Two NHL games were played on Sunday, and two teams were eliminated from the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
2015 NHL playoff scores: St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Senators eliminated
The 2014-15 season came to an end for St. Louis and Ottawa, while Montreal and Minnesota advanced to the second round.
Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
First, the St. Louis Blues completed yet another postseason collapse, falling in Game 6 of their first round series against the Minnesota Wild, 4-1. T.J. Oshie notched the Blues' lone goal, and porous netminding ultimately sealed their fate: 24-year-old Jake Allen, who started in net instead of Brian Elliott, gave up a pair of soft goals to Minnesota — one via Zach Parise, another from Justin Fontaine.
Elliott eventually replaced Allen, but at that point, too much damage had already been done.
This marks the third straight campaign in which the Blues failed to advance to the second round. A long summer awaits this team, and head coach Ken Hitchcock, whose regular season results simply don’t cut it anymore, may be out of a job in the near future.
In the Eastern Conference, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price stood tall and eliminated the Ottawa Senators with a 2-0 victory. The Sens, despite firing 43 pucks on net, were unable to beat Price, the likely Vezina and Hart Trophy recipient.
Scores
Minnesota Wild 4, St. Louis Blues 1
Montreal Canadiens 2, Ottawa Senators 0
3 things we learned
1. Carey Price returned to form
The superstar goalie recipient wasn’t his dominant self during Game 5, when he was beat five times on 25 shots against. He returned to form on Sunday, however, stopping all 43 shots that came his way. The Canadiens, who have made a habit of losing the territorial battle, will need Price to remain exceptional to have a realistic chance of winning it all.
2. Zach Parise is living up to expectations
Parise quietly provided Minnesota with some stellar numbers during its opening round series. The 30-year-old has notched seven points (three goals, four assists) so far in the playoffs, one shy of Jonathan Toews' league-leading total.
3. The early whistle that negated a Senators goal will be discussed ad nauseam over the next few days
Impact moment
Allen surrendered his first of two egregious goals when Zach Parise beat him with this shot:
GIF: Parise shorthanded goal. pic.twitter.com/dd1HG6N3EO
— Stephanie Vail (@myregularface) April 26, 2015
Stat of the night
Via Wild PR: For the first time in franchise history, Minnesota clinched a series win at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild won three of its last eight series — all on the road in Game 7s.
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