Minnesota Wild's top-line of Zach Parise, Mikael Granlund, and Jason Pominville combined for six points on two goals as the Wild shutout the St. Louis Blues 3-0 Monday to take a 2-1 series lead.
Parise and Pominville found the back of the net in a span of just 2:05 late in the second period and Nino Niederreiter added an empty-netter to seal the victory.
Star performer: Pominville had a goal and an assist to go along with five shots and three hits to lead the way for the Wild. He now has four points in three games during the postseason.
Turning point: Sure Pominville's opening goal put the Blues in a hole, but it was Parise's marker that made it 2-0 that seemingly buried St. Louis and made the game almost impossible to overcome.
Goalie comparison: Devan Dubnyk wasn't very busy, but he was perfect stopping everything the Blues could muster his way to pick up his first-career playoff shutout.
| Goalie | Shots | GA | Saves | Sv% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen | 23 | 2 | 21 | .913 |
| Dubnyk | 17 | 0 | 17 | 1.00 |
Top highlight:
His team may have been on the wrong side of the coin on the scoreboard, but David Backes delivered a hit on Niederreiter that rocked the Xcel Energy Center.
(Courtesy: NHL.com)
Stat of the night: With the loss, the Blues now have a nine-game road losing streak in the playoffs. The streak dates back to the 2011-12 when the team beat the San Jose Sharks on April 19.
Series at a glance:
Game 1: Wild 4, Blues 2
Game 2: Blues 4, Wild 1
Game 3: Wild 3, Blues 0
Game 4: Wednesday, April 22, 9:30 p.m. ET
Game 5: Friday, April 24, TBA
Game 6*: Sunday, April 26, TBA
Game 7*: Wednesday, April 29, TBA
*If necessary
