It is time for Round 2 of the NHL Playoffs. Let’s take a look at one of the upcoming series:
Central Division: (#1) Dallas Stars vs (#2) St. Louis Blues
Thanks to the reformatting of the NHL Playoffs, we have ourselves a matchup of the top two seeds in the Western Conference in the Second Round. The St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars were two of the most dominant teams in the National Hockey League this season, and this will likely play like the Western Conference Final.
The Dallas Stars were the only team other than the President’s Trophy-winning Washington Capitals to win 50 games this season. They were without Tyler Seguin for their first game of the postseason, then as it turned out rushed him back too early and he re-aggravated his Achilles injury. He will miss at least the first two games of this series. Jamie Benn has picked up the slack in his absence, notching a point in each game against the Wild.
The St. Louis Blues overcame a major hump in the First Round: getting out of the First Round. The Blues had lost in the first round in three consecutive seasons, and they had not won a Game 7 since 1999. They accomplished both by dethroning the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks.
Ironically, the last time the Blues won a Game 7, they went on to the Conference Semi-Final where they lost in six to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Dallas Stars, led by current Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock. Time is a flat circle, man.
Here are some of the keys to victory for each side:
Why the Stars will win: Jamie Benn.
Jamie Benn makes everyone around him better. Not just a little bit- he makes scoring weapons out of literally anyone who is on his line. Patrick Eaves is hardly a skilled player, in fact he has been bouncing back and forth between the top six and the fourth line all year. But Eaves had an offensive explosion when put on Benn’s line earlier this season. Cody Eakin’s production skyrockets with Benn as well. So with Tyler Seguin out of the lineup, Benn will be put to the test against one of the hardest teams to score against in the league. As mentioned above, Benn was a point-per-game player in the First Round, tallying four goals and six assists. He will have Cody Eakin and Patrick Sharp on his line for Game 1. Eaves will be with Jason Spezza and Mattias Janmark on the second line. Depth will be key for the Stars, and if they can get it going they will push the Blues to the brink.
Dallas’ X-Factor: Tyler Seguin and Lindy Ruff.
Stars’ head coach Lindy Ruff fell into a trap set by Tyler Seguin in the first round. Seguin convinced his coach he was good to go by Game 2, but his Achilles continued to bother him and he will be out for at least the first two games. The problem is that Seguin was not needed to defeat the Wild in the first place. It’s like Stephen Curry missing the opening round against the Houston Rockets- his presence is not essential to win against an inferior opponent. It’s this series that they needed him back for, and rushing him back and worsening his condition was a mistake. The Stars now find themselves in a paradox. They need Seguin back, and fast, but they cannot rush him back and lose him for the rest of the season. Only time will tell if and when Seguin will return. If he does return by Game 3, they will need him to be at peak condition.
Why the Blues will win: Adjustments.
The panic of not making it out of the First Round once again can subside. The series total is reset. It’s a new day. There is no more talk of having to switch goaltenders, or blowing leads, or anything of that ilk. All that is left to do is learn from their series against the Chicago Blackhawks and move forward. Play Vladimir Tarasenko more. Take a deep collective breath, put personal beefs aside and play the man. Keep Robby Fabbri in the top six. Improve on defensive clearance of the crease and prevention of chances on the doorstep. The Blues did a great job of controlling possession and the pace of play. Now they have an opportunity to get smarter and reset.
St. Louis’ X-Factor: Tony X.
Nah, I’m kidding. But for real, have you heard of this guy? This dude from St. Louis, whose Twitter name is Tony X (@soloucity) was heartbroken over the Rams leaving for Los Angeles. He watched Game 7 against the Blackhawks and immediately fell in love with the sport as he sent out a slew of hilarious Tweets. What happened next? The world took notice. And then he got complimentary tickets to Game 3.
Welcome to Hockey Twitter & #stlblues fandom, @soIoucity! Want to check out Game 3 live? It's on us! #WeAllBleedBlue https://t.co/27o5fB69KE
— St. Louis Blues 🏆 (@StLouisBlues) April 26, 2016
And then he gained 60,000 followers. And then he got tweeted at by Vladimir Tarasenko, Roberto Luongo and the NHL Store. And then he went on Good Morning America. And then he got to talk to Brett Hull. And then he won the #BucciOvertimeChallenge last night by picking former Blues star T.J. Oshie.
Big week for @soIoucity: discovers hockey, gains 60,000+ #Twitter followers, etc. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/dIDAyrvtGG
— Cam Gordon (@cam_gordon) April 28, 2016
This man is the luckiest person on the face of the earth and he is a treasure. Never change, Tony. When you inevitably make it as an analyst before I do, throw a young sports broadcasting major a bone please and thank you. We’ll make a lit team together.
Okay, for real this time.
St. Louis’ (Tony)X-Factor: Brian Elliott.
Brian Elliott entered the postseason on one of the hottest stretches of any goaltender this year. After the Blues lost Game 6, NBC Sports analyst (and future colleague of Tony X) said that the Blues should yank Elliott and turn to Jake Allen. Hitchcock went with his gut and stuck with his starter, and it paid off. Elliott stopped 31 of 33 shots to clinch Game 7. He has the second most saves among all goaltenders this postseason and a .929 save percentage to go with it. Elliott and the Blues make for a very stingy team, and they could prey on a Seguin-less Stars team.
The Blues are 6-1 in their last seven meetings with Dallas with a 2.00 goals-against average in that span.
Drop the puck. It’s lit.
Prediction: Blues in 6.
