Before the Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019, there was one game in franchise history that generations of fans clung to: the Monday Night Miracle on May 12, 1986.

It was Game 6 of the Clarence Campbell Conference finals against Calgary, and with a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and a three-goal lead in the third period, the Flames were on the verge of advancing to the Stanley Cup Final against Montreal. But in the final 12 minutes of regulation, the Blues tied the score and then won 6-5 in overtime on Doug Wickenheiser’s unforgettable goal that sent the teams to Game 7.

Advertisement

The Blues went on to lose that decisive game in Calgary, so there was no trip to the championship round, but for more than three decades, it was a franchise-defining moment. More people claimed to have been in attendance than could actually fit inside the Arena, and those who admitted they weren’t there for the game knew exactly where they watched it from.

Well, the Blues’ 5-4 overtime victory over Colorado in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals wasn’t exactly the same situation, but when they were rallying from deficits of 3-0 and 4-3 before winning on Tyler Bozak’s goal 3:38 into OT, it did conjure up memories of that come-from-behind thriller.

“There were some similarities,” said Blues Hall of Famer Bernie Federko, who set up the play to Wickenheiser for the OT winner against Calgary. “I think the pressure on being in the third round is much bigger than being in the second round. But when you consider how good this team has been all year — 109 points is a lot of points — this team is much better than the team we had back in ’86.

“We were a team that never said die, too, but we didn’t have three lines that scored the amount of goals that the Blues scored this year. We were more of a blue-collar team and a team that shouldn’t have been there. This is a team that should be there, and they’re proving that they should. No matter how good Colorado has been, the Blues are no slouch.”

The Blues proved that Wednesday against Colorado when they became the first team in NHL history to score two game-tying goals in the final five minutes of regulation when facing elimination.

After the Blues tied the score 3-3, Nathan MacKinnon’s jaw-dropping goal with 2:46 left in regulation should have been the dagger, but Robert Thomas responded with 56 seconds left to force overtime.

Advertisement

“To me, the wind should have come out of the sails (on MacKinnon’s goal), but it didn’t,” Federko said. “I mean, we’ve seen this all season long. I look at this team over the course of the last three years, and you can go back to the 2019 playoffs, there were lots of games where there’s no way we should have won and we seemed to find a way all the time. That’s where I give (Blues coach Craig Berube) credit because he just keeps them playing. They just play. No matter what happens, they just keep playing.”

John Kelly, the Blues’ play-by-play man for Bally Sports Midwest, was in Denver, but because he wasn’t calling Game 5, he was seated not far behind the glass when MacKinnon scored on that end-to-end rush.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Kelly said. “You have to admit, it was a great goal, and you’re thinking again, ‘OK, that’s it.'”

Not only were the Blues down again, but hundreds, perhaps thousands, of hats were raining onto the ice.

“Some hit me, actually,” Kelly said.

While the celebration had to be devastating for the Blues at that moment, Kelly believes it might have benefited the team.

“I think, in hindsight, that great tradition of throwing the hats on the ice really hurt the Avalanche because it took them so long to clean up all the hats — I would say at least five to six minutes — and they might’ve lost some momentum,” Kelly said. “The Blues had a chance to breathe and get composed and realize what just happened. They were able to talk about things and make a plan to pull the goalie. So in my opinion, all of those hats coming down, I think it hurt the Avalanche.”

Moments later, Thomas knotted the score, and then after the 20-minute intermission, Bozak ended the evening.

“I was at the end where Bozak scored the winner, and you could hear a pin drop when that puck went into the net,” Kelly said. “I think the whole stadium was in shock, knowing that they had the Blues on the mat not once, not twice, but perhaps three times and let them off the mat.

Advertisement

“I ran from my seat to the back hallway, where I did my postgame show. I didn’t raise my hands or do any fist-pumps, because you’re surrounded by Avalanche fans, so it was a very contained, emotional ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you!’ It was an amazing feeling when he scored that goal.”

‘Resilient’ Blues pull off incredible comeback in Game 5 to beat Colorado. #stlblues

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) May 26, 2022

As the Blues were celebrating the win in the locker room, Kelly arrived at the postgame TV set.

“I composed my thoughts when they came to me for a live hit, and the Monday Night Miracle came to mind,” he said. “It was a miraculous comeback because they were down by three (goals) at the midway point. It was different circumstances — that was Game 6 of the West final and this is a second-round series — but it was to stay alive.”

Kelly’s father, legendary Blues radio voice Dan Kelly, was behind the microphone for CTV in Canada for that memorable game.

“I do remember calling him the next morning and he was getting ready to go to the airport,” Kelly said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard him more excited than that morning. Even though he called the game for national TV, and he had to be unbiased, I knew in his voice and his heart, he was so excited about the prospect of the Blues winning Game 7 and going on to the Final. They would’ve gone on to play the Canadiens in the Final, but obviously it didn’t happen.”

Two nights later, the Blues fell 2-1 to the Flames in Game 7, ending that dream.

Federko understands why the Monday Night Miracle sat atop the list of most incredible games in Blues history, but he points out that it would have been the stuff of folklore had the club prevailed.

“Absolutely,” Federko said. “We can talk all about it, and it was special because of what happened. We had never won a Cup and we’d never really been through that situation. Well, I think losing Game 7 kind of took the Monday Night Miracle and just threw it right out the window. Yes, it was a great game, it was a great comeback, but it didn’t accomplish anything.

Advertisement

“So like now, if the Blues win (Friday) night and then win Game 7, and then go on to win the Cup, then you look back and say that that was one of the greatest comebacks of all time.”

Kelly concurred.

“I think it’s already one of the greatest comebacks in St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup playoff history,” he said. “It’s right up there with the Monday Night Miracle, so no question I think people will be talking about it in five to 10 years.

“If the Blues go on to win the series, then that comeback will have more significance. Then, I think it becomes even more important in the Blues’ playoff history.

There were lots of concerning elements for the #Avs from Game 5. There are also plenty of reasons they can remain optimistic.

Let's break down both:

— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) May 26, 2022

Though Colorado still leads the best-of-seven series 3-2, the manner in which the Blues won Game 5 may have shifted some of the momentum to them.

“How’s (Avalanche coach Jared) Bednar going to handle this?” Federko said. “It’ll be interesting to see how they handle it internally. I think with the experience that the Blues had from their run back in 2019, and they still have 10 players from that team, that certainly plays a factor.

“To me, it’s almost like the stars are aligning like they were in 2019, and now it’s up to the Colorado Avalanche. Right now, the Avalanche, they’re the ones that have to be saying, ‘Are we in trouble?’ They’re still in the driver’s seat — they only have to win one — but who knows what can happen if it goes to Game 7.”

Keep in mind, however, that of the five games that have been played in this series, the home team has won just once. That was Colorado in Game 1, but the Avalanche needed overtime for a 3-2 win over Ball Arena. The visitors have won the other four, including the Avs taking Games 3 and 4 in St. Louis.

Advertisement

“We’ve seen in these playoffs with the Blues, they had a ton of momentum after winning Game 5 in Minnesota with the hat trick from (Vladimir) Tarasenko, and it