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St. Louis Blues: Don’t Let Victory be Blinding

By Steven McNeil

Apr 25, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues teammates celebrate after defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in game seven of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 25, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues teammates celebrate after defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in game seven of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Wow, what a game, what a series. The St. Louis Blues have defeated the defending champs but have another tough test coming up.

Revel in this one St. Louis Blues fans, our team is on their way to the second round of the playoffs and are ready to make some more noise. They have disposed of their bitter rival the Chicago Blackhawks and may have rid us all of our pessimism.

It was a fantastic series, and the Blues showed some great grit and determination throughout the series. They showed that they had what it takes to beat a tough tough opponent. Beating the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round is a big win for this franchise and a great opportunity to move further along in the playoffs.

As excited as I am about winning this series, I don’t want the Blues to get a big head and think that they can sit back now and just roll over the Dallas Stars. It will be another fun series and another big test for the Blues but we can’t discount what the Stars did by holding off the Minnesota Wild.

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The Stars had the best offense all season long and held the Blues and Blackhawks off all season long to hold the edge in the Central Division, giving them home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

While the Blues were 4-1 against the Stars during the regular season, every game except for two of them were extremely tight and ended in OT or a shootout. Moving forward, it is going to be imperative for the Blues to keep up the pressure and continue to play a smart game.

If the Blues can play smart and keep the puck in the Dallas zone, it could be another series win, but they cannot sit back like they did at times during the Blackhawks series. They have to keep their foot on the pedal like they did tonight and take every advantage to bury Dallas.

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The Blues have the potential to make this a short series if they play their game. The evidence in this is that the Blues had a 3-1 lead on the Chicago Blackhawks, the defending champion, and maybe the most dangerous offensive hockey team in the league.

The Blues are without a doubt the better and more complete team here, as they play a strong two-way game. The Stars on the other hand, are an offensive powerhouse who can run up the score quickly.

So, it is going to be key for the Blues to be aggressive and continue to play a strong defensive checking game like they did against the Blackhawks. Alex Pietrangelo will need to have another great series as the Blues look to continue their Cup run.

As we saw tonight, Brian Elliott will likely continue to play well and will be a catalyst for the Blues in this series.

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So Blues fans, rest up and get ready for another fun series. Revel in the victory over the Blackhawks, but don’t get caught up in thinking that the Blues did anything other than beating a tough first round opponent. This is just the first series in a potential long run for the Blues and I am glad that we are done with this Blackhawks series. That was way too stressful.

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