Far and away from last place in NHL
Last on Jan. 2, Blues now in Western finals
The Blues were in last place in the 31-team NHL on Jan. 2. Today, they are four wins away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 49 years.
St. Louis showed in its rousing 2-1 double-overtime win Tuesday in Game 7 against the Stars that this might be the best chance the franchise has ever had to win a Stanley Cup.
To earn a place in the Western Conference final against either the Sharks or the Avalanche, the Blues had to overcome a 52-save performance by Dallas goalie Ben Bishop.
Gritty role player Patrick Maroon, a St. Louis native, scored the winner at 5:50 of double overtime. This could have been the most entertaining game of the playoffs. Tension. Drama. Memorable plays and saves. Good TV.
“It doesn’t get better than that: a Game 7 double-overtime goal in your hometown,” said Robert Thomas, who assisted on the winner.
Bishop was so spectacular he could have beat almost anyone on this night. But he couldn’t beat a Blues team that controlled the puck for most of the game.
In the second and third period, the Blues outshot Dallas 31-4. But Bishop kept thwarting them. He made 47 consecutive saves before Maroon tapped one in the net.
“That’s the story of our season,” Thomas said. “We keep battling.”
The Blues have the look of a team of destiny. Early in the season, they played poorly enough that it seemed possible they might embrace a minirebuild. But coach Craig Berube took over in November, and after an adjustment period, the Blues began to play like one of the league’s best teams.
Getting to the conference finals is big for St. Louis. After being swept by the Bruins in the 1970 Stanley Cup Final, the Blues advanced to the NHL’s final four on only four other occasions before this year.
Optimism in St. Louis should be high for this trip to the Western final because numerous upsets have created a wide-open tournament.
The Blues seem to have the grit, goaltending and goal-scoring necessary to make a serious run.
Rookie Jordan Binnington was a primary reason the Blues were among the NHL’s top teams in the second half. While Bishop’s performance was more memorable, Binnington’s patience and poise in net in his first Game 7 was equally impressive. Bishop is known for his puck-handling, but Binnington’s puck-handling undermined the Dallas forecheck in this Game 7.
In Games 5, 6 and 7, the Blues gave up a total of four goals to the Stars.
The Blues are playing the edgy, defensively stingy style that often wins a Stanley Cup. When you look at who’s still alive in the playoffs, there’s no one there that the Blues should be intimidated by.
These St. Louis players also believe in each other. Maroon said after the game that the Blues expected to win. Confidence is crucial for a contender.
Said Thomas: “We went through some tough times, and that brought us together.”