Share this Story: Blues force Game 7 with authoritative win Blues force Game 7 with authoritative win Article content DALLAS — If you thought the St. Louis Blues were going to go quietly, you haven’t been paying attention to what they’ve gone through this season. Through it all, the Blues have shown tremendous resolve when times got tough. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Blues force Game 7 with authoritative win Back to video Whether it was a coaching change, a goalie change or a change in line combinations, the Blues got some traction under Craig Berube and built a belief system that is built on equal parts of belief and a sound structure. Both of those important pieces of the foundation — along with another sound performance from goalie Jordan Binnington (who made 22 saves) were on display on Sunday afternoon as the Blues stared in the face of elimination for the first time of the post-season. Given that they rose from the ashes of being in last place in the NHL on Jan. 2 to make the playoffs, it came as little surprise the Blues found a way to keep their season alive, earning a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars to force a winner-take-all Game 7 on Tuesday night at Enterprise Center, with a spot in the Western Conference final on the line. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “None of the guys came in here with their heads between our legs or whatever. I just thought that we were really excited about the challenge,” said Blues forward David Perron, who scored the game-winning goal at 15:24 of the second period. “We’re just excited to keep playing hockey. That’s what it’s all about, obviously. We want to get to the end. “But we’re excited to keep it alive and do the same thing again next game. It’s a seven-game series for a reason and we’re looking to even amp it up and play even better next game.” The Blues have been the best road team in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, posting a record of 5-1 — the lone loss coming in Game 4 of this series. They’ve also outscored their opponents 11-2 in third periods on the road in the playoffs — that’s a sign of a team that knows how to close out games. “Wearing teams down through the game with the way we play, it’s hard to defend. It’s tough,” said Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo. “We believe in the process. I know it sounds cliché and everybody says it, but we believe if we play. We believe it we play the right way, we’ll wear teams down throughout the game. We did that tonight. And we got the goals in the third, period, that’s because we’re investing early in what we need to do to back them off.” As for the Stars, they’ve already won twice at Enterprise Center (in Games 2 and 5), so they won’t be lacking confidence going into their first elimination game of these playoffs. “We weren’t good enough, so we get another chance in St. Louis,” said Stars forward Mats Zuccarello. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “It’s a Game 7, we knew it was going to be a tight series. If you want to be able to move far in the playoffs, you usually got to go through some Game 7s. “This is a whole new game, best out of one. We have to have that mindset better than we had today and we got to be excited about it. It’s going to be fun, it’s always fun to play Game 7s in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Whatever happens in the past is in the past now and you’re focusing on the next game.” The Stars see this as another chance to eliminate a Blues team that hasn’t rolled over all season long. “What a great opportunity in front of us and for both teams to go out there and battle it out for one game and winner take all,” said Stars captain Jamie Benn. As for the historical records, the Blues are 8-8 lifetime in Game 7s, while the Stars are 5-7 in franchise history — including the time as the Minnesota North Stars. “Nothing’s a gimme. It doesn’t matter if they’ve had success or not there already,” said Berube. “Game 7s are Game 7s, you know. You have to put it all on the line and be ready to go. And we will be. That’s it.” Just like the Blues, the Stars dealt with their fair share of adversity this season and they’re not ready to have the off-season start yet either. “I feel great about a Game 7. I mean, when I was a little kid, every time I played street hockey or played in my basement with my cousin it was Game 7 every time,” said Stars coach Jim Montgomery. “The adversity throughout the year has prepared us for everything, but especially big moments like this.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content And they don’t get bigger than Game 7, when one team moves on and the other sees their Stanley Cup dream squashed. BISHOP IN QUESTION? The third goal for the Blues had tongues wagging among fans and media types as there was some debate over whether the whistle should have been blown after Blues defenceman Colton Parayko drilled Stars goalie Ben Bishop up high with a slapshot during the third period. After the shot through traffic, Bishop went down in pain, but since the Blues had possession of the puck, play continued and eventually Jaden Schwartz tipped in the shot from Alexander Steen for his team-leading eighth goal of the playoffs. The Stars were upset about the play continuing when it happened, but by the time they were speaking to reporters, it was clear they weren’t going to use the non-call as an excuse. At least publicly, there was no real argument with the call. The Blues weren’t sure what was going to happen, but they didn’t hear the whistle, so they played on. “I’m just glad they did (keep playing going). You never know how it turns out,” said Perron. “As long as you have the puck and he’s got his helmet and all that stuff on, the play carries on, I guess. I feel that that’s what the rule is. Tough bounce obviously for them and good for us.” Kay Whitmore, who is the NHL supervisor for the series, explained the decision to a pool reporter after the game. “The puck hit him in the shoulder and they didn’t deem it serious,” said Whitmore, who was also asked if discretion can be used for a goalie is he’s down and deemed to be in danger and can’t protect himself. