DALLAS (KNTU) The Dallas Stars dropped Game 5 of their Western Conference semi-final 4-1 on Saturday, May 7.
Despite controlling the pace of the opening period, the Stars were the victims of an unfortunate bounce six minutes into the game. Blues forward Robby Fabbri aimed a pass across the slot, looking for an open backdoor. Instead, the puck deflected off the skate of Stars forward Brett Ritchie and into the back of the net.
The Stars allowed their speed and skill to get them back into the game shortly after. A slick passing play from Vernon Fiddler and Jason Spezza found defenseman Alex Goligoski waiting patiently on the left faceoff dot.
Goligoski sniped it over Blues goaltender Brian Elliot to knot the game at one.
Goligoski’s fourth of the playoffs comes on a similar play to a goal he scored back in Game 2 when he received a pass from Jamie Benn from behind the net to slap it over Elliot’s shoulder.
The Blues and Stars stayed deadlocked at one through the second period, up until the Stars had an extended stay in their own zone with no ability to clear the zone. St. Louis pushed a few passes into the low slot where Demitrij Jaskin was sitting to wrist one towards Lehtonen.
The Stars netminder saved the initial attempt, but the rebound came right back to Jaskin’s stick to chip it home.
Late in the second period, the Stars had a quick opportunity up the ice with Spezza controlling in the slot, and Valeri Nichuskin posting up on the back door. Spezza decided to take a bomb for himself, but missed the net.
On the return play up the ice, the Blues went right back to the low slot, and put together a tick-tack-toe pass to set up Troy Brouwer to make it 3-1.
“We made a couple mistakes late,” Stars coach Lindy Ruff said of his team’s offense. “Nichuskin crossbar, where he’s right in the slot, that game goes 2-1 in our favor if he puts that in the back of the net. But we didn’t. Spezza’s right down the slot and misses the net, twenty seconds later its in the back of [the Stars’]net.”
Blues forward Alexander Steen added an empty net goal in the final minutes in the third period.
The game was played mostly without penalty stoppages. Neither team received a powerplay until the Blues captain David Backes was called off for holding. The Stars could not convert on that chance, nor their next opportunity when Troy Brouwer sawed the stick of Cody Eakin in half.
The Blues got their own chance on the powerplay shortly after when Mattias Janmark was called off for another slash of the stick.
Dallas center Tyler Seguin missed his 10th game of the post season and his 9th straight after only appearing in Game 2 of the first Stars series. Coach Ruff was relatively tight lipped on his possible return, only saying “He’ll skate tomorrow, then go day-to-day.”
St. Louis heads back home with a 3-2 series advantage. Game six is Monday night at 7.
