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GAME 1:
After an scare early in the first round, Detroit was back on track and ready to meet the St. Louis Blues in their Western Conference semifinal series, opening at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Pavel Datsyuk started the series off with a goal 7:40 into the game, taking an early lead that would be doubled by former St. Louis player Brett Hull's shorthanded goal 19:04 in the second period. No more goals were scored as Dominik Hasek blanked the Blues, recording his eighth career playoff shutout.
GAME 2:
Detroit blasted off once again in the first period, with all three goals coming from the three 600+ goals players on the team. Captain Steve Yzerman began with a goal 2:46 in, while Brett Hull added his goal of the playoffs before the end of the period at 18:46. Luc Robitaille added his own goal to the tally to make the score 3-0 for Detroit. Then Scott Mellanby put in a shot 47 seconds into the third period, then another with 41 seconds remaining, his fifth in the playoffs. The Red Wings squeezed by with a 3-2 victory, putting St. Louis behind 2-0 in the series.
GAME 3:
Keith Tkachuk scored goal #1 at 5:41, giving the Blues the lead for the first time in the series. It was short-lived, as Pavel Datsyuk got one for the Red Wings 27 seconds later to tie it at one. But Scott Mellanby scored what would eventually become the game-winning goal at 19:03 on a power-play to give the Blues back their lead. On another power-play, Keith Tkachuk popped one past Hasek for a 3-1 lead at 17:22 of the second. Tkachuk struck again for his first career postseason hat-trick as he extended the lead 4-1 at 1:53 of the third period.
Pavol Demitra scored his fourth of the playoffs at 10:34, sending Dominik Hasek off to the bench. Hasek had stopped just 11 of the 16 shots until that point, with the last three shots being goals. He was replaced by Manny Legace, who let in Jamal Mayers' next shot, making the score 6-1, with the last four shots all goals. Brent Johnson made 27 saves to keep Detroit' scoring at one goal, lifting the Blues to within one game at 2-1 in the series.
GAME 4:
Scott Young cashed in a goal on a two-man power-play just 4:24 into the game. Then captain Chris Pronger received a torn ligament his check to Steve Yzerman in the first period went wrong, forcing him to sit out the rest of the playoffs. Brendan Shanahan tied the game for Detroit at 13:33, and Jiri Fischer took the lead under three minutes later. Tomas Holmstrom made it 3-1 2:35 into the second period, and on an error by Brent Johnson, Steve Yzerman's fifth goal of the playoffs made it 4-1 with a short-handed goal at 3:00 into the third. Scott Mellanby's seventh playoff goal on a 6-on-4 at the end of the game put the Blues within two goals. And Keith Tkachuk would be credited with his fourth of the series as he was last St. Louis player to touch the puck after Steve Yzerman knocked it in his own net. The Red Wings managed to hold off the rest of the St. Louis attack, and so took the game with a score of 4-3, leading in the series 3-1.
GAME 5:
Dominik Hasek would add a ninth playoff shutout to his record, and the Detroit Red Wings would advance on to the Western Conference finals with a 4-0 defeat of the St. Louis Blues, closing out their series in just five games. Jiri Fischer scored the go-ahead goal at 4:42 of the seond period, and Tomas Holmstrom added a power-play goal just over four minutes later. Then Brendan Shanahan would score a pair late in the third, one of them an empty-netter, to send the Red Wings off to meet defending Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche.
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