from Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

The difference between good teams and teams that break through to the greatness required of champions is that their greatness is not confined to a single trait. Those who lift the Stanley Cup tend to have special goaltending, opportunistic coaching, surprise stars and some luck sprinkled in throughout. The Blues have checked those boxes for months, and at times during this postseason as well. That’s what makes their proximity to elimination feel so sudden to a city that had started, slowly, carefully, to shed its scar tissue formed from postseasons past.

Rookie goalie Jordan Binnington has given his team a chance to win nearly every game. Coach Craig Berube’s line changes have produced throughout, from the swap of Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz against Winnipeg, to the blender approach that paid off during Friday night’s third-period push. Robert Thomas, 19, has been the Blues’ best player in this series, the kind of unexpected hero who must emerge for teams to expand their postseason potential. Schwartz has broken free from his regular-season struggles to score a career-high seven postseason goals. The Blues’ third line has at times dominated games. But one championship-caliber component has gone missing in this round, and its absence feels like an elephant on the ice now that the Blues are staring down the barrel of a locker clean-out. Besides Binnington, where are the Blues brightest stars against the Stars?...

Regular-season points leader Ryan O’Reilly has four points through five games. He is also a minus-2 for the series. His next goal against the Stars will be his first in these semifinals. In Game 5, like Game 1, he skated off the ice without a single point. The faceoff mastermind has lost 18 more faceoffs than he’s won. His regular-season faceoff percentage of 56.9 ranked ninth in the NHL. He’s at 44 percent in this series, if you round up.

Regular-season goals leader Vladimir Tarasenko, also a minus-2 in the series, has scored once since his two-goal flurry in Game 1. Just one of his three goals against the Stars came at even-strength. He has just five more shots (17) than hits (12) in 120 shifts.

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