This game will go down in history as one of the greatest Game 7s ever witnessed. I am not a fan of either team, yet my heart was racing till the final second. In the end, after an exhausting battle, the St. Louis Blues came out on top with a 3-2 win over the defending Stanley Cup champs the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Blues chance for advancing was carried out by a goal from Troy Brouwer with a little over 12 minutes left in the third. It was not a pretty goal, however,Brouwer just happened to be in the right spot at the right time. Trying to redirect a pass from Robby Fabbri, the puck hit the post. Brouwer tried twice to make contact with the returning puck until it reached the back of the net.
The Blackhawks, as did the Blues, had so many open net chances that were missed. Still, one can only imagine what the score would have been if they didn’t shoot wide or fall.
The Hawks’ Brent Seabrook almost tied the game with 3:30 left with a shot from the blue line. The puck, unfortunately, danced to each goal post before clearing into the crease.
Though the Blues came out on top, they did not win this series easily. The Blackhawks failed to give up. They pushed a Game 6 after Patrick Kane scored in the thrilling double overtime. They forced a Game 7 with a dominating presence on the ice. They even managed to tie this game when the odds were against them.
The Blackhawks really stepped up. Kane had 1 goal and 7 points in this series. Andrew Shaw and Duncan Keith both missed a game due to suspensions and still managed to get 4 goals – 6 points and 3 goals – 5 points, respectfully. Corey Crawford stepped up in a big way in the series, even with the unfortunate goal, Crawford made 205 saves and allowed 19 goals. Chicago should not be disappointed in their play.
Well, maybe not being able to beat the Blues’ goalie, Brian Elliot. With an impressive 254 saves and 18 goals allowed, Elliot came out as the star of the series. Though the Hawks may have finally figured him in Game 6 where he allowed 5 goals on 30 saves, the playoff veteran knew how to get his composure back for a big win.
Judging by Game 1 where the teams went into overtime with a 0-0 tie, we could already sense this was going to be the best series. Moreover, whoever you were rooting for, at least you were entertained by this intense, hard fought series. We can only hope for more series like this in the upcoming weeks.
The Blues will face the Dallas Stars in the Second Round. The schedule will be announced either Wednesday evening or Thursday morning after the conclusion of the Predators/Ducks series.
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