Blues vs. Stars: Keys to Victory for Both Teams in NHL Playoff Series

With the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks relegated to the sidelines, either the Dallas Stars or the St. Louis Blues will be the top representative from the Central Division in the 2016 Western Conference Final.

The Stars ended the regular season as Central champs with 109 points and reached the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2008 by dispatching the Minnesota Wild in six games. The Blues finished just behind, with 107 points in the regular season, and eliminated the Blackhawks in a seven-game thriller, earning their first second-round berth since 2012.

The Blues won the regular-season series between the two teams 4-1, but that stat is rather misleading. Each team posted a 3-0 win against the other, while two of St. Louis' other wins came in three-on-three overtime and the third was in a shootout.

None of those situations come into play in the postseason. It's all five-on-five hockey now—except for the penalties, of course.

Originally expansion cousins when St. Louis and the then-Minnesota North Stars joined the NHL back in 1967, neither franchise has enjoyed significant postseason success. The Blues reached the Stanley Cup Final during each of their first three years in the league but haven't been back since, while the Stars reached the Cup Final twice during their 26 years in Minnesota, then won the Stanley Cup in 1999 after moving to Dallas and followed it up with another appearance in the final round the following season.

In other words: Whichever team wins this series, it's going to spark an epic celebration for its fanbase.

Here's what it'll take for both clubs to get there.

St. Louis Blues: Timely Goaltending

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The 2003 draft class was loaded with talent from top to bottom. First-rounders included the likes of Marc-Andre Fleury, Zach Parise, Jeff Carter, Ryan Kesler and Brent Burns. Dustin Byfuglien was an eighth-round selection, and from the ninth round, Matt Moulson, Jaroslav Halak, David Jones and Tanner Glass have all carved out longstanding NHL careers.

The second-to-last player selected in 2003 was goaltender Brian Elliott. Originally property of the Ottawa Senators, Elliott has had a regular job in the NHL since 2008-09 but has always had trouble gaining his coaches' trust as a bona fide No. 1.

In 2015-16, Elliott, 31, was expected to play second fiddle to 25-year-old Jake Allen in St. Louis. But Elliott rejoined the Blues in fine form after returning from injury in mid-March, starting off with three consecutive shutouts and going 6-1-0 down the stretch.

Elliott started off the playoffs with another shutout in Game 1 against the Blackhawks. His performance dipped as the series wore on, but he played every minute of the series and was outstanding in the Blues' Game 7 victory.

If Elliott can continue to stay effective and consistent, he'll give the Blues a good chance to prevail in Round 2.

St. Louis Blues: Balanced Scoring

Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports

Vladimir Tarasenko led the Blues' scoring punch with 40 goals in the regular season. Against Chicago, coach Ken Hitchcock opted to go with a more balanced approach to his offense, which led to seven players with four points or more in the first round.

After cameras caught Tarasenko apparently chastising his coach for not giving him more ice time, Hitch took some heat from writers such as Andrew Berkshire of Sportsnet for not giving his leading scorer more ice time against the Blackhawks. That's a decision that could work to his advantage if the Blues make an extended playoff run.

Now healthy after a long year of injury problems, the Blues are deep offensively. As well as Tarasenko, they received important offensive contributions against the Hawks from the likes of Jaden Schwartz, Robby Fabbri and David Backes up front, as well as Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko on the blue line.

There's no doubt—24-year-old Tarasenko is one of the top snipers in the game. He'll find his spots, but St. Louis' chances to advance will be significantly increased if their opposition needs to shut down more than just one player.

Another round of balanced scoring should help the Blues punch their ticket to the Western Conference Final.

St. Louis Blues: Excellent Team Chemistry

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Off the main NHL radar in the Midwest, the Blues don't normally get a lot of media attention.

That may change now that they've suddenly become one of the Stanley Cup favourites after a tumultuous first round.

Fringe NHLer and social media star Paul Bissonette spent a couple of weeks with St. Louis during their 2014 training camp and shared his perspective on their outstanding team chemistry and organizational structure in this article for USA Today.

"This roster was talented, and more important, it was a dressing room full of quality people. It was as alive and close-knit as any I’ve been in," he wrote. "Even after a preseason game, 12 to 15 guys from the team would go out together to eat. That’s how tight this group is.

"Now that the Los Angeles Kings, an organization that gave me a second chance, are out, I’m rooting for the St. Louis Blues to win it all," BizNasty concluded. "With the talent and bond they have, it is possible."

If Bissonnette's assessment of locker room chemistry is as sharp as his social media skills, the Blues' opportunity for their franchise's first Stanley Cup might be very real indeed.

It's somewhat ironic that St. Louis' on-ice ringmaster is Coach Hitchcock. Back in 1999, as coach of the Stars, Hitchcock bested current Dallas coach Lindy Ruff in the Stanley Cup Final. That victory, though tainted by Brett Hull's controversial Cup-winning goal, could also help give Hitchcock and the Blues a psychological edge.

Dallas Stars: Stronger Special Teams

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Offensively, the Dallas Stars were the highest-scoring team in the NHL in the regular season and finished the first round of the playoffs with the highest offense in the Western Conference after putting 21 goals into the Minnesota Wild net over the course of six games.

But the Stars' first-round win came without much support from special teams, which were very good during the regular season.

Even though Dallas was fourth in the regular season with a 22.1 percent power play and 10th with an 82.3 percent success rate on the penalty kill, it dropped to 21.1 percent thanks to a 4-of-19 performance on the power play against the Wild and, even more worrisome, killed just 75 percent of the penalties that it was assessed.

The Blues power play was clicking against Chicago, with a 5-of-18 success rate, but the St. Louis penalty kill struggled.

If the Dallas offense can take advantage of that weakness while locking things down in shorthanded situations, it will go a long way toward ensuring the team's chances of a series win.

Dallas Stars: Goaltending Must Improve

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

If the Stars are going to advance past the Blues, they'll need to see better-than-usual goaltending from their Finnish duo of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi.

The pair shared duties during the regular season, but Lehtonen earned the bulk of the work in the first round against Minnesota, posting a 3-1 record with a reasonable 2.27 goals-against average and .911 save percentage. Though Niemi can brag that he's a Stanley Cup winner from his 2010 run with Chicago, he didn't fare as well in the Minnesota series—1-1 with a 3.36 goals-against average and .870 save percentage.

The only other goalie with numbers in that range whose team is still in the playoffs if Jeff Zatkoff of the Pittsburgh Penguins, an injury replacement who returned to a backup role as soon as Matt Murray was healthy enough to get back to work.

If Lehtonen and/or Niemi don't step up their games, the Stars will be a quick out in Round 2.

Dallas Stars: Veteran Savvy from Recent Acquisitions

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Stars' last playoff appearance came in 2014, when they were defeated in a hard-fought six-game series by the Anaheim Ducks.

After that loss, Dallas started augmenting its lineup with proven playoff performers, starting with Jason Spezza (52 points in 56 playoff games and a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2007), then adding Patrick Sharp (81 points and three Stanley Cups in 129 playoff games and 13th in games played among active players, per QuantHockey.com) and Johnny Oduya (89 games and two Stanley Cups).

The Blues can't match those playoff credentials. Their most experienced playoff performer is Troy Brouwer, with 85 games and a Stanley Cup with the 2010 Blackhawks. He was acquired by St. Louis for similar reasons last summer and showed his playoff mettle by scoring the series-winning goal against Chicago.

There's something to be said for knowing what it takes to make a difference in big-game situations. Spezza, Sharp and Oduya all showed well in the first round, and, if history is any indication they should get even better as the playoffs roll on.

All stats courtesy of NHL.com.