Wild Defeat Blues, Take on Chicago Next

In a spectacular series, the Minnesota Wild bested the top team in the conference in 6 games.  The St. Louis Blues, who on paper were dominant in talent, had one area in which they could not outshine the Wild lineup, and that's in goal.  Wild Goalie Devan Dubnyk dominated the series, save for a horrific Game 4 in which he was chased early and a hard-fought Game 2 in which the Blues lived up to their lofty reputations.  In all other games, he was a puck stopping monster.

The series was also won via the efforts of Zach Parise.  While he led the team in scoring with 7 points over the 6 games, it was his hustle and tenacity that were most evident.  He clearly was the best player on the ice for the series, and the tone he sets for the rest of the team was palpable.  When Koivu finally hangs up his "C," it clearly belongs to Parise.  

Now off to Chicago, where a similar match up to the Blues exists; on paper the Blackhawks are significantly better than the Wild.  Where that isn't true is in the place that matters the most in the playoffs, and that's Goalie.  Chicago is decidedly worse than Minnesota, and Corey Crawford can be shaky.  If Dubnyk can stay hot and the Wild get enough shots on goal, the Wild can win.  They'll need to limit opportunities by Toews and Kane, but it can be done.

Go Wild!