Mrazek steals Game 1; Perry’s four-point night; thoughts on Kreider and more 

*

From the outset, I thought Minnesota would present the worst matchup problems for St. Louis of all the Western Conference teams that qualified for the postseason. Both teams can run three lines with ease and the fourth lines are manageable. That kind of depth is hard to come across, and is valuable in the playoffs. It was a fairly even game from start to finish but it actually ended up being an empty net goal from Mikael Granlund that would hold up as the winner for Minnesota.

It just feels like this series is destined for seven games. There is lots of skill all through both lineups and it was a fun game to watch. I thought Jaden Schwartz looked very good for the Blues in the loss. It just felt like his line created something most times he was on the ice, particularly in the third period. This is going to be a fun series to watch.

For the bettors out there, the total went from three goals to six goals in the final 75 seconds of the game.