The Blues took game four by a score of 4-3 over the Blackhawks in another hotly contested game. All four games have been one goal games. A video recap of the game can be seen here . The Blues were able to rally from a 2-1 deficit late in the 2nd period, holding on to a one goal victory after having yet another goal wiped out due to an offsides review, all be it an easier and more expeditious review. With the win on Tuesday, the Blues will have their first chance at clinching a playoff series since April 21, 2012 when they closed out the Sharks in game 5. The Blackhawks last elimination game was May 30th of last year when they survived their second elimination game in a row against the Ducks. I’m not sure of the Hawks record in say the last 12 elimination games but I believe it is very strong.
Game 5 looks to see some lineup changes on both sides when it finally starts at 8:30pm CST. Expect to see Joel Edmundson in the press box, replaced by Carl Gunnarsson who commented that his injury was “just a little booger in my nose… and that “we got that out, so we’re good.… Alexander Steen will stay partnered with Paul Stastny and Troy Brouwer while Robby Fabbri will stay with Patrick Berglund and David Backes. Lastly, Steve Ott looks to remain in the lineup unlike the previous home games.
On the Blackhawks side, it sounds like David Rundblad will be in for Rozsival and the forward lines will start like this:
Panik – Toews – Kane Panarin – Anisimov – TT Ladd – Kruger – Hossa Mashinter – Desjardins - Weise
Game four saw the Blues take a first period lead on a brilliant play by Vladimir Tarasenko. Tarasenko took a pass at center ice and patiently set up the play by recognizing a streaking Jori Lehtera. Tarasenko dumped the puck into Chicago zone in a place where Lehtera would like be the first to retrieve it and then floated into space to get a return pass for the goal. It may be the longest give and go play you have ever seen.
The Blackhawks tied the game up on a bad play by rookie Joel Edmundson and a good play by Andrew Shaw, getting rewarded for parking himself right by Brian Elliott. Not only was Edmundson just returning form an ill advised penalty but he also returned into the play just in time to screen Elliott on the goal. A hand full of minutes later, the Hawks took the lead with a power play goal that was the result of what most outside of Chicago saw as curious penalty calling. The Blues added a power play goal early in the third period and followed that up with an unassisted goal from Alexander Steen as a result of his strong forecheck. The Hawks added a very fluky late goal from Duncan Keith that deflected off Tarasenko’s stick and looked like it found the pot of gold at the end of its rainbow. The Blues couldn’t stay on-side on their empty net goal which added to the drama in yet another 1 goal game.
I never would have guessed that game four would include the complete cracking of a linesman’s face shield, the throwing of punches by a goalie, another goal overturned by offsides, the Blues being outshot more than 2 to 1 while still carrying a lot of the play, a player not getting a 2 +10 for giving the officials the double bird and the tv cameras clearly catching a slur, and the refs handing out 11 game misconducts as the game expired. It was a bizarre game to be certain but definitely entertaining.
The game definitely had its share of dirty plays with Brouwer cross-checking Shaw well after a goal, Crawford throwing punches with his blocker, Steen appeareing to spear Shaw on the last faceoff, and Shaw slashing Parayko’s leg well after the whistle just to name a few. Of course, having watched most of this series if not all, this wasn’t very surprising as both teams have been taking a ton of slashes and cross-checks throughout, often with a lot of it behind the play or away from the puck.
Relative to recent history, I feel like the teams and the fans have had their roles reversed in this series but that is a blog for another day. One simple example – in the past I think the Blues would have lost their focus and lost the game after Keith scored his goal. They would have let the proverbial wheels come off the cart but they didn’t. They seem a more resilient and confident bunch.
Notes from around the league - This is the second year in a row Troy Brouwer finds himself up 3-1 in a series. - Brouwer lost that series last year, if he does again will he be the first to be a part of it 2 years in a row? - TVR again played more than Hammer in game 4, 3 minutes more. - Tarasenko only played 15:14 of game 4 and is only averaging 16:35 (and that includes an OT game). - Kucherov leads all players in scoring and only has averaged 17:49. - Johnson is 3rd in scoring while only averaging 18:12. Is this a trend? - Tarasenko is averaging 0.765 goals per game and 0.941 points per game for his career. - Elliiott is 2nd in playoff save percentage and 4th in GAA (2 or more games started) - Elliott has 11 more saves than any other goalie in the playoffs. - Two of the four games tonight could close out series (Tampa Bay being the other) - Paul Stastny is averaging more ice time than any Blues forward.
It’s a great day for hockey.