The Pittsburgh Penguins had a chance to officially book a spot in the postseason if they took out the St. Louis Blues, but Brian Elliott got in the way of that.
Elliott stopped all 33 shots he faced to earn his fourth shutout of the season and David Backes scored a third period goal to give the Blues a 1-0 victory against the Penguins. The win gives the Blues 103 points and ties them with the Bruins for the top spot in the league.
The Blues win didn’t come easy as they had to kill a 5-on-3 Penguins power play late in the first and early into the second period. After Pittsburgh’s power play went 3-6 against Tampa Bay on Saturday, the Pens couldn’t find a way through Elliott and the Blues defense.
Backes’ goal was his 24th of the season. He’s second only to Alex Steen and his 30 goals for the Blues lead.
Pittsburgh could’ve helped themselves clinch a spot in the postseason with some help from other teams today, but that mini-celebration will be put on hold for at least another game. Don’t worry, we’re pretty sure their spot in the playoffs is secure.