The St. Louis Blues outscored the NHL’s top-scoring Dallas Stars team in Rnd. 2. With two decisive 6-1 wins, including Game 7 in Dallas, the Blues outscored the Stars 26-13 in the series. In each win, there was one key goal that stood out among the rest, not necessarily because it was the prettiest of the bunch, but was often the most timely. Whether it be the winning goal or one of many in Game 7, here are the top 4 Western Conference Semi-Final goals by the Blues.
Game 2 – Backes’ OT-Winner
Happy birthday David Backes! The overtime winning goal not only evened things up in the series but seemed to start the trend of home ice disadvantage in Rnd. 2. Backes’ third goal of the playoffs was another game-winner. This time, it was scored in his home away from home, in front of the opposition’s net. An overtime penalty is always tough to kill and as the Blues have showed throughout the postseason so far, they know how to take advantage of their opportunities.
Game 3 – Blues Take a 3-1 Lead
Troy Brouwer is another player who turned it on offensively in Rnd. 2. After scoring the series-clinching goal versus the Chicago Blackhawks, he and his linemates Paul Stastny and Robby Fabbri have been unstoppable. This is a goal that is not only pretty to look at, but was timely. Earning a two-goal cushion versus the top-scoring team in the NHL is huge. Sure the game wound up as a 6-1 win for the Blues but it was still darn nice to watch.
Game 5 – Brouwer Tucks Home Another
There’s Mr. Brouwer with the timely goal once again. As the broadcast says in the post-goal highlights, the offensive pressure the Blues laid on the Stars came through. Great board-play and toughness paid off as Brouwer scored yet another goal to pad his team’s lead in the game. That same Stastny, Brouwer, and Fabbri line came through, crippling Dallas and silencing the home crowd as St. Louis scored their second goal of the period and third of the game.
Game 7 – Blues Take the Lead in Game 7
Game 7 was a strange one. It may have been an outcome some expected but I doubt many drew it up this way. A 6-1 win in a Game 7 is rare and the way the Blues got there was just as strange. The team had to move past a close-call Coach’s Challenge that went against them in the opening period, and followed it up with this goal less than two minutes later.
Stastny is a setup man, dishing out great passes to his linemates every game. Here, he gets a helping hand from Brouwer and Fabbri (there’s that line again!) on a great tic-tac-toe play just inches from goaltender Kari Lehtonen. It’s a nice goal, but it’s also another timely one by this trio. For the second time this postseason, the Blues had a goal called back via the Coach’s Challenge and an overruled offside. In both instances, they were important goals. This time however, it was Game 7 and it was a very quick answer to what ended up being another decisive 6-1 win over the Western Conference-leading Stars.
