The St. Louis Blues are exactly where they didn't want to be.
After failing to close out the Chicago Blackhawks for the second game in a row, the Blues head home for Game 7 having completely relinquished momentum to the defending Stanley Cup champions.
A 3-1 lead heading into the second period of Game 5 wasn't enough, as the Blackhawks stormed back for five unanswered goals, improving to 15-1 in their last 16 Game 6s.
Ahead of Saturday's game, Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock said it doesn't matter where the series ends as long as the Blues win, and is expecting his team to respond with the season on the line.
"They raised the bar," Hitchcock said postgame. "Now it's our turn to answer."
Suddenly on the brink of their third consecutive first-round elimination, the Blues season, and potentially Hitchcock's position with the team, hang in the balance.
"They had a great second, they did what they had to do and now we're in a spot where we've got home-ice Game 7 to determine our season," said Scottie Upshall. "Now it's down to 60 minutes, whoever wants it, gets it. We're in our own building and we're going to take advantage of it."
