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Stars Playoff Gameday: WCSF Game 1 vs STL |
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It wasn't pretty or easy but Lindy Ruff's top-seeded Dallas Stars downed a injury-depleted wildcard Minnesota Wild team in six games in the first round of the Western Conference Finals. In the meantime, former Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock's St. Louis Blues emerged victorious in a seven-game duel with the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.
The game will be televised nationally on NBC Sports Network. Game time at the American Airlines Center is 8:00 p.m. CDT.
For the Stars, whether they are with or without top-line center Tyler Seguin (who will miss at least the first two games of the conference semifinals after suffering a seback in his recovery from an Achilles tendon injury), the challenge remains the same as it has for a long time: play solid enough team defense and receive sufficiently strong goaltending to win.
The high-scoring Stars did that at times in the Wild series and got away from it at other junctures. St. Louis is a strong two-way team but in general but has often found its own ways to self-destruct in the playoffs.
Veteran forward Scottie Upshall took a maintenance day off practice on Thursday but is expected to play in the series opener. The team should have a full lineup. The Stars should as well, with the key exception of Seguin. Brian Elliott will be in goal for St. Louis. Kari Lehtonen was the better of the two Dallas netminders in the first round.