Another long offseason is ahead for the St. Louis Blues.
The team with Stanley Cup aspirations were victims of their third consecutive first-round exit on Sunday afternoon, as the Minnesota Wild skated away with a 4-1 victory in Game 6 to take the series, four games to two. The last time the Blues franchise won a second-round game was in 2002.
The offense mustered just four goals in the four losses, which saw a four-goal performance in Game 2 and six-goal effort in Game 4 — both wins for St. Louis. Usual offensive leaders David Backes, T.J. Oshie and Paul Stastny combined for three goals and aside from Kevin Shattenkirk, the defense put up just two measly assists. It’s easy to see why this team skated out of the arena for a final time this season.
Last tweet: Got to talk to Brian Elliott. Felt like it was last time. No way I see him wanting to stay here. I believe he’ll ask for trade.
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) April 27, 2015
The summer will be an interesting time for the St. Louis franchise. Sniper Vladimir Tarasenko and playoff starter Jake Allen become restricted free agents, while key members of the Blues’ depth, including Barret Jackman and Zbynek Michalek, will be unrestricted free agents.
Let’s not forget that Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock currently does not have a contract and GM Doug Armstrong could be help responsible for the playoff failure.
For more on the Blues’ impending summer, visit my InsideSTL post here.
Here is the rest of your news for Monday, Apri 27.
The Wild are a legit Stanley Cup threat. [Bleacher Report]
The Blackhawks will face the Wild; here are five keys to victory for Chicago in the series. [ESPN]
The Senators were ousted by the Canadiens, who will await the winner of the Tampa Bay – Detroit series. [TSN.ca]
The Canadiens are happy the series is over as the Senators would just not go away. [Ottawa Sun]
Brendan Gallagher tallied a nifty shorthanded goal in the Canadiens’ victory. [Today’s Slapshot]
The Senators had a goal taken away in Game 6. [Hockey Feed]
Jonas Hiller will get a chance to face his former team, the Anaheim Ducks, in the second round. [Globe & Mail]
A New York TV affiliate made a terrible error in their broadcast about Capitals-Islanders Game 7. [Puck Daddy]
Connor McDavid scored a memorable goal for the Erie Otters. [The Score]
