and the inexperienced eighth seed with 95, Washington and Toronto are separated by only one goal through five games - four of which went into overtime - and are tied at 175 shots apiece. The Wild finally found the chinks in Allen's armor, and it still was not good enough. Is it embarrassing? No. Thats why there's only a certain amount of teams that have won in the last 20 years. "If he needs something more from me, tell me", Coyle said. It still does not stop this feeling of disappointment, and it likely never will.
"You'd like to get it every night", coach Bruce Boudreau said afterward at Scottrade Center.
Next for Hockey Wilderness, we have draft coverage, followed by free agency. We tried to get our way back into the series but when you're down three-nothing in the series, you're really asking a lot. "It's going to be a long offseason".
Comments