The Blues and Stars are set to hit the ice for Game 7 on Wednesday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas as each team looks to advance to the Western Conference Final.
St. Louis had a chance to knock Dallas out on home ice in Game 6, but fell, 3-2, to force the do-or-die game. The Stars took Games 1, 4 and 6 in this series, while the Blues won Games 2, 3 and 5. The Stars were outshot 37-14 and nearly blew a 3-0 lead in Game 6, but walked away victorious.
The Blues are looking to advance to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2001, while Dallas hopes to reach Round 3 for the first time since 2008. The winner of this will meet the victor of the Predators-Sharks series, which is set for Game 7 in San Jose on Thursday.
Here are seven key storylines to watch for in Game 7 of this series:
1) 7th Heaven
The Stars will be playing in their 12th Game 7 and are 5-6 overall in their history. Dallas' last winner-take-all game came in 2007 when it fell to the Vancouver Canucks. The Blues will play their 16th Game 7 and are 7-8 in franchise history. St. Louis overcame the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks, 3-2, in a do-or-die game in Round 1.
St. Louis forward Troy Brouwer, who scored the winning goal in Game 7 against Chicago, will play in a Game 7 for his eighth straight series and he is 3-4 lifetime in such contests.
2) Road Warriors
The Blues are 4-2 on the road in the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring, which includes victories in Games 3 and 4 in Chicago during the first round. St. Louis took Games 2 and 5 in Dallas and is 2-1 in the American Airlines Center this postseason.
3) Fallen Stars
The Stars will continue to be without one of their key forwards in Tyler Seguin, who has been sidelined with an Achilles injury. The Dallas forward went 33-40--73 in the regular season, but has played just once in these playoffs, creating a void for the Stars. Jason Spezza has stepped up in Seguin's absence and will be a key factor for Dallas in Game 7.
4) Leading The Way
Stars captain Jamie Benn has paced all players in the postseason with 15 points and ranks second with 10 assists. Spezza has eight assists and ranks third with 13 points, while both Dallas forwards have five goals. Patrick Sharp and Alex Goligoski each have four goals.
Though he's been quiet lately, Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko can be explosive. Tarasenko is tied for third in the NHL with six goals and knotted for fourth with 12 points this postseason. Rookie Robby Fabbri has a team-best eight assists and 10 points in the playoffs, while Jaden Schwartz (three goals, seven assists) and David Backes (five goals, five assists) also have 10 points.
5) Crease Combat
The Blues have remained coy over who will man the blue paint for them in Game 7. Brian Elliott was pulled in favor of Jake Allen in Game 6 after the incumbent yielded three goals on seven shots. It's likely Elliott, who has started every postseason game, will get the nod. Elliott is 7-6 with a 2.39 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage this spring.
The Stars will likely stick with Kari Lehtonen over Antti Niemi after the former stopped 35 of 37 shots to preserve Dallas' season last time out. Lehtonen is 9-6 with a 2.58 GAA and a .908 save percentage in the 2015-16 playoffs.
6) Coach's Corner
Stars coach Lindy Ruff is looking to feel good after a Game 7 for the first time in his career as he is 0-3 in these contests leading into Wednesday night's clash. Blues coach Ken Hitchcock has had some better fortune, going 4-2. These two bench bosses share some amazing history as they had some words for each other back when Ruff coached the Sabres and Hitchcock managed the Flyers:
7) Odds & Ends
The Stars boast a potent offense, while the Blues have a stingy defense, but something has to give in Game 7. Dallas led the NHL with 3.23 goals per game in the regular season, paced by Benn, who ranked third in the NHL with 41 goals and second with 89 points. The Blues were fourth in the NHL with 2.40 goals allowed per game this season. St. Louis' defense is spearheaded by Alex Pietrangelo, who is first among teams that are still alive with 29:57 average time on ice.
