With the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks relegated to the sidelines, either the Dallas Stars or the St. Louis Blues will be the top representative from the Central Division in the 2016 Western Conference Final.
The Stars ended the regular season as Central champs with 109 points and reached the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2008 by dispatching the Minnesota Wild in six games. The Blues finished just behind, with 107 points in the regular season, and eliminated the Blackhawks in a seven-game thriller, earning their first second-round berth since 2012.
The Blues won the regular-season series between the two teams 4-1, but that stat is rather misleading. Each team posted a 3-0 win against the other, while two of St. Louis' other wins came in three-on-three overtime and the third was in a shootout.
None of those situations come into play in the postseason. It's all five-on-five hockey now—except for the penalties, of course.
Originally expansion cousins when St. Louis and the then-Minnesota North Stars joined the NHL back in 1967, neither franchise has enjoyed significant postseason success. ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Carol Schram
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