|
The defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks were
eliminated.
Brouwer, the only Blues player to have appeared in more than two
Game 7s in his career, got a rebound off the post and slid the
puck into the net at 8:31 of the third period. It was his first
goal of the series and the eighth playoff goal of his career.
The Blues, who won an opening-round series for the first time
since 2012, will play the Dallas Stars, who finished two points
ahead of them in the Central Division in the regular season, in
the Western Conference semifinals.
It was the first Game 7 win for the Blues since 1999, when
current Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville was the St. Louis
coach, and their first Game 7 win at home since 1991.
Predators 3, Ducks 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Goals from Mattias Ekholm and James Neal,
along with a bounce back effort by goalie Pekka Rinne, gave
Nashville a 3-1 win and evened the best-of-seven series at three
games each.
The series-decider is Wednesday night in Anaheim, the first Game
7 in Predators history. The Ducks have been eliminated in Game
7s each of the last three seasons, including last May in the
conference finals at home against Chicago.
Rinne, who entered the game with a pedestrian save percentage of
.889 in the series, came up with 26 saves. His biggest was a pad
stop on a Grade A chance from Corey Perry in the slot with 6:40
remaining in the game. Shea Weber sealed the win with a late an
empty-net goal.
-----------------------------------------------
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
