The Stanley Cup Playoffs continue to produce memorable games and we are only at game one of the first round.
Starting the night off in St. Louis, the Blues and Blackhawks had no problems scoring early. Both goalies, Ryan Miller and Corey Crawford, looked shaky early before settling down for the rest of game.
The Blues got things started just four minutes in, Adam Cracknell found the puck for a tip-in past Crawford.
It took Chicago a little while, but they tied the game at one, via a Johnny Oduya tip-in of his own. That goal got things going for the Hawks. Three minutes later, Brent Seabrook finds the back of the net on a power play slap shot. Their lead would last for barely two minutes, as Vladimir Tarasenko wristed his shot past Crawford, tying things up at two. Patrick Kane and his freshly cut mullet got his first points of the postseason, with a minute and change left on the first period clock. Kane had a breakaway wrister of his own, that beat Miller for the 3-2 advantage going into intermission.
That’s all Miller would let up. Miller set the tone after that shaky first period. Stopping 39 shots that evening, 35 in a row after the first period.
“I think we needed it to show that stretch we had to finish the season is behind us. The guys needed this, but we have to understand they’re a very talented team. It took us a hard-fought game to squeeze out a victory. They’ve got a ton of talent and they’ve got the experience of winning.” Miller said after the game.
No scoring in the second period, just very tense times for both teams, as the Blues trailed at home.
Things would stay tense long into the third, as the game got more physical and desperate for St. Louis. It would payoff as Jaden Schwartz tied the game at three, with a little over a minute remaining in the third.
Keeping the trend of playoff overtime games, this one would go to three of them. It also is the longest overtime game in franchise and playoff history for the Blues.
No bigger save came in the first overtime, with a little under two minutes Maxim Lapierre ended up behind Miller, and saved what would have been the game winning goal off a shot from Kris Versteeg.
That save sent the game to a second overtime. Where another 2o scoreless minutes went by. As they went to a third overtime it didn’t take long. Alexander Steen just 26 seconds in, found the back of the net that sent the Scottrade Center into a frenzy.
Blues take game one 4-3, game two is set for Saturday afternoon at 3pm.
photo credit: getty images gif:so-hockey-eh