Parise scores pair of goals as Wild beat Blues, move into second round

ST. PAUL, Minn. — In the summer of 2012, when the Minnesota Wild paid left winger Zach Parise nearly $100 million to come home, this is the kind of day, and result, they had in mind.

On Sunday, Parise had a pair of goals as his team clinched a playoff series on home ice for the first time in franchise history, beating the St. Louis Blues 4-1, and winning their best-of Western Conference first-round series 4-2.

Right wingers Justin Fontaine and Nino Niederreiter also scored for Minnesota and goalie Devan Dubnyk made 30 saves as the Wild advanced to a meeting with the Chicago Blackhawks. It will be the third consecutive season with a Minnesota-Chicago playoff series.

“It’s a great accomplishment,” Wild coach Mike Yeo said. “I think winning at home, it’s the first time we’ve ever done that, that was something that was very important to our group, to win in front of our fans. Obviously you don’t want to go

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS back and play that team in a Game 7 in their building. We knew that. But again, it meant a lot to us to try to win this game in front of our fans. They deserved that tonight.”

Center T.J. Oshie scored for the Blues, who failed to advance past the first round for the third consecutive season.

■ Canadiens 2, Senators 0 — At Ottawa, goaltender Carey Price saved 43 shots as Montreal finally closed out its best-of-7 Eastern Conference first-round series in six games.

The win sends the Canadians into the second round against the winner of Detroit-Tampa Bay, which the Red Wings lead 3-2 heading into tonight’s Game 6 in Detroit.

Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher scored his first goal of the playoffs in the opening period and it stood until winger Max Pacioretty sent a shot down ice into an empty net with less than a second remaining.

THE SPORTS XCHANGE