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “Not in this situation. The scoring chance is imminent and it happened bang-bang and the puck is in the net. “It wasn’t a long duration of time. But the rule is pretty clear that in that situation, they’re not going to kill it. As soon as his team would have got possession, they would have killed it immediately. That happens all the time. But in this situation, they didn’t deem it serious enough to kill it immediately and they didn’t get possession before the puck went in the net. It’s pretty clear on how that rule works.” Parayko explained what he saw on the play. “You’re right there in the slot, you’re going to try to shoot to score,” said Parayko. “I was just trying to get it around their first guy and find a corner. I was shooting to score. I’m never out there to hurt nobody.<doc-sep>There was only one Stanley Cup Playoffs series in action on Sunday and it came in Dallas, where the Stars failed to finish off the Blues in Game 6. As a result, we've now got a second-round Game 7 on the calendar. The Blues managed to come up with a big 4-1 win to keep their season alive and send the series back to St. Louis for a finale on Tuesday. St. Louis got on the board early in Game 6 but wasn't able to really put the game away until halfway through the third period, when they knocked Ben Bishop out of the game following a controversial sequence that saw the goaltender hurt by a slap shot. Bishop's status will be a big topic of discussion as we head into Game 7. The Vezina finalist has been very good for the Stars in these playoffs and a potential injury would be a massive blow for Dallas, especially in a do-or-die game. Sunday marked another road win for the Blues, who improve to 5-1 as visitors this postseason. All Stanley Cup playoff games on NBC, NBCSN and USA can be streamed via fuboTV(Try for free). Stanley Cup playoffs for Sunday, May 5 Game 5: FINAL - Blues 4, Stars 1 (Series tied 3-3) [Box score] Ben Bishop knocked out of game Things got a little controversial in the third period when Ben Bishop took a Colton Parayko slapper to the neck/collarbone area. The Stars goalie was clearly in a significant amount of pain and was writhing around on the ice, but the Blues maintained possession and scored a goal while Bishop was down. Dallas appealed that the goal shouldn't have counted because the whistle should have been blown for Bishop, but the rule book states that it's up to the refs' discretion when it comes to determining the severity of the situation. Officials on the ice allowed the play to continue and the goal counted. Bishop attempted to stay in the game but the Blues' Sammy Blais scored on the breakaway 33 seconds later and Bishop was removed from the action. That goal made it 4-1, a scoreline that held until the final horn. Blues reclaim lead in second It certainly wasn't a perfect period for the Blues in the second, but they took a 2-1 lead into second intermission thanks to a goal from David Perron in the middle frame. Oskar Sundqvist delivered a great pass to setup Perron on the doorstep. It's not a comfortable lead, especially with how solid the Stars look, but the Blues are in a good position to extend their season and force a Game 7 back home. The Stars answer Dallas looked a bit tentative in the early going and gave up that early goal to the Blues. They didn't get their first shot on net until about eight minutes into the period, but they were able to bounce back and get an answer later in the period. About eleven and a half minutes into the opening period, Tyler Seguin put the Stars on the board with a goal that trickled through Jordan Binnington. Blues come out flying The Blues were looking for a quick start on Sunday and boy did they get it. How's a goal from the captain just 63 seconds into the first period sound? Alex Pietrangelo fired a shot from the point and it found its way past a screened Ben Bishop for a 1-0 lead in the early going.<doc-sep>Game 7 between the Stars and Blues in St. Louis on Tuesday night was something of an instant classic -- a crazy game that featured wild sequences and plot points that eventually led us to double overtime. In the end, it sort of felt right that a hometown boy came through as the hero. It was Blues forward and St. Louis native Pat Maroon who stepped up with the golden goal nearly 86 minutes into the game, bringing the entire city to its feet and nearly blowing the roof off of the home arena. After a puck struck the post and bounced off the back of Stars goalie Ben Bishop, Maroon was there to clean up the rebound and put it in to seal a 2-1 Blues win and punch their ticket to the Western Conference finals. It's probably safe to say that it's the biggest and most satisfying goal Maroon has ever scored in his career, and him being the guy to get the game-winner was a pretty emotional affair. A few years ago, Maroon -- then with the Oilers -- scored a goal as a visitor in St. Louis while his young son was in attendance watching from the crowd. During an interview after the game, Maroon saw the replay of his son cheering and got emotional while discussing how difficult it is