Written by Allan Muir at SI.com
David Backes picked up a rebound and beat Antti Niemi 10:58 into overtime to give the St. Louis Blues a 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 2 on Sunday afternoon.
Alex Goligoski gave the Stars a 1-0 lead just 2:36 in, but the Blues responded with goals from Patrik Berglund, Joel Edmundsson and Troy Brouwer to take a 3-1 lead after one. The Blues appeared to be in control until Dallas evened it with a pair of third-period goals from Mattias Janmark and Jamie Benn to send the game to extra time.
Dallas had the second best home record in the NHL during the regular season at 28-11-2 and had won nine of its past 10 at the American Airlines Center before dropping Game 2.
With the win, the Blues even the series at one game apiece and gain home-ice advantage. Game 3 is Tuesday night in St. Louis.
Here are three thoughts on Sunday’s game:
Mission accomplished…sort of
The Blues made it clear what they wanted to do differently in the wake of their Game 1 loss: get pucks deep, hustle in on the forecheck and lay a beating on Dallas’s defense.
For 40 minutes, they did just that. Building on a strong third period in Game 1, they drove pucks to the right places, they won the battles and they punished anyone in a green sweater. They outhit the Stars 42-23, targeting John Klingberg seven times and Benn five. Backes and Paul Stastny (!) led the hit parade with seven each. And as a result, they had the Stars hemmed in their zone for long stretches, and gummed up the transition that beat them in Game 1. And when they went on the attack, they came in waves, sending pucks and bodies to create the kind of havoc that was missing in the opener. It was nearly perfect.
And then they took their foot off the gas. Again.
It’s been a habit of this team for years now, and it almost cost it here. The Blues spent the entire third period playing a prevent game and almost prevented themselves from winning as a result. They got just two shots in the period and let the Stars run up their count (they eventually reached 34). Brian Elliott was great, again, but he can’t be the fail-safe every night. Dallas has too much talent. Sleeping on the Stars for even a few minutes can be fatal. Doing it for 20? They’re lucky they got away with this one.
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