A spot in the Western Conference final will be on the line in Dallas on Wednesday, as the Stars host the St. Louis Blues in Game 7 of an up-and-down, second-round series for both clubs.
The Stars and Blues were separated by two points in the regular-season standings, with Dallas earning the right to host a deciding Game 7.
How they got here
Round 1
- Blues defeat Blackhawks in 7
- Stars defeat Wild in 6
| Game | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Stars win 2-1 |
| 2 | Blues win 4-3 (OT) |
| 3 | Blues win 6-1 |
| 4 | Stars win 3-2 (OT) |
| 5 | Blues win 4-1 |
| 6 | Stars win 3-2 |
Here are three reasons why the road team will prevail.
Blues hold advantage in shots, goals
While this series can be parsed any which way, the simple fact is the Blues have the advantage in both shots and goals through six games.
| Team | Shots | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Blues | 181 | 19 |
| Stars | 172 | 13 |
All three of the Stars wins have been by a margin of one goal, and two came courtesy of sudden death overtime, which is essentially a coin flip. On the flip side, the Blues have won big in two of the contests, taking Games 3 and 5 - both played in Dallas - by a combined score of 10-2.
Clearly St. Louis isn't intimidated by American Airlines Center, and the Blues have the added advantage of having conquered the defending Stanley Cup champions in a Game 7 in the opening round, albeit on home ice.
Elliott out for redemption
Brian Elliott was given the hook after giving up three goals on seven shots in Game 6, but overall, his playoff performance to date has been solid.
The 31-year-old has started all 13 games for the Blues this postseason, allowing 31 goals while stopping 92.6 percent of shots faced, ranking him fourth among all remaining goaltenders.
At the other end of the ice, the Stars duo of Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen has combined for a save percentage of .893, a number that should not inspire confidence, despite a strong outing by the latter in Game 6.
Elliott allowed five goals in a Game 6 loss to Chicago, but rebounded with a 31-save performance in a 3-2 win in Game 7. Head coach Ken Hitchcock hasn't confirmed his Game 7 starter, but Blues' players said they'd be surprised if it isn't Elliott, and, quite frankly, with good reason.
Fallen Star
Based on how well Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza have been playing, it might be easy to overlook the fact Tyler Seguin has been limited to 12:21 of ice time during the postseason due to injury.
To their credit, the Stars have come a long way without the services of their top young center, although the argument can be made they did so while avoiding the true powerhouses of the Western Conference, tossed aside by other opponents.
The reality is it would be far easier to reach for the Stars in Game 7 if their lineup featured a player who recorded 33 goals and 73 points in 72 regular-season games.
Take a poll and hockey fans would likely be surprised to hear the Stars are one win away from the third round sans Seguin, and with good reason. Chances are they won't indeed get that far without him.
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