Rivalries are made in the playoffs.
The Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues are a perfect example of that. The clubs have met twice in the last three postseasons, with each side coming away with a series victory.
The playoffs are difficult enough as it is, but matching up against a divisional behemoth in the opening round? Both teams can relate:
Steen scores the winner
There isn't anything better in sports than sudden death overtime. In 2014, the Blues and Blackhawks served up a triple to hockey fans, playing into the wee hours of the night before somebody drew blood.
That was Blues forward Alex Steen, who scored 26 seconds into the third overtime frame, putting the Blues up 1-0 in the crucial opening round series. Blues goaltender Ryan Miller, recently acquired from the Buffalo Sabres, was also impressive in the 4-3 victory, finishing the night with 39 saves.
Blackhawks netminder Corey Crawford faced a busy night of his own, stopping 48 of 52 shots in the defeat.
Keith steals the show
Things were cheery in the Gateway City in 2014, with St. Louis coming out ahead of Chicago in a pair of overtime thrillers to kick off the series.
But then the Blackhawks stormed back with four victories of their own, including the Game 6 laugher that closed out the series, as Chicago won 5-1. That victory followed two Blackhawks wins that came in extra time. All told, four of the six games in the series required overtime.
In the end, Miller's time in the St. Louis crease ended in a nightmare, as he allowed five goals on just 27 shots in the final match. Blackhawks blue-liner Duncan Keith led the way in Game 6, finishing the night with one goal and three assists.
Slaying the playoff demons
Finally, a taste of playoff success. A 3-2 win in Game 7 over the Blackhawks gave the Blues the series win, as St. Louis knocked off the defending Stanley Cup champions.
In doing so, the Blues toppled the Blackhawks for just the fourth time in 12 postseason meetings dating back to 1973, and advanced to the second round for the first time since 2012, and just the third time since 2002.
The Blues kicked off Game 7 with a quick 2-0 lead. Chicago tied it in the second frame, but Blues winger Troy Brouwer provided the game-winning goal at 8:31 of the third period. St. Louis netminder Brian Elliott was key in the victory, making 31 stops on the night.
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