The St. Louis Blues went into Sunday's season finale knowing they had firm control of their playoff destiny.
If they tied or beat the Detroit Red Wings, they would be back in Detroit for the first round. If they lost, it was off to Dallas.Sixty minutes later, the Blues had a 3-1 victory and a return trip to Detroit.
"We know that either Detroit or Dallas will be really tough, so there was no edge either way," said Joe Murphy, who had a goal and an assist. "We're just happy to get a win, and we're happy to have a chance to beat the Red Wings later this week."
St. Louis star Brett Hull missed the game because of a strained groin, but the Blues were still able clinch sixth place in the Western Conference, setting up the meeting with the third-seeded Wings.
"Brett was a game-time decision, but he should be ready for Game 1," Blues coach Joel Quennville said. "But Wednesday will be totally different than today. Detroit hasn't had anything to play for for a few weeks, but they'll be gung-ho by then."
The Blues took a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal at 6:32 of the first. Stephane Matteau stole a pass from Sergei Fedorov at the blue line, then beat Chris Osgood for the forward's 16th goal of the season.
Pavol Demitra made it 2-0 at on a power play at 13:31.
Detroit only managed four first-period shots, but came alive in the second. Kirk Maltby put the Red Wings on the board at 11:07 with his third goal after stealing the puck from Murphy.
Brendan Shanahan nearly tied the game moments later, but his shot bounced harmlessly off the crossbar, and the period ended 2-1.
Murphy made up for his earlier mistake when he finished off a breakaway with his 20th goal at 4:40, putting the Blues ahead by two goals.
"We weren't talking about who we wanted to play, we just played a very mediocre game," Steve Yzerman said. "We won't play like this in the playoffs. There won't be any surprises, and they are even stronger than last year, so it's going to be a very tough series."
The Red Wings beat the Blues in seven games in last year's second round, winning Game 7 1-0 on Yzerman's overtime goal.
"Just like last year, this will be a tough series," Fedorov said. "I think in the next three days, there will be some changes."
Blackhawks 5, Stars 2
At Dallas, Eric Daze had three goals and an assist as the Chicago Blackhawks continued their success at Reunion Arena.
Jeff Shantz added a goal and two assists to help the Blackhawks improve to 3-0-3 in their last six games in Dallas.
Todd Harvey and Pat Verbeek scored for the Stars, who completed their most successful regular season in franchise history with 104 points despite losing the final two games.
Bruins 7, Penguins 3
At Boston, the Bruins ended their first non-playoff season in 30 years and spoiled Mario Lemieux's final regular-season game.
Lemieux had two assists and won his sixth NHL scoring title, but the Penguins missed a chance to face an easier playoff opponent by losing their third straight game.
The Penguins, 0-12-1 in their last 13 road games, open the playoffs at Philadelphia, which finished third in the Eastern Conference, instead of at fourth-place Florida. A victory would have put Pittsburgh into fifth, ahead of the New York Rangers.
Whalers 2, Panthers 1
At Hartford, Conn., Glen Wesley and Kevin Dineen scored in the Hartford Whalers' victory over Tampa Bay, giving the fans a win to remember them by in their final game at the Civic Center.
Wesley scored in the first and Dineen in the third for a 2-0 Whalers' lead before Dino Ciccarelli deflected in a pass from Chris Gratton for the final score.
The outcome of the game meant nothing to the playoff picture, as both teams were eliminated Saturday night when Ottawa clinched the final berth in the Eastern Conference.