Stanley Cup playoffs: Binnington, Blues eliminate Wild, advance to conference semis

May 13 (UPI) -- Goaltender Jordan Binnington made 25 saves and the St. Louis Blues scored five times to beat the Minnesota Wild in Game 6 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series and advance to the Western Conference semifinals.

Blues defenseman Colton Parayko logged a goal and assist in the 5-1 win Thursday at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Left wing David Perron assist two more Blues scores.

"They came out hard and were playing desperate and we matched that," Binnington told reporters. "We came out in the second period and played really hard.

"It was a hard-fought series. We did a great job and had guys step up. It was a great team effort. It's good to be at this point. We are looking forward to the next challenge."

The third-seeded Blues will take on the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche in another best-of-seven series for a spot in the Western Conference finals.

Defenseman Nick Leddy lit the lamp for the first score of the night with 5:01 remaining in the first period and the Blues never lost that lead. Right wing Vladimir Tarasenko and centers Ryan O'Reilly and Tyler Bozak each scored in the second to push the lead to 4-0.

Defenseman Matt Dumba scored the Wild's lone goal 6:25 into the third. Parayko found the net for the final goal of the night with 1:41 remaining.

Wild goaltender Cam Talbot made 22 saves in the loss. Defensemen Jon Merrill and Dmitry Kulikov assisted the Dumba score.

The Blues, who trailed 2-1 through the first three games of the series, beat the Wild three-consecutive times to advance to the conference semifinals. Binnington logged 28 and 30 saves, respectively, in Game 4 and Game 5.

The Blues-Avalanche series could start as early as Monday. The NHL is expected to announce the series schedule Friday or Saturday.