Game 6: STARS at BLUES
Western Conference Second Round
St. Louis leads best-of-7 series 3-2
TV: 8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports
If the St. Louis Blues win Game 6 of their Western Conference Second Round series against the Dallas Stars at Scottrade Center on Monday, they will advance to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2001, but their focus doesn't include a broad picture.
"It doesn't really change much," Blues forward Alexander Steen said. "We expect their best and obviously we're going to bring ours and it's going to be a heck of a hockey game again. It's no real different situation. We've got to win another hockey game."
Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson said the mindset is positive heading into Monday.
"I think we feel really good," Gunnarsson said. "We've been in this situation before so we know what we have to do a little bit different than last time. We've got a good feeling in the group right now."
If the Stars want to keep their season alive, they'll have to do so without center Tyler Seguin.
The Stars departed for St. Louis on Sunday without one of their top players, who continues to battle a lower-body injury that has kept him out since Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round against the Minnesota Wild.
Despite the Stars missing one of their key offensive weapons, coach Lindy Ruff maintains his team's confidence level is high.
"I'm confident. These guys, they've given us everything they've had all year and we've had some tough situations, and they'll pull out of it," Ruff said. "I think the thing I'm confident about is the way we played last night gives us a heck of an opportunity to go in and win a game. Just duplicate that and get a little bit of puck luck and things may go our way."
Stars team scope: Forward Patrick Eaves (lower body) could play; he has not played since being hit by teammate Stephen Johns' shot in Game 1. "We hope he can play," center Jason Spezza said of Eaves. "He's been a big part of our team." Captain Jamie Benn said Eaves' addition would be critical. "He adds a lot," Benn said. "He's a great veteran player for this team. He seems to be great for us in the slot on the power play. It's just a simple, hardworking game with him." After scoring nine points (four goals, five assists) in the first round against the Wild, Spezza has three assists in five games against the Blues.
Blues team scope: Forward Dmitrij Jaskin, who made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in Game 5 on Saturday and scored his first postseason winning goal, is likely to remain in the lineup, coach Ken Hitchcock said. "Yep. He was good," Hitchcock said. "We'll see ... see what he brings. But I liked the line, I liked the way they played. Obviously a big goal. Jaskin is a heavy player in a different way than [Ryan] Reaves. Reaves has got more physicality all over the ice and Jaskin's physicality is at the puck. So I think it kept us in the zone a little bit more, bought us some momentum. I thought it was a very, very effective line." Right wing Troy Brouwer has seven points in the playoffs (four goals, three assists), all in the past seven games.
Your pregame music(AP) -- - Brian Elliott's postseason play is the biggest reason the St. Louis Blues are one win away from their first appearance in the Western Conference final since 2001.
Game after game, the goalie has been handled the pressure.
Protecting a two-goal lead in Game 5 at Dallas on Saturday, the 31-year-old Elliott came up big when needed. The key stop among the 12 saves he made in the third period was thwarting Cody Eakin alone in front of the net.
''Just poised,'' forward Alexander Steen said Sunday. ''Just comes across, makes himself big, stops the puck. And it's like, it's business as usual, get the puck and go the other way.''
The Blues have played two long series and Elliott has been there all the way, giving him league highs in minutes (762:03) and saves (384) in 12 games. Elliott seized the job down the stretch of the regular season after Jake Allen was sidelined by injury, and a healthy Allen now can only watch and marvel along with the rest of the team.
''If we take care of second opportunities, he's a guy that smothers pucks,'' forward Scottie Upshall said. ''He's flexible, he sees the ice well and he's very underrated playing the puck.''
After ending longstanding postseason frustration by eliminating the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks in the first round, the Blues can close out Dallas at home Monday night.
Coach Ken Hitchcock cautions not to make too much of Saturday's 4-1 victory. The Blues seemingly seized control of the series with a 6-1 rout in Game 3, and then the Stars bounced back with an overtime victory in St. Louis to tie the series at two games.
St. Louis has had standing-room crowds throughout the playoffs. Still, the road team has won two straight and three of five in the series.
The Blues are at their best with relentless forechecking and physical play counteracting a faster opponent. The Stars aren't likely to panic, realizing they dictated much of the pace in Game 5, but lacked favorable bounces.
''We pretty well played close to our best game, we just didn't finish,'' Stars coach Lindy Ruff said Sunday. ''There's some puck luck in the game and they had all the puck luck.''
Hitchcock got mileage out of a few lineup changes and juggling lines early on in Game 5, but made no promises about sticking with a winning combination. Dmitrij Jaskin stepped up in his first game of the postseason, showing great hands on a second-chance goal and gives St. Louis more skill than agitators Ryan Reaves and Steve Ott.
''Everything is from feel, how I feel when I get up in the morning or think it through tonight when I get rid of you folks,'' Hitchcock told reporters. ''I don't rest on keeping every routine the same.''
Dallas forward Tyler Seguin (lower body) isn't making the trip to St. Louis, although forward Patrick Eaves (leg) could return for Game 6 after missing four games. Ruff has scratched Colton Sceviour, who got the lone goal in Game 3, in the past two games preferring a larger lineup to counteract the Blues.
Your pregame motivational speech
