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Schedule/TV (All times ET; * — if necessary)
Series tied 2-2
April 16: Wild 4, Blues 2 April 18, Blues 4, Wild 1 April 20, Wild 3, Blues 0 April 22, Blues 6, Wild 1 April 24, at St. Louis, 9:30 p.m. TV: NBCSN, SN360, TVA Sports 3, FS-MW, FS-N April 26, at Minnesota, TBD *April 29, at St. Louis, TBD
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Season series: Tied 2-2
Injuries: The Blues just got leading scorer Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen back from lower-body injuries and both played in Saturday’s regular-season finale against the Wild. The Wild rested several starters Saturday in St. Louis, but should get right wing Nino Niederreiter (foot) and center Mikko Koivu (eye) back for the playoffs.
Key players: The Blues need Steen to step up after multiple futile postseason games. In 25 playoff games, Steen has just five goals; he scored only once in last year’s series against Chicago after netting a career-high 33 goals during the regular season. If Steen can get going, he can help supplement Tarasenko, the top scorer among all Western Conference playoff teams. Minnesota’s Zach Parise and Jonas Brodin (both plus-21) are among the league plus-minus leaders.
LINEMAKERS: Rangers open as favorites
Goalie matchup: Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk has been lights-out since Minnesota acquired him from Arizona. In 39 games, he has 27 wins and a 1.78 goals-against average. He played 38 straight games at one point and went 15-2-1 on the road. Behind Brian Elliott, who saw the majority of the action in net for the Blues in March, St. Louis has a capable backup in Jake Allen. Elliot went 26-14-3 with a .917 save percetnage in 46 games this season.
Prediction: Blues in 6
