A David Backes shot ricocheted off Trevor van Riemsdyk’s skate and into the net to give the St. Louis Blues a 1-0 overtime victory over Chicago. The two teams will play Game 2 Friday night in St. Louis.
Playoff overtime is a common occurrence when these two teams meet. Wednesday’s affair was the fifth time in the past seven head-to-head postseason games that needed extra time.
Prior to the game winning goal, Corey Crawford had a chance to freeze the puck to get team a whistle and a line change. Instead, the goalie chose to push the puck forward and Chicago was never able to clear the zone.
The Central Division rivals had previously played 58 playoff games without entering a third period scoreless, let alone an overtime.
The game was as physical as expected. St. Louis laid out 41 hits, nearly double of their opponent. Despite being outshot 35-18, the Blues were able to tally the lone score and grab the early series lead.
Blues goaltender Brian Elliott earned his first career playoff shutout in his 20th postseason appearance.
Follow Adam on Twitter @Adam_PHN and you can always reach him at adam.minnick@prohockeynews.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.