Blues, Rangers advance to next round

New York eliminates Montreal behind Zuccarello, Lundqvist

Minnesota had the upper hand on St. Louis for most of this series, controlling the play for periods at a time.

With goalie Jake Allen as their guide and coach Mike Yeo on their side, though, the Blues sure had the right formula for beating the Wild in the playoffs.

Magnus Paajarvi scored at the 9:42 mark in overtime, giving the Blues a 4-3 victory on Saturday in Game 5 of their playoff series to eliminate the Wild in the first round following the best season in franchise history.

“They know us. We know them,” said Allen, who stopped 174 of the 182 shots he faced. “They got the best of us two years ago, and we came out on top this year. I’m sure we’re going to have many future series.”

The Blues advanced to play Nashville in the second round, with Game 1 against the Predators at home in St. Louis.

“I think we should be proud, but not satisfied,” Paajarvi said.

Allen made 34 saves for the Blues, who led 2-0 and 3-1 before a furious rally by the Wild to try to keep their season alive forced the extra frame. Mikko Koivu and Jason Zucker scored to bring the Wild back from their second two-goal hole, a deficit that held past the midpoint of the third period until the two scores 4:21 apart.

Rangers 3, Canadiens 1: Mats Zuccarello scored twice in the second period and New York beat Montreal in Game 6 to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Derek Stepan also scored and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 27 shots to help New York get past the first round for the fifth time in six years.