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Highlights of Sunday's National Hockey League playoff games

ByReuters

Published 26/04/2015 at 23:07 GMT

April 26 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Sunday's National Hockey League playoff games:

Eurosport

Image credit: Eurosport

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Wild 4, Blues 1
Minnesota left winger Zach Parise had a pair of goals as his team clinched a playoff series on home ice for the first time in franchise history, beating St. Louis to win their Western Conference playoff series 4-2.
Right wingers Justin Fontaine and Nino Niederreiter also scored for Minnesota and goalie Devan Dubnyk had 30 saves as the Wild advanced to a second-round meeting with the Chicago Blackhawks. It will be the third consecutive season with a Minnesota-Chicago playoff series.
Center T.J. Oshie scored for the Blues, who failed to advance past the first round for the third consecutive season.
Jake Allen started the game in goal for the Blues, stopping 11 of the 13 shots he faced. He was lifted in favor of Brian Elliot after Fontaine scored in the second to make it 2-0 for Minnesota. Elliott finished with six saves.
Minnesota led 2-1 early in the third period and was weathering a Blues momentum swing when Parise capped off a rush to the net, knocking in the rebound of a shot by right winger Jason Pominville that Elliott stopped. Niederreiter scored an empty-net goal for the final margin.
With 22 points in 24 playoff games over three seasons with the Wild, Parise is now tied atop the franchise's playoff scoring leaders list alongside Marian Gaborik.
The Wild, who have had the best power play in the playoffs thus far, failed to score on an early man-advantage, but capitalized when one of their own was in the penalty box.
Minnesota left winger Matt Cooke broke up a Blues pass and fed the puck to Parise, who streaked down the left side of the ice. The puck found a small gap between Allen's right arm and the goalpost, giving the Wild an early lead.
The Blues needed more than eight minutes to get their first shot, and managed just four shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes, but got their offense going in the second period. St. Louis got seven of the period's first nine shots, repeatedly testing Dubnyk and looking poised to knot the score.
Instead it was Fontaine doubling the Minnesota lead on a harmless-looking shot from 20 feet out that fooled Allen between the pads.
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