Former Duck Helps Blues Force Game 7
For some, there isn't a better pair of words in sports than "Game 7". For St. Louis Blues fans, they might say a better pair of words is "Cam Fowler".
The 33-year-old has been a revelation since being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 14 and has 10 points in the Blues' first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets. His goal in Game 6 was part of a five-minute flurry that put the Blues up 5-1 in the second period. They chased Vezina Trophy finalist Connor Hellebuyck from the game for the third time this series, with all three times coming in St. Louis.
Three Takeaways From Blues' 5-2 Win Against Jets In Game 6 Of Western Conference First Round ST. LOUIS – Honestly, this is so hard to decipher.
Per NHL PR, Fowler's points total makes him the first Blues defenseman to record 10 points in a single series. The last Blues player to hit the mark was forward Doug Weight (13 points) in 2003.
"We feel we have guys on the backend that can contribute offensively, especially (with) the way that we can skate and try and move the puck through the neutral zone," Fowler said to reporters after the game. "It's been a point of emphasis for our group and we have guys that can execute it. When we're doing that and we're working as a five-man unit, it's hard to defend."
"(Fowler is) incredibly cerebral," Blues head coach Jim Montgomery said to reporters after the game. "When you try and change things that you do, he goes out and implements them right away. That's how intelligent he is, and it's really underrated how competitive he is. (You don't) know that when you coach against him, but once you get him in your own locker room and you get to see the eyes and you see the intensity in his eyes, you couple that with the calmness and poise to make the plays he makes at both ends of the ice. It's pretty impressive."
The Blues have won four consecutive Game 7s and can become the fifth team in NHL history to win at least five straight. The Jets will be hosting a Game 7 in Winnipeg for the first time. Fowler has recorded a point in every single game of the series, with five of his points coming at 5-on-5.
"When we're on top of our game, it's a hard thing to defend," Fowler said. "We try to create chaos as much as we can offensively. We've seen some pucks go in and I think it's a credit to all of us, honestly. Our group––the time and the effort that we've put in in order to try and create chances for ourselves. We all know (Hellebuyck's) a world-class goaltender and we have to make life as difficult on him as we can; that's been something that we've tried to do. We've done a good job of it at home, but now we have to go on the road and try and recreate that again."
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