St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen withstood a 52-shot barrage from the dominating Minnesota Wild during Game 1 of the first-round Western Conference playoff series. Blues coach Mike Yeo stressed the need for the Blues to match the Wild’s intensity during Friday’s Game 2.
St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen was beaten.
Minnesota Wild center Mikael Granlund cradled a bouncing puck, looked up and relished an open-net opportunity. But like many of the 51 Wild chances Wednesday night at Xcel Energy Center, Granlund’s shot was robbed.
Simply, Allen stole Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round playoff series, 2-1 in overtime.
The Wild completely outclassed the Blues in the series opener, but find themselves in an early hole. They registered a 52-26 advantage in shots on goal, buzzed around for another 38 shot attempts, and made the Blues defenders appear to be skating in low gear.
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The Wild also held significant advantages in time of possession, face-off wins, and hits, according to Fox Sports.
‘We Have to be better’
"“Win or lose, short memories are important,” Wild winger Zach Parise told the Star Tribune. “You still have to look at the good things that we did and look at where we can be better. Unfortunately, right now, we’re down 1-0 and now we’ve got to even it up.”"
Game 2 is Friday. The Blues realize they likely will not be rewarded for another lackadaisical effort.
"“I think we can do a much better job in some areas,” Blues coach Mike Yeo said after the game. “We didn’t have the puck enough. That’s the issue and we know that we have to be better.“We can’t just rely on Jake to have a performance like that night after night.”"