Why the Blues' playoff breakthrough will continue vs. Stars

A clash of Central Division titans is locked into place as the St. Louis Blues get set to take on the Dallas Stars in what promises to be a high-octane series.

Fresh off slaying the postseason beast that is the Chicago Blackhawks, the Blues enter the second round feeling confident, while the Stars eliminated the Minnesota Wild by a matter of millimeters in Game 6.

Both teams battled for the division crown all the way down to the wire, with the Stars ultimately edging the Blues by a single win.

Although Dallas claimed the NHL's toughest division, St. Louis convincingly took the season series 4-1, and Ken Hitchcock's crew has the recipe to do the same in the playoffs.

Here's why:

Confidence

Winning a Game 7 on home ice is a confidence boost for any team, but perhaps even more significant for the Blues than defeating their biggest rival was reminding themselves they're capable of winning.

With at least 107 points in each of the last four non-lockout seasons, the Blues are consistently labeled contenders, but they've only made it out of the first round once in that time ... and then got swept by the Los Angeles Kings.

Ahead of Game 7, naysayers all but guaranteed St. Louis would lose another opening-round series, especially after failing to vanquish the defending champions on two occasions. But this season is different. The Blues won, and overcame their most difficult opponent: themselves.

Balance

It's no secret the Stars can put the puck in the net, averaging 3.5 goals per game versus Minnesota, but the Blues run much deeper than the Wild.

Piloted by Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza - with 10 and nine points in the opening round, respectively - the Stars will face a stronger defense corps in St. Louis, the same one that held Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to a single goal combined. Tyler Seguin's uncertain health also hinders Dallas' attack.

Dallas' offense has carried the team to this point, but an inability to keep the puck out of its net separates the Stars from true contending status. Dallas ranked 19th in the NHL with 2.78 goals allowed per game in the regular season.

Although St. Louis doesn't pack the same scoring punch as Dallas, the Blues have their fair share of game-breakers. Vladimir Tarasenko goes without saying, but forwards Jaden Schwartz, Robby Fabbri, and Alex Steen provide enough additional options to give opposing defensemen nightmares.

Overall, the Blues' depth provides them a chance to neutralize the Stars' greatest asset - and also expose their greatest weakness.

X-factor: Alex Pietrangelo

While everyone bantered over Tarasenko's ice time, Pietrangelo put together a rather productive series against Chicago.

The anchor of the Blues' back end is usually coveted more for his stabilizing defense than his offensive prowess, but the 26-year-old scored six points versus the Blackhawks.

Not to mention the 30:33 of ice time he averaged in the opening round.

Pietrangelo will be pitted against Dallas' top line, and will surely be used in both even-strength and special-teams scenarios. Look for him to step up versus some of the league's most elite scorers once again.

Schedule

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