The St. Louis Blues defeated the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference First Round in five games. St. Louis advanced with outstanding goaltending from Jake Allen and timely scoring. No game in the series was decided by more than two goals, and three of the five were one-goal games.
The Predators, meanwhile, pulled off the biggest upset in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, eliminating the Central Division champion Chicago Blackhawks in four games. They are the third team in NHL history to sweep a first-round series against the team that had the best record in their conference during the regular season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The 1981 Edmonton Oilers, against the Montreal Canadiens in a best-of-5 preliminary round, and the 1993 Blues, against the Blackhawks in the Norris Division Semifinals, are the others.
Predators goalie Pekka Rinne allowed three goals on 126 shots, and the top line of center Ryan Johansen, left wing Filip Forsberg and right wing Viktor Arvidsson combined for 15 points (five goals, 10 assists).
The best-of-7 second-round series begins at Scottrade Center on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports).