St. Louis Blues Top 5 Playoff Games of 2016

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May 7, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Dmitrij Jaskin (23) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Dallas Stars 4-1 in game five of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

The 2016 playoffs were a fun ride for the St. Louis Blues. They were filled with ups and downs, great moments and poor performances. Here we’ll look at the top five.

Now that the season has had a couple weeks to kind of settle, we have a little more opportunity to appreciate the 2015-16 season. It’s easy to see the playoffs as a failure because the St. Louis Blues did not win the championship. However, the idea that all 29 teams that do not win are failures just doesn’t seem right.

There are levels of success and the Blues found a higher level than they have in 15 years and almost had their best season since they made the finals in 1970. To call that a failure seems extreme.

In that vein we’re going to list the top five games from the Blues’ playoff run in 2016.

5. Game 4 vs. San Jose

Utter domination. There is little else to describe the St. Louis Blues performance in Game 4 of their Western Conference matchup with the San Jose Sharks.

The Blues were in a must-win scenario after losing Game 2 at home and Game 3 on the road. While 3-1 isn’t as big of a deficit in hockey as it is other sports, it would have been unlikely for the Blues to win three straight in order to win the series.

Knowing this, they came out and took care of business. They scored two goals in the first and two in the second. They dominated special teams as well, going 2-4 on the powerplay and killing off all five penalties against the vaunted Sharks’ powerplay.

The Blues scored on the powerplay a little over six minutes in and did not let up. Kyle Brodziak, of all people, scored two goals himself in the second period.

One of those goals was shorthanded, scored on a beautiful two-on-one and set up by Jaden Schwartz. That, in and of itself, was enough to show the Blues were not going to be denied. The Blues added two more in the third period, ultimately winning 6-3.

The game wasn’t a perfect performance. The Blues actually got outshot 34-27, but clearly made the most of the chances they were given. Jake Allen was also very solid. The shots he faced weren’t all huge saves, but he made several quality ones and although three goals went in, even his coach admitted that it was technically only one.

In the grand scheme of things, it didn’t matter much. The Blues went on to lose the next two and lose the series 4-2. However, at the time, it was a big game and a big win.

It showed once again that if the Blues played their game for a full 60 minutes, they could compete and even dominate against anyone. It put the team within two wins of a Stanley Cup final and renewed hope.

4. Game 7 vs. Dallas Stars

Another domination game. Following an incredibly disappointing 3-2 loss at home, where the Blues had a chance to wrap up the series and get some extra rest, the Blues once again left little doubt who the better team was.

It was again the powerplay that sparked the Blues surge. Robby Fabbri scored on the man advantage a little over five minutes in. The Blues were able to put their foot on the Stars throat from there on out.

They scored three in the first period, two in the second and were up 5-0 before Dallas finally stuck one in the back of the net. Vladimir Tarasenko put the final nail in the coffin though and the Blues would crush the Stars 6-1 and extinguish their championship hopes.

3. Game 3 vs. Chicago

This one was big from a mental standpoint. St. Louis had split the two games at home, sneaking out an OT win to start the series and being shut down by a hot goaltender in the next game.

To make matters worse, the Blackhawks scored the opening goal of this game, igniting the usually hot crowd at the United Center. The goal came in the early stages, with the ‘Hawks scoring just over two minutes into the contest. It could have set the tone and things could have gone very wrong from there, given the Blues’ recent history.

St. Louis battled back though. Colton Parayko unleashed a bomb on the powerplay to tie up the game a little over halfway through the first frame and it stayed tied.

Chicago again took the lead early in the second period. Artem Anisimov scored 64 seconds into the middle frame and Chicago unleashed the fury in the period. St. Louis weathered the storm, getting outshot 24-13 in the period and Brian Elliott kept them in the game.

Elliott was a huge part of this game as he would be throughout the playoffs. He stopped 44 of 46 shots, taking the bulk of them in the first two periods and providing the Blues with every opportunity to poach one of their own and giving them the confidence to go forward, knowing he was not going to be beaten.

The Blues would not be denied in the third. In what would become a habit throughout the playoffs, the Blues would save their best for last.

They outshot the Blackhawks 14-12 and put two into the back of the net. The Blues won the game 3-2 and took a series lead of 2-1.

Taking a 2-1 series lead was not a big deal just by the number. It was an enormous deal by how and when it came. Not only had the Blues defeated Chicago, but they had done so on the road. The Blues had not won a game after the second game of any series in four years.

It rid them of at least one monkey on their back. They had won on the road, they had defeated one of their playoff demons on the road and won a game later in the series than any of them had experienced in quite some time. It gave the Blues a lot of belief that they would put to the test further on down the road.