to spend so much time away from his family during the season. It was an incredibly tough reminder of the human element that often gets overlooked in sports. Fast-forward a few years later and the 31-year-old veteran is now in his first season with the Blues. After becoming a free agent last summer, Maroon took less money on a one-year deal in order to come home and be able to play in front of his family. On Tuesday night, his young son was in the crowd to watch Dad become the hero. This time, it was the son who found himself in tears. It was an incredibly cool full-circle moment for Maroon and his family, and it's one they likely won't forget for a long, long time. But it wasn't just Maroon's family that was ready to fully embrace him after his heroics. It seemed everyone wanted a piece of the big forward, from his coach to actor Jon Hamm. Unfortunately, for every feel-good playoff story, there's also a heartbreaker on the other side. Stars goalie Ben Bishop is also a St. Louis native and he was well on his way to becoming the Game 7 hero for Dallas if his team was able to come out on the winning side. The Stars got pinned in their own end for almost the entire night -- shots were 31-4, STL, in the final 40 minutes of regulation -- and Bishop made a career-high 52 saves to keep his team in the game up until that double-OT dagger. He became just the fifth goalie in NHL history to have 50-plus stops in a playoff Game 7. Bishop's family was also in attendance and it seemed like a much less fun night for them.<doc-sep>
DALLAS — Colton Parayko was shooting to score for the St. Louis Blues, and delivered a stunning blow to the Dallas Stars even without getting the puck in the net. Parayko's hard shot from the slot hit Ben Bishop's left shoulder, knocking the goalie onto his back and deflecting the puck to deep in the circle. Alexander Steen took a shot from there that was redirected by Jaden Schwartz over the still laid-out goalie in a 4-1 victory to force Game 7 in the second-round Western Conference semifinal series. "That's a hard shot. A really hard shot. Shoot the puck, right? It's a great play by (Steen) to put it right back on the net," Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo said. "Great job Schwartzy. He's been around that all series long and keeps getting rewarded." Schwartz's eighth goal of the playoffs with 12:23 left made it 3-1, and was the first of two goals by the Blues in a 33-second span. Bishop was tended to by a trainer and initially stayed in the game, but a switch was made soon after when Sammy Blais, playing his first post-season game, got a slap shot past him. "When you're right there in the slot, and you're going to try to shoot to score," Parayko said. "Obviously I just try to get it around that first guy and find a corner. ... I'm never out there to hurt anybody." Stars coach Jim Montgomery said Bishop was fine, pointing out that he had stayed in the game before Anton Khodobin got his first action of the post-season. While St. Louis maintained possession of the puck while Bishop was down, Stars defenceman John Klingberg thought there should have been a whistle to stop play. "We can't change anything right now," Klingberg said. "We didn't play good enough to win. It's not like we're focusing on that right now." Blues coach Craig Berube said officials "don't blow the whistle when you have possession. ... His mask was still on, so that's the reason." Pietrangelo scored only 63 seconds into the game and David Perron also had a goal for the Blues, who will be on home ice for the deciding game Tuesday night. The Central Division rivals also went to a Game 7 when they met in the second round three years ago. That series finale was played in Dallas, where the Blues scored three times in the first period and went on to a 6-1 win. St. Louis rookie goalie Jordan Binnington stopped 22 shots, allowing only a power-play goal by Tyler Seguin in the first period. Bishop, who came into the game with a .936 save percentage in the playoffs, allowed four goals on 20 shots. Khodobin had five saves in the final 12 minutes. The two quick goals by St. Louis came right after Dallas couldn't score with Binnington sprawled on the ice. Perron put the Blues ahead to stay at 2-1 with an interesting goal in what was otherwise a somewhat pedestrian second period. Oskar Sundqvist skated deep into the right circle and passed back across the front of net. Perron, with Klingberg between him and Bishop, reached his stick around the defender to poke the puck in for his third goal of the playoffs. "I'm ready to turn the page and move on to the next game. It was an exciting challenge for us," Perron said. "None of the guys came in here with their head between their legs. I just thought we were ready for the challenge. ... We're just excited to keep playing hockey." The Stars' 23 shots matched their fewest in the playoffs. Their goal came with 8:25 left in the first period when Mats Zuccarello made a pass from the top of the right circle and Seguin's shot got under Binnington and trickled past the line to make it 1-1. St. Louis had eight shots on goal before Dallas finally got its first nearly nine minutes into the game. The Stars then went nearly seven minutes before their first shot of the second period. NOTES: St. Louis is 5-1 on the road in the playoffs, its most wins away from home in a single post-season. ... The Blues have scored 18 third-period goals this post-season, the most among the playoff teams. "I think we're wearing teams down through games," Pietrangelo said. "I think the way we play is hard to defend." ... The Blues are 29-41 when facing elimination in best-of-seven series, 11-26 on the road.