tootooisapunk

"This just in Tootoo now more hated than Jeremy Roenick's spare arse."

Bedford, TX • United States •

5 reasons the Stars will beat the Blues

Most, if not all, will pick the Blues to advance to the Western Conference Finals. It's going to be tough for the boys in Victory green but not impossible. Here are 5 reasons I'd put my money on Dallas.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1. St. Louis is worn down. They just played a physical 7 game series against the defending champs. They’ve had injury concerns all season; Backes, Elliot, and Allen ended the year dinged up and the blue line wasn’t healthy for the first part of the season. The physical Blues’ style of play doesn’t lend itself to healing. No one is 100% in the playoffs but the Blues will have their share of concerns. Perhaps they also get overly confident having just slayed the dragon from Chicago.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2. Perhaps the Blues are overrated. I'm pretty sure quite a few fans of the note expected to be watching Cardinal’s baseball after round 1, even more expected it when the Blues failed to close out the Hawks in Game 5 or 6. Most people in Chicago thought the Blackhawks didn't stand a chance in the playoffs, they coughed up the division and also backed into the playoffs. They were the Cup Champs but perhaps the Blues opening series win shouldn't have been so difficult. Let's face it St. Louis doesn’t exactly have a stellar playoff history, they’ve been cup favorites for several years and have yet to see the Conference Finals.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3. The season series was 4-1 Blues, but that’s not the complete story. Three of Dallas’ losses came in either the shootout or OT. Both teams pitched a shutout for their decisive wins in the series. In 4 of the 5 games during the regular season Dallas was on the second night of back to backs. The Blues were on the second of back to backs twice, once resulting in a goose egg. The Blues have the advantage but it’s not as decisive as 4-1 would indicate. The Blues did finish the season on a scorching pace and only lost the division by one game. Dallas entertained the idea of defensive hockey in the last quarter of the season: adding Kris Russell at the trade deadline, calling up a physical presence in defenseman Stephen Johns, and giving regular time to Radek Faksa who is emerging as a solid third line center.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4. Maybe the Stars realized just how tough the playoffs are. Maybe they learned from nearly blowing game 6 and the series to the Wild. The Wild also backed into the playoffs, they were without Parise and Vanek, but they've also been a pest. Minnie has made a habit of dismissing teams with quality regular seasons like Chicago, Colorado, and St. Louis the last few years. Veterans like Oduya, Sharp, and even Niemi can’t help but lend a calming influence as the tournament progresses.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5. Maybe the Stars are better this year at the Blackhawk style of play. Maybe everyone rooting for fun exciting hockey to win in the playoffs gets their wish. Maybe the hockey gods bless us with a high scoring series and we shed the dark ages of boring, d first hockey that has rewarded teams like LA and to a lesser extent the Blues and Wild. Maybe Seguin comes back later in the series and pushes Dallas over the top. Recent history tells us the cup is raised on the backs of Norris caliber D-men and Vezina like efforts. Perhaps Dallas’ forward and scoring depth are enough to overcome middle of the pack D and net minding.rn----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bonus: History repeats itself. It's been 17 years since the Blues won a game 7. It was followed up the next round with a loss to the Dallas Stars, who went on to win the cup, 1999. rnrn