Next: Top Two Playoff Games of 2016

May 23, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues center Robby Fabbri (15) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks in the second period in game five of the Western Conference Final of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Game 4 vs Chicago

This game was a slower burn despite the fact it had more goals in the end than Game 3. It was a huge statement game for St. Louis though.

The Blues opened up the scoring in the first period with their superstar, Tarasenko scoring late in the period. The Blues were badly outshot (14-5), but again made the most of their chances and Elliott was also the star of the period.

Chicago, not to be outdone or go quietly, came back with a strong second period. They scored two goals within four minutes to take the lead in the game. However, the Blues were not done either as Tarasenko stood tall and came up with the tying goal on the powerplay, late in the period.

The Blues then copied the Blackhawks’ performance and exceeded it by scoring two goals within three minutes at the start of the third. They took a 4-2 lead and Elliott made it hold up despite allowing a goal with 6 minutes to go and the team getting outshot 14-5 again. The 4-3 win was a huge marker in this series.

You could argue about the order of Game 4 and 3 on this list and there is no huge argument that makes either side right. The reason it’s at second on this list is the factors that went into it.

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The Blues had already proven they could win on the road, but they hadn’t proven they could maintain a series lead yet. They were playing against a Chicago team that was going to throw their best at you, not wanting to go down 3-1 and having lost two straight at home.

Similarly to the prior game, this one provided them further confidence that they could actually get out of the first round. The team hadn’t won three games in a series since their opening round win against San Jose in 2012.

They gave themselves a cushion to have a bad game – they would have two in a row, forcing a seventh game – and still win the series. The ability to steal two games on the road, knowing Chicago would give them their best, was huge and set the table for future success, especially since the Blues had such struggles at home throughout the postseason.

1. Game 7 vs Chicago

This one was the easiest choice for the entire list. This game was the reason for this entire list. It was all about working backwards from this game.

The Blues had thrown away a two game series lead and were forced to play a do-or-die seventh game against the defending champions. It was about as storybook a game as you could plan.

The Blues came out, with the game at home and their seasons on the line, and scored the first two goals of the game. The first one game just one minute into the game with Jori Lehtera setting the tone and then Parayko would toss one in almost 13 minutes later.

Chicago grabbed some late momentum when Marian Hossa scored with 90 seconds remaining in the opening period, stealing a bit of the Blues’ thunder. They would really grab the game by the scruff when they scored on a powerplay in the second period to tie it all up.

It set up the dream scenario. Any kid who plays any sport dreams of having a tie game and being able to score the game winner. The Blues faced just that reality when they entered the third period of this deciding game all square at two goals a piece.

While it wasn’t an overtime winner and the winning goal didn’t end the game right then and there, it was no less special. Troy Brouwer, a former Blackhawk, stuck the knife into his old club by scoring what would prove to be the game winner not quite halfway through the third period.

It wasn’t the prettiest of goals, but they all count in the end. On a personal level, the goal also somewhat vindicated the trade made prior to the season that brought in Brouwer for the very popular TJ Oshie.

The Blues defense went to work after that and shut down Chicago. Elliott did not have to face his usual number of shots as the Blues stepped in front of everything they could and held the desperate champs to only nine shots on goal the entire period.

When the final buzzer went, an entire city rejoiced with the team. The Blues had won Game 7 against the defending Stanley Cup champions by a final of 3-2.

More importantly than just the win, the Blues had signaled they were for real. They could have and should have ended the series in five or six games, but instead of crumbling as they had in years past, they found a way to get it done.

They ended the drought of playoff wins too. The team had not been out of the first round in four years and had been knocked off in convincing fashion each time as well. This time they played their game and figured out a way to win when it mattered most.

Blackhawks fans will make fun of their Blues counterparts for making too much of this game and maybe they are right. We treated it as though it was our championship, because it was for at least the moment.

Blues fans had to spend the last six years watching their main rival win three championships. They had to sit and watch a team that came into the league the same year they did win two championships in between each Chicago win. The Blues fans had to endure year after year of heartbreak after going up two games to none in almost every series.

So, perhaps too much was made of defeating Chicago, but that doesn’t make it a bad thing. The way this series played out, it would have been spectacular drama and deserving of being a Western Conference Final or even a Stanley Cup Final. The fact that it was in the first round should not water down the significance.

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The St. Louis Blues defeating Chicago in that game signaled they were for real. They signaled they might be a team to contend with for the future. They proved to themselves and to their doubters they could beat some of the best in the game.

The Blues ran out of gas by the end of their playoff run. Playing too many games against Chicago and Dallas had a lot to play in that. However, the Game 7 win against Chicago will be a fond memory for many years for Blues Nation and it should be.

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