Blues take underwhelming route to commanding 3-0 series lead
The St. Louis Blues own a 3-0 stranglehold in their first-round series versus the Minnesota Wild, but underneath the surface of the commanding lead, the numbers aren't so convincing.
Jake Allen has stolen the show so far, allowing only three goals, but beyond his spectacular performance level early on, the Blues haven't been the better team. Statistically, at least.
Blues have been outshot 117-79 by Wild, lost faceoff battle 133-89 and their power play is 1-for-9. But they're up 3-0 and haven't trailed.
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) April 17, 2017
Additionally, Minnesota has out-attempted St. Louis 228-to-142 in all situations through three games, but can't crack Allen.
Related: Boudreau: Wild were 'friggin' good' in Game 3 loss to Blues
Only four teams have ever erased a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup playoffs, most recently in 2014, when the Kings shocked the Sharks.
During that same playoff, the Wild endured a similar situation versus Colorado. The Avalanche stormed out to a 2-0 series lead in the first round, despite Minnesota heavily controlling play. Eventually, the series went to Game 7, and the Wild's diligence paid off in the form of a thrilling comeback win.
Game 4 goes Wednesday night in St. Louis.