With a 5-1 win over the Minnnesota Wild on Thursay, the St. Louis Blues advanced to the second round of the Stanle Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2019 winning the series in six games.
Ryan O’Reilly scored his fifth playoffs goal. This postseason, he has eight points in six games.
On Thursday, Vladimir Tarasenko scored his fifth goal of the series. The Blues won the series with goals from Nick Leddy, Tyler Bozak, and Colton Parayko.
“It was a tough, tough battle,” Bozak said postgame. “That’s a very good team over there. It’s kind of a shame we played in the first round of the playoffs. It was two of the top teams in the West and they deserve a lot of credit for the season they had.”
During the regular season, the Blues (49-22-11) finished third in the Central Division. The Blues won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history the last time they advanced to the second round.
“We had a good first period and kind of weathered the storm,” Binnington said. “They came out hard and they were playing desperate. I think we matched that, and we came out in the second period and played really hard.
“It’s a hard-fought series against a team that comes at you pretty hard, and we did a great job. We had guys step up, just a great team effort and it’s good to be at this point. Now we’re looking forward to the next challenge.”
“I was doing everything I could to stay ready,” Talbot said. “You don’t want to come in in an elimination game, but you still want the opportunity to play during the playoffs. They gave me the opportunity. Just wasn’t good enough.”
Cam Talbot was started in place of Marc-Andre Fleury, who was acquired at the trade deadline. Talbot saved 22 of the 26 shots he faced.
In the second round, the Blues will face the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche took a 2-1-0 lead in the season series.
