3 Keys: Wild at Blues, Game 6 of Western First Round
Talbot starts for Minnesota; St. Louis looks to advance
Cam Talbot is expected to start Game 6 of Western Conference First Round for the Minnesota Wild against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.
The goalie has yet to play in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He replaces Marc-Andre Fleury with the Wild facing elimination, trailing 3-2 in the best-of-7 series.
Wild coach Dean Evason did not commit to the change, but Talbot was in the traditional starter's net and left the ice ahead of Fleury, two telltale signs that predict the starter for each game.
Forward Marcus Foligno also spoke before the game as if Talbot was playing.
"He's an experienced goaltender in this league and he's gone through playoffs a couple of times and been on teams with some runs," Foligno said. "For the most part, we know he is a great goaltender and just like 'Flower,' we know how to play in front of these guys.
RELATED: [Complete Wild vs. Blues series coverage]
"So to add Cam into the mix now doesn't really change our mindset. We want to win, and we want to win for both our goalies. But we know Cam is going to be excited to get in there and shut the door."
Talbot is 0-3-3 with a 5.06 goals-against average and .825 save percentage in his past six starts against the Blues. He was the No. 1 goalie for the Wild before Marc-Andre Fleury was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on March 21.
Fleury played the first five games of the series, going 2-3 with a 3.04 GAA and .906 save percentage. He has allowed four goals in each of the past two games, both losses, and three times in the series.
Talbot, who was 32-12-4 with a 2.76 GAA and .911 save percentage in the regular season, hasn't played since April 28, a 3-2 win against the Calgary Flames. He went 8-0-3 with a 2.25 GAA and .925 save percentage since Fleury arrived. Fleury was 9-2-0 with a 2.74 GAA and .910 save percentage in that same stretch.
Fleury, a three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Pittsburgh Penguins (2009, 2016, 2017), is one playoff win from passing Grant Fuhr (92) for sole possession of third place in NHL history. He's 92-73 with a 2.54 GAA and .912 save percentage.
Talbot is 15-15 with a 2.45 GAA and .923 save percentage in 32 NHL postseason games (30 starts).
Here are 3 Keys to Game 6:
1. Close the door
For a variety of reasons, the Blues don't want to go to Xcel Energy Center for a winner-take-all Game 7, including the fact that Minnesota is 3-1 in four Game 7s.
Getting it done in front of a home crowd would be a bonus. So would the certainty of knowing they will face the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Second Round.
"We know if we go back for a Game 7 it's going to be a really tough task playing in their home barn," Blues forward David Perron said. "We did a good job staying with the game for the whole game during Game 5, but again we are in different positions many times during our career and [a series] can turn around really quickly. So we have to make sure we take care of it tonight."
Teams that hold a 3-2 lead in a best-of-7 are 332-88 (.790), including 8-1 in the 2021 playoffs.
St. Louis 12-2 when leading 3-2 in a series, but 16-23 in Game 6 and 9-9 at home.
The Wild are 3-4 when trailing 3-2. They are 5-3 in Game 6 but have lost the only one they have played on the road.
2. Play the puck
Blues goalie Jordan Binnington has changed the complexion of this series with not only his steady stopping of the puck, but almost as importantly his ability to play it.
His willingness to stop Wild dump-ins and his accuracy in moving the puck up the ice have negated an effective forecheck.
"It makes a huge difference," Blues forward Brayden Schenn said. "For me as a centerman, there's a lot of times that if a team rims it in or dumps it in, can get in on the forecheck. there's chances to get hemmed in. But when he can play the puck and make that great first pass, it alleviates a lot of pressure and makes the breakouts a lot cleaner out of your own end."
3. Going to 7-11
The Blues switched to an 11-forward, seven-defensemen alignment for Game 4 because of injuries to several defenseman. But they've stayed with it even after Robert Bortuzzo and Nick Leddy returned, and it has made it difficult for the Wild to get the matchups they want because skilled St. Louis forwards are alternated through the fourth line.
The Blues are 10-4-2 this season, regular season and playoffs combined, when they go 11-7.
"Well, we have more minutes; as a forward, you always want more in a way, so you don't want to say no to that" Perron said. "But definitely I think there were times when I think we have to manage our minutes even more.
"We've had to take shorter shifts as the game went on. But I also think kind of the reality of the situation, it's a great thing that we were able to have success with the 11-7 combination."
Wild projected lineup
Kirill Kaprizov -- Ryan Hartman -- Mats Zuccarello
Kevin Fiala -- Frederick Gaudreau -- Matt Boldy
Jordan Greenway -- Joel Eriksson Ek -- Marcus Foligno
Nicolas Deslauriers -- Tyson Jost -- Brandon Duhaime
Jake Middleton -- Jared Spurgeon
Jonas Brodin -- Mathew Dumba
Jon Merrill -- Dmitry Kulikov
Alex Goligoski
Cam Talbot
Marc-Andre Fleury
Scratched: Nick Bjugstad, Alex Goligoski, Jordie Benn, Connor Dewar
Injured:None
Blues projected lineup
Brayden Schenn -- Ryan O'Reilly -- David Perron
Pavel Buchnevich -- Robert Thomas -- Vladimir Tarasenko
Brandon Saad -- Ivan Barbashev -- Jordan Kyrou
Alexey Toropchenko -- Tyler Bozak
Nick Leddy -- Colton Parayko
Calle Rosen -- Justin Faulk
Niko Mikkola -- Robert Bortuzzo
Scott Perunovich
Jordan Binnington
Ville Husso
Scratched:Logan Brown, Nathan Walker
Injured:Torey Krug (lower body), Marco Scandella (lower body)
Status report
Evason indicated there could be other lineup changes; Kulikov could replace Goligoski, a defenseman. ... Thomas and Barbashev will switch lines.
