NHL-Backes scores in OT to give Blues win over Blackhawks

April 13 (The Sports Xchange) - David Backes scored 9:04 into overtime to give the St. Louis Blues a 1-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. Backes scored his sixth career playoff goal from the side of the net after his shot deflected off the skate of defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk and through the legs of goalie Corey Crawford. Brian Elliott earned his first career playoff shutout, making 35 saves for the Blues. The Blackhawks went on a power play just seven seconds into overtime when Colton Parayko was called for delay of game when he shot the puck over the boards but could not get the puck past Elliott. It was not a surprise the game went to overtime. Three of the five games this season between the two teams went to overtime and all were won by the Blues, one in a shootout. When the two teams met in the first round in 2014, four of the six games went to overtime. This is also the fifth year in a row the Blackhawks' opening game of the playoffs went to overtime. A third penalty against the Blues in the opening period gave the Blackhawks a 5-on-3 advantage for 36 seconds, but they could not capitalize. The Blackhawks had almost five consecutive minutes on the power-play but could not take advantage of those chances, even though they outshot the Blues 11-4 in the period. The Blues out-shot the Blackhawks 10-9 in the second period as the game turned into a battle of the goalies, Elliott making his first playoff start since 2013 -- and Crawford, who missed 11 games late in the season because of an upper-body injury before returning for the final game of the regular season. The Blues had only two shots on goal in the third period, while Elliott stopped the eight shots by Chicago. Each team finished regulation 0-for-4 on the power play. Game 2 of the series will be on Friday in St. Louis before the series moves to Chicago.