PAIR OF GAME 7s WILL DETERMINE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALISTS
Four Western Conference rivals will vie for the two berths in the Conference Finals in a pair of Game 7s this week. The Dallas Stars will play host to the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday, May 11 (8 p.m., ET/7 p.m., CT, NBCSN, SN, TVAS), followed by the San Jose Sharks taking on the Nashville Predators on Thursday, May 12 (start time and broadcast coverage TBA).
Wednesday’s contest between the Stars and Blues marks the fourth Game 7 in 13 playoff series between the franchises. The others – which all required overtime – came when the Stars were based in Minnesota: the Blues won in the 1968 Semifinals and 1972 Quarterfinals, while the North Stars were victorious in the 1984 Norris Division Final.
While the Stars will be contesting their first Game 7 since 2007, the Blues will play their second such game this postseason, having eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks in the First Round. The Blues will play consecutive Game 7s in the same playoff year for the first time since 1986 and for just the third time in franchise history.
Blues forward Troy Brouwer, who tallied the game-winning goal in Game 7 of the First Round, is set to play in a Game 7 for an eighth consecutive playoff series, dating to the 2011 Conference Quarterfinals — the longest such streak in League history.
The Sharks will be contesting the 10th Game 7 in franchise history (5-4) and the fourth such game at SAP Center at San Jose since 2008. The Predators, who reached the Second Round by defeating the Anaheim Ducks in the first Game 7 in franchise history, are the first team since the 2004 Tampa Bay Lightning to have their first two such contests occur in consecutive playoff series.
The two Western Conference Second Round series have followed different paths in reaching Game 7. The road team has won four of six games in the Dallas-St. Louis series, including each of the past three, while the home team has been victorious in all six games of the San Jose-Nashville matchup.
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Game 7 Trends
* Home teams are 95-68 (.583) all-time in Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including a 1-1 mark in 2016.
* The team that scores first is 121-42 all-time (.742), including a 2-0 mark in 2016.
* Forty Game 7s have required overtime (40-of-163, 24.5%). Home and road teams each have 20 wins.
* Information provided via NHL Press Release
National Hockey League Press Release. Information provided from the NHL that describes various news releases that describe current events in the league.