Friday Links - Oh Yeah!

Oh hey. Yeah, we're here. Round two.

Hey, what is this, anyway? My playoff beard lasted longer than two weeks . . . not that anyone would notice anyway.

WHEN WE LAST SAW THE BLUES . . . :

• They did the thing . . . the Blues beat the Blackhawks 3-2 and took Game Seven. Justin had your recap. [SLGT]
• Second City Hockey spoke of the game. [Second City Hockey]
• As did The Committed Indian. [The Committed Indian]
• CrossCheckRaise and I recorded a very satisfied Game Seven Quick Shot. [SLGT]
• Ms. Hildy also did a very satisfied Game Seven Quick Shot . . . in written form. [SLGT]
• Blues organist Jeremy Boyer saved his best work for last . . . playing "Chelsea Dagger" in a minor key during the handshake line. [SLGT]

BLUES/BLACKHAWKS WRAP-UP:

• Game Seven set an all-time ratings record for Fox Sports Midwest. That's ALL programs. Oh, I'm sure the local blackout of NBCSN's broadcast (which, by the way, for the second game in a row, forced me to seek illegal streams) had NOTHING to do with those ratings whatsoever . . . [SLGT]
• The Blues exorcised a demon. [SLGT]
• They also beat the odds. [SLGT FanPosts]
• All the highlights from the first round series. [SLGT FanShots]
• The future is still bright for the Blackhawks. [Second City Hockey]
• But they relied too much on those guys they always rely on, and it caught up with them. [The Committed Indian]

BLUES/STARS PREVIEWS AND SUCH:

• Episode #125 of Beyond Checkerdome looked forward to the Western Conference Semifinals . . . and did so by speaking with former Defending Big D writer and editor Josh Lile. [SLGT]
• What did the Blues do to beat the Blackhawks, and will it work on the Stars in the next round? Robb has things. [SLGT]
• The Blues appear to be healthy as they head to Dallas for Game One. Basically, though, if you're not dead, you're ready this time of season, so, y'know. [SLGT]
• Who has the goaltending advantage? [SLGT]
• Vegas likes the Blues. Um, yay? [SLGT]
• ESPN's hockey staff (yeah, they have one, actually) offered their picks. [SLGT]
• Stars forward Tyler Seguin is one of the few exceptions to my "People Named Tyler Suck At Sports" rule. Anyway, it doesn't appear he will be playing any time soon. [SLGT]
• Is home ice really going to be an advantage for the Stars? [SLGT]
• All the playoff times and such. [SLGT]

OTHER BLUES SHIT:

• Current Ontario Reign forward and former NHL pugilist Paul Bissonnette sounds off about why he'll be rooting for the Blues the rest of the way this year. Great piece. [USA Today]
• Robb wants to hold a Blues fan gathering in the BWI area. Help him figure out where! [SLGT FanPosts]
• An update on things from Lou. [In the Slot / Lou Korac]
• You've likely heard about it, but . . . the Blues gained a new fan on Monday. This is such a fun story. [StL Today]
• Oh great. Now my Twitter timeline's going to get fucking killed by EA Sports again. Anyway. Vote for Vladimir Tarasenko I guess. [SLGT]
• Meanwhile, former EA Sports timeline-killer and our old pal, Capitals forward T.J. Oshie (who had a hat trick last night, by the way), was watching Game Seven with great interest. [Frozen Notes]

KNOW YOUR ENEMY--THE DALLAS STARS:

• We spoke of them earlier, but be sure to check out Defending Big D for Stars news and fan views. [Defending Big D]
• Also check out Josh Lile, Brandon Worley and crew over at WFAA-TV's Stars site. [WFAA-TV]

SCORES AND BRACKET:

• Dem scorez. [NHL.com Scores]
• Dem bracketz. [NHL.com Stanley Cup]

OTHER HOCKEY SHIT:

• Someone wanted to point out that the new Red Wings arena is going to be called Little Caesar's Arena. Which, considering their owner, makes sense . . . but leaves things open to ridicule, obviously. [SLGT FanPosts]
• Who survives the Blackhawks' upcoming cap crunch? Ryan Lambert takes a look in Huge If True. [Puck Daddy]
• Islanders head coach Jack Capuano took one to the face on Wednesday. He came back to the bench to see his team win over the Lightning(s) in Game One. [CBS Sports Eye on Hockey]
• It's probably not preferable to play with a stick stuck to your face, but hey, Jay Beagle is a gamer. And his team won in overtime over the Penguins last night, so I guess he'll take it? [USA Today / FTW!]
• The small-market success of Predators general manager David Poile, whose team vanquished the Ducks and will move on to play the Sharks in the next round. Game One tonight. [The Sporting News]
• Meanwhile, what's next for Anaheim? Is the situation tense between the coach and GM? Elliotte Friedman seems to believe so. [Sportsnet]
• The Stanley Cup Playoffs are fresh again . . . and we're not simply talking about a new round of games. [SB Nation]
• The Senators are a step closer to getting a downtown arena. [TSN]
• The Seattle Thunderbirds swept their way into the Western Hockey League finals over the Kelowna Rockets on Wednesday, scoring two goals with their goalie pulled late, then--in the second overtime--getting a goal from a 16-year-old rookie who didn't play at all in the first overtime. Dang. 5-4 was the final. [Seattle Times]

OTHER . . . OTHER SHIT:

• Nashville hot chicken is amazing. Here's a story on it. [NPR / The Salt]
• Gallatin County in Montana (where Bozeman is) has . . . a shitter of a problem, actually. [Y! / AP]
• Game of Thrones characters . . . as cats! [Nerdist]
• Ever walk into a room and forget what you were in there to do? Well, there might be a reason. [Mental Floss]
• The NFL Draft was yesterday, and the most fascinating story came from . . . Laremy Tunsil. Holy shit. [SB Nation]
• Firecracker, eh? Well, HERE'S A FUCKING JAVELIN, DICK! [Deadspin / Screamer]

BEER OF THE DAY:

• Not really a beer per se, but holy shit is this stuff good . . . Best Damn Cherry Cola. DAAAAAANGEROUSLY good. [Untappd]

VIDEO:

My reaction to the Game Seven win was . . . very similar to the intro song to the former CBC show Republic of Doyle . . . :

OH YEAH.

BluesMay will have your links ahead of Game Two on Sunday.