The St. Louis Blues outlasted the Chicago Blackhawks in a triple overtime classic on Thursday night, taking Game 1 of their opening round Stanley Cup playoff series by a final score of 4-3.
The Blues were down for much of the contest but managed to tie the game when Jaden Schwartz beat Corey Crawford from an awkward angle with only 105 seconds left in the game:
[Courtesy NHL.com]
Overtime was a tremendous slog, a classic battle of attrition. Blues defender Jay Bouwmeester blocked a shot, and missed 26 minutes of action recuperating (he was available for the third overtime). Meanwhile Jonathan Toews was hit hard by Ryan Reaves in the second overtime and appeared dazed, although the Blackhawks captain didn't miss a shift.
Both teams had tremendous chances in the second overtime, none better than Patrick Sharp's breakaway attempt on Blues netminder Ryan Miller:
[Courtesy NHL.com]
Miller struggled enormously in the latter stages of the regular season, losing his final five decisions while posting an ugly .856 save percentage during that stretch. It looked as if the game might get away from Miller early as the Blues netminder allowed three goals on the first seven shots he faced. But Miller calmed down from there, stopping 35 straight Blackhawks shots for the triple overtime victory.
The third overtime ended almost as soon as it began, when Blues forward Alexander Steen beat Crawford just 26 seconds into the third overtime period.
Though the score was close, the Blues outscored the Blackhawks 4-2 at even-strength and controlled the game for the most part at 5-on-5. Alex Pietrangelo was particularly good, and the Blues outshot Chicago 22-11 with the Norris Trophy contender on the ice, which he was for most the game. By the time Steen gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 series lead, Pietrangelo had logged well over 40 minutes in the contest.
The puck drops for Game 2 on Saturday at 3 p.m. EST.
