Let's Go Blues

BLUES AT BLACKHAWKS

(Chicago leads best-of-7 series 3-2)

TV: NBC, CBC, RDS

Blue Notes: This marks the third playoff series in Blues history that has seen four overtime games (1999 Conf. Semifinals vs. Dallas, 1968 Semifinals vs. Minnesota). The Blues have comeback from a 2-3 series deficit to win a series three times in their playoff history. Overall, they have forced Game 7 on nine occasions.

Big story: The defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks have come back from a 2-0 deficit in this Western Conference First Round series and have a chance to eliminate the St. Louis Blues in Game 6 on Sunday.

If any team knows what it takes to do that, it's the Blackhawks. They came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Detroit Red Wings in the 2013 Western Conference Semifinals and overcame a 2-1 margin to beat the Boston Bruins in the 2013 Stanley Cup Final to win their second title in four seasons.

Team Scope:

Blues: St. Louis is trying to forget about last season's loss to the Los Angeles Kings in the 2013 Western Conference Quarterfinals, but the similarities between this series and that playoff defeat are hard to deny.

St. Louis is determined to avoid the same fate.

"We have a chance to write our own legacy," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "Everybody is probably writing, 'Here they go again. They're challenging the top teams, but can they get through the top teams?' Everybody is going to write that stuff. But we have a chance to write the message that you guys have to print, so it's in our control."

The Blues were glad to get captain David Backes back from injury in Game 5. Backes played 21:35 and finished with eight hits.

Blackhawks: After three strong games by defenseman Sheldon Brookbank, Chicago gets Brent Seabrook back on the top defense pairing after a three-game suspension for an illegal hit on Backes in Game 2.

Seabrook provides a hard shot from the point, adds some physical presence defensively, and has a knack for creating instant offense with pinpoint stretch passes from the defensive zone to create odd-man rushes for Blackhawks forwards.

"Against a team like [the Blues], they're coming hard and they like to [hit] your body," Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson said. "It's so much easier when you have just one pass and you're out and you can focus on going on offense. That's one of [Seabrook's] strengths. He's always good at finding those first passes. Off the ice too, he's a huge part of this team. He's always pushing everybody, one of those core players that has a lot to say in our locker room."

Who's hot: St. Louis forward Vladimir Sobotka has three assists, 17 hits and has won 58.3 percent of the faceoffs he's taken. ... Toews (two goals and four assists) has a point in three straight games and has scored the game-winning goal in two of Chicago's three victories.

Injury report: Blues forward Brendan Morrow (lower-body) is out for the remainder of the series. ... The Blackhawks have nobody sidelined by injury.

JCShutout wrote:This ain't over. Lets go Blues!!!

glen a richter wrote:

JCShutout wrote:This ain't over. Lets go Blues!!!

You're right. It ain't over til the final horn sounds. Then we can proceed with our annual tradition of analyzing what went wrong. It's tough as hell being a Blues fan, but I wouldn't trade the routine post-season suffering for any other team.

sseagle wrote:

glen a richter wrote:

JCShutout wrote:This ain't over. Lets go Blues!!!

You're right. It ain't over til the final horn sounds. Then we can proceed with our annual tradition of analyzing what went wrong. It's tough as hell being a Blues fan, but I wouldn't trade the routine post-season suffering for any other team.

Everyone knows you root for whoever is playing the Rags, then the Blues