Blues vs. Stars: The Biggest Takeaways from St. Louis's Series Win

Not all seven-game series are created equally.

The natural inclination is to believe a seven-game NHL playoff series is a fairly even battle that is decided as a result of the breaks going the victorious team's way.

That was not the case in the St. Louis Blues' seven-game triumph over the Dallas Stars. While the Stars got off the mat in Games 4 and 6 to register somewhat surprising wins on the Blues' home ice, they simply did not have the complete game to get the best of St. Louis.

The Blues registered one-sided wins in Games 3, 5 and 7, and they were clearly a better defensive team in the series.

Here's a look at five key takeaways from the Blues' decisive seven-game victory over the Stars.

St. Louis Blues: Goaltender Brian Elliott's Focused Play

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The telling moment in this series may have taken place on Tuesday, the off day between the Stars' Game 6 victory and the seventh game that would go to the Blues.

The Blues had let a chance to clinch the series slip through their grasp as the Stars walked into St. Louis and came away with a 3-2 victory. Brian Elliott had allowed three first-period goals, and head coach Ken Hitchcock pulled him in favor of backup Jake Allen as Elliott was clearly off of his game.

The day after, Hitchcock said he had not decided which goalie would play in Game 7, but Elliott's teammates backed him convincingly.

Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk told NHL.com correspondent Louie Korac that he was sure Elliott would be ready to play a sharp game.

"I don't know what [Hitchcock's] decision is but I'm sure Brian's going to be ready to go on Wednesday night," Shattenkirk said. "I don't see why he wouldn't be in net."

Elliott was at his best in Game 7, and that was typical of his play in the four games played in Dallas. Elliott not only backstopped the Blues to a 6-1 victory in the decisive game, he was 3-1 in Dallas with a 1.69 goals-against average and a .949 save percentage.

Why are the Blues moving on to the Western Conference Final? Look no further than Elliott.

Dallas Stars: Offensive Woes at the Wrong Time

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Jamie Benn

The Stars were the top team in the Western Conference during the regular season, winning the Central Division by two points over the Blues and dominating the rest of the conference.

The biggest reason for their success was their offense, as they averaged 3.23 goals per game and were the highest-scoring team in the league.

However, they rarely found their offensive range against St. Louis. The Stars scored just 14 goals in seven games, and their 2.00 goals-per-game mark was simply not enough to get the job done against a well-rounded opponent. 

Jamie Benn scored five goals and 10 assists to lead the Stars in scoring with 15 points, but the absence of the explosive Tyler Seguin hurt this team quite a bit. Seguin played in just one postseason game as a result of his lower-body injury, and that lone appearance came in the first-round victory against Minnesota.

Seguin can score in bunches and has game-changing speed, but the Blues did not have to contend with him.

St. Louis Blues: NHL's Road Warriors

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The Blues have had a lot of success on the road.

The St. Louis Blues have shown a dominant streak away from home.

It started in the first round when they went into the United Center and defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in two of the three games played in the Windy City. While it would take a seventh-game victory at home to eliminate the defending Stanley Cup champions, those two wins away from home left Chicago coach Joel Quenneville's team on its heels and playing come-from-behind hockey the entire series.

As a result of that strong first-round play, the Blues played with maximum confidence on the road against the Stars. After they dropped a 2-1 decision in the opener, they reeled off three straight victories in Dallas.

They won a pivotal Game 5 by a substantial 4-1 margin and blew out the Stars 6-1 in the finale. They took the drama out of the final game with three goals in the first period and a fourth early in the second period.

One of the reasons the Blues have played so well on the road is that they have come together as a team, according to captain David Backes.

"It's been on the goal sheet every single year," Backes told NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin. "But this year, we seemed to have a closer group that was willing to sacrifice more and, when things got tougher, bind closer together rather than start pointing fingers."

Dallas Stars: Goaltending Woes

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

While it's not fair to blame the defeat solely on the goaltending, that area was a problem for the Stars against the relentless Blues.

Neither Kari Lehtonen nor Antti Niemi was very good in this series, and once the Blues started to score goals, neither goalie could do much to stop them.

Lehtonen was quite ordinary throughout the two rounds of the playoffs with a 2.81 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage. Niemi offered little relief, as he had a 3.29 GAA and an .865 save percentage.

The other factor was the yielding Dallas defense. It simply did little to keep the Blues out of the high-scoring areas between the circles or in front of the goal crease.

While offensive hockey is exciting and will get the job done in the regular season, it's not enough in the playoffs.

If the Stars don't make improvements in that area in the offseason, they seem destined to go through a repeat of this performance next year.

St. Louis Blues: Killer Instinct

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Teams that win in the Stanley Cup playoffs take advantage of their scoring opportunities. When they get their opponents down, they don't let them off the mat and give them a chance to register a dramatic come-from-behind win.

The Blues were at their strongest in the second round. They not only knocked the Stars down when they had the chance, but they kept them down and punished them with relentless scoring.

After tying the series with a Game 2 overtime win in Dallas, the Blues came home and blew out the Stars 6-1 in Game 3. 

The Stars tied the series with their own overtime victory in Game 4, but St. Louis was dominant in a 4-1 win in Game 5, and the 6-1 triumph in Game 7 was simply a matter of a relentless attack that got the best of Dallas goaltender Kari Lehtonen (who let up three first-period goals before he was pulled).

Robby Fabbri (13 points), Vladimir Tarasenko (13 points), David Backes (12 points) and Jaden Schwartz (11 points) have provided magnificent offensive performances for the Blues.

In addition to those front-line players, the Blues have also gotten the secondary scoring, and that's a key reason they were able to win three one-sided games in the series.