St. Louis Blues

With all due respect to Nashville, they were outclassed in the first round, and the post-game quotes from their two defensive stalwarts demonstrate that they ...

The Blues are better equipped to drag the Avs into a style they are not used to playing, but the Wild have the skill and scoring ability to meet the Avs on their own terms. I tend to think that the Blues are a better match-up for the Avs, as they are a bit slower than the Wild and would not be able to keep up with a track meet should the Avs impose their will on the series. Add in the fact that the Wild have the most talented offensive player between the two teams in Kirill Kaprizov, and those two alone could be enough to swing an series against the Wild in favor of the underdog. By mucking up the neutral zone and playing a heavy, overly physical game in all three zones, it forced the Avs to not only play at a slower pace but to get away from what makes them so dangerous: entering the offensive zone with puck possession and speed. Not knowing who will be playing the game’s most important position on a night-to-night basis is not conducive to the consistency needed to succeed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Let’s start with the easiest case to make.

The St. Louis Blues host the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 3-2 lead in the series.

BOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Blues host the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 3-2 lead in the series. The teams meet Tuesday for the sixth time this season. Mats Zuccarello has 24 goals and 55 assists for the Wild. Kirill Kaprizov has 10 goals and nine assists over the past 10 games. Minnesota is 53-22-7 overall and 11-9-3 against the Central Division. The Wild have allowed 249 goals while scoring 305 for a +56 scoring differential. St. Louis has gone 49-22-11 overall with a 16-5-3 record against the Central Division. The Blues have given up 239 goals while scoring 309 for a +70 scoring differential. St. Louis Blues (49-22-11, third in the Central Division)

St. Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube talks about beating out the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 of the NHL playoff series. The Blues could take the series at ...

The St. Louis Blues furious come-from-behind win over the Wild in Game 5 at Xcel Energy Center gave them a 3-2 series lead and the coverage in St. Louis has ...

This is the exact season that Tarasenko, the Blues organization and fans had hoped to see from their beloved Russian right-winger. This seemed to spell doom for the Blues. However, they kept themselves in it and eventually Kyrou snapped a shot from the wall that got deflected in by the recently silent Brandon Saad to tie it. The trade for Ryan O'Reilly, Pavel Buchnevich and now not trading Tarasenko has worked out. — but not in the first round. I love this matchup — Blues! Wild! Two of the top-four teams in the conference! The hat trick was his second in postseason play and seventh overall as an NHL player.

In Game 5 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, goaltender Binnington joined the record book. Author: Anne Stegen. Published: 12:37 PM CDT ...

Tarasenko scored the two fastest goals in Blues franchise history, finding the net twice in 1:28 to lead St. Louis to a 5-2 victory.

At this point with experience in 2019, we learned that only wins matters, and it’s good we have a win and we need to get ready for the next one.” We know how big of a part of our team he is.” All the little things that we needed to close the game out.” “Obviously, it’s nice to make plays and play with the puck and create some opportunities, but in playoffs, sometimes it’s tight,” he said. Not surprised he made this play, and that was a great play and big goal for us.” It’s not frustrating, but it’s hard to switch your mind to play more of a grind game. “I think biggest thing, we have Saader’s goal at the end of the second,” Tarasenko said. “He’s a great player,” Tarasenko said of Buchnevich. “He did this many times before. The Blues came out in the third period and Tarasenko and another Russian, Pavel Buchnevich, got them going. “Obviously, when you play against guys from Russia, you have some extra emotions, but at this time of the year, I think it’s more St. Louis against Minnesota,” Tarasenko said. With the winner of Game 5s going on to win about 80 percent of best-of-sevens in NHL history, the next 20 minutes were likely going to decide a lot. ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Blues’ Vladimir Tarasenko and the Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov know each other a bit, but not a lot.

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily in-depth look at the 2022 NHL postseason. There are four playoff games scheduled for Tuesday, the ninth day of ...

"We've got to continue doing what we're doing, make sure we control our emotions, and make sure we're just detailed in all the right areas. During a game or throughout the year, we've been able to put games behind us right away, and that's something we have to do right now." "It's hard to close a team out," St. Louis coach Craig Berube said. It's one hockey game at a time, and we'll compete our butts off and see where we sit at the end of the night." Works his butt off whether he's playing or not playing and would be ready to go tomorrow night as well." "We've seen enough of Marc-Andre Fleury to know, or watched him forever, to know that he's a guy that responds correctly. They know they can come back if they play to their ability, something that has been lacking far too often in this series. With that run, they were able to edge the Blues for second in the Central Division, giving them home-ice advantage in the first round. We know we're a good hockey club. The presence of Kirill Kaprizov factored further into this confidence. They also added defenseman Jacob Middleton from the San Jose Sharks the same day and rugged forward Nicolas Deslauriers from the Anaheim Ducks on March 19. "We've seen our group respond, and we're expecting our group to respond," Minnesota coach Dean Evason said.

St. Louis Blues coach Craig Berube on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, discusses what it will take to win against the Minnesota Wild in Game 6.

Video courtesy of the St. Louis Blues. Video courtesy of the St. Louis Blues. St. Louis Blues coach Craig Berube on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, discusses what it will take to win against the Minnesota Wild in Game 6.