NHL Playoffs: Blues vs. Stars Game 5 recap, full highlights

The Dallas Stars  are on the brink of elimination after losing Game 5 to the St. Louis Blues.

Robby Fabbri had the first say in the game, scoring six minutes into the first period on an assist from Kevin Shattenkirk. Yet, minutes later, at 10:58, Alex Goligoski evened the score for Dallas with assistance from Vernon Fiddler and Jason Spezza.

The lack of aggression in the first period carried over into the second period, which also ended with zero penalties. One also must notice that excellent performance of Dallas’ defense through this point; Kari Lehtonen, the Stars’ starting goalie for Game 5, hardly faced dangerous shots on goal. And when he did, he made some pretty epic saves:

Blues’ head coach Ken Hitchcock played around with his lines, and his adjustments paid off: new body Dmitrij Jaskin put pressure on the Stars and put the puck in the net at 10:31 into the second period.

The Stars only had a one goal deficit at this point, but the Blues were determined to get the lead. Troy Brouwer showed his game-changing potential yet again, scoring with just over two minutes remaining in the second period. Here the defense of Dallas was embarrassing: Brouwer was wide open and scored on the doorstep of Dallas’ goal. The defense was literally scrambling in front of the net.

Delay in starting the period came from the Stars: Stephen Johns needed to go to the locker room, he was visibly bleeding. The first penalty of the game came at 4:38 into the third period: Blues captain David Backes went to the box for holding Goligoski.

The Stars continued to outshoot their opponent, but Brian Elliott was invincible, continually swallowing up shots on goal. The Stars had multiple chances to score—two alone on the power play, in which they are now 1-16—but were unable to cash in on their opportunities.

Val Nichushkin was having a fabulous game, but his talent was being overshadowed by his inability to score despite five shots on goal by the middle of the third period. Same with Cody Eakin and Ales Hemsky, who each failed to produce on their four.

With the pressure of losing at home, however, the Stars came alive on the ice, which is evident in penalties. Brouwer slashed Eakin at 9:14, and Mattias Janmark followed after at 12:50 for slashing Alexander Steen. The power play gave St. Louis an opportunity to gain one more insurance goal on their journey to win the series, so Dallas needed to bolster up the defense.

First, there was a minor tussle on Dallas’ end of the ice between Troy Brouwer and Radek Faksa. Neither player was penalized, but both teams were clearly ruffled up. Fiddler and Shattenkirk, however, started to wrestle on the ice. Both get roughing minors with 5:04 remaining.

The Stars were playing sloppy, and that lack of precision was seriously hurting their game. With about four minutes left in regulation, the Stars accepted that a win wasn’t in their future. Lehtonen was pulled from the net, as the Stars knew they would not pull through in the remaining few minutes of regulation.

Paul Stastny took advantage of the Stars’ empty net, scoring unassisted with just under two minutes left in regulation. His goal was the last of the game, bringing the Blues up to a 4-1 win. St. Louis now holds a 3-2 win over the Stars; if they win in Game 6, they will win the series and eliminate Dallas.

Three stars

D Stephen Johns (STARS) 
Johns absolutely dominated the ice, absolutely killing Scottie Upshall in the process. The new Star’s physical game has helped Dallas succeed both in the regular season and the postseason. If Chicago wasn’t frustrated already, they should be furious at themselves for trading him now.

RW Dmitrij Jaskin (BLUES)
After being out for several weeks, Jaskin announced his return in style, with the go-ahead goal.

G Brian Elliott (BLUES)
Time and time again, Elliott shows how crucial he is to St. Louis’ success. In 28 shots on goal, Elliot saved all but one, finishing the game with a .963 save percentage, compared to Lehtonen’s .857 save percentage after letting in three out of 21 shots on goal. This was Elliott’s best game of the series.

Highlights

Don’t mess with Stephen Johns. Here’s another look at that hit:

Next Game

The Blues look to win it all in Game 6 on Monday, May 9 at 8:00 PM ET on NBC Sports Network. The series returns back to St. Louis’ Scottrade Center.

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