Updated NHL Playoffs Bracket: Who will the Blues play in the Western Conference final?

The St. Louis Blues advance to the Western Conference final after eliminating the Dallas Stars  in Game 7 on Wednesday, May 11.

The Blues defeated the top-seeded team in the Central Division—and one of the league’s most dangerous offenses—by an early 3-0 advantage, only to push onward to defeat the Stars 6-1. This is the first postseason in which St. Louis has made it to the conference final since 2001.

This win became the fourth straight game in the series won by the visiting team; in fact, of the seven games, five were won by teams on the road, thus defying the myth of home-ice advantage.

St. Louis clearly dominated the ice in Game 7, beginning at the drop of the puck in first first period. Though their second goal of the night was withdrawn to due an offsides call, the team did not lose momentum, scoring minutes later to take back their 2-0 lead. Center Robby Fabbri made history, becoming the youngest (20) player in NHL history to score three points in a Game 7 (one goal, two assists). His Blues linemates Paul Stastny and Troy Brouwer also added a goal and two assists.

Brian Elliott returned to the crease after being pulled late in the first period of Game 6. He made a total of 31 saves during the three period, letting in only one goal.

This postseason marks the Blues’ 40th round in the playoffs, and they are still fighting for their first Stanley Cup victory. Should they win their next series, they will advance to the Stanley Cup finals and face the winner of the Eastern Conference, which will be either the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Pittsburgh Penguins.

St. Louis will have home ice advantage for Game 1 of the conference finals against either the Nashville Predators or the San Jose Sharks. Nashville and San Jose play their deciding Game 7 tonight, Thursday, May 12 at 9:00 PM ET.

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