1st-round preview: Blues must exorcise playoff demons vs. defending champs

The St. Louis Blues have been knocked out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in three straight years under head coach Ken Hitchcock. It's now or never. Problem is, the road to the second round is paved with one massive roadblock: the defending champions, the Chicago Blackhawks.

Chicago's contributed to one of those three St. Louis first-round exits, in 2014, in six games.

The Blues won the regular-season series 3-2, taking the last two games in extra time - March 9 in a shootout and April 7 in overtime. Three of the five meetings were decided by one goal, and the other two by two goals. It will be tight.

Here's what we know: One excellent hockey team is going home after the first round. The Blues' 107 points ranked third in the NHL, and the Blackhawks' 103 fifth. It's almost a shame.

Tale of the tape

Key players

Corey Crawford

Corey Crawford doesn't get enough credit for the Blackhawks' sustained success, but he's going into the playoffs as cold as it gets. A head injury - a suspected concussion - limited him to only one game after March 14, and that was Chicago's final game of the regular season. Crawford was lit up for five goals on only 25 shots.

The 31-year-old had an amazing season, winning a career-high 35 games, recording a career-high seven shutouts, and posting a .924 save percentage for the second straight campaign. And .924 is apparently the magic number - that was his save percentage on his way to the Stanley Cup last year, in 20 games and 19 starts.

Crawford should be fine. His career .921 save percentage in the postseason proves he plays his best when games matter most. But if the Blues can get to him early in Game 1, and perhaps plant a seed of doubt, well, that'd be something, wouldn't it?

Brian Elliott

In a series that boasts offensive players like Art Ross Trophy winner Patrick Kane, Calder Trophy candidate Artemi Panarin, 40-goal sniper Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Steen, Jonathan Toews, and Paul Stastny, it feels a little silly to be focusing on both teams' starting goalies. But, let's face it, the difference in what will be either a six- or seven-game series, will be between the pipes.

While injuries limited Brian Elliott to 38 starts, he was brilliant when he played, winning 23 games and posting the best save percentage in the league. Elliott stopped a stupendous 93 percent of the 1,113 shots he faced.

Jake Allen was great, too, he had to be for the Blues to get to 107 points. But it'll be Elliott in the crease in Game 1, and if the Stanley Cup Playoffs weren't difficult enough, the Blues, as noted, are facing massive pressure to win in the postseason. And goalies have enough on their minds.

Elliott didn't make a start in last year's playoffs, and has a career .897 save percentage in the spring, which simply won't do. He has to be better this time around, or the Blues, for as good as they've been over the past four seasons, may have to look at other options in the crease as well as behind the bench.

Here's more pressure: Elliott had an .892 save percentage in three starts against Chicago this season.

Schedule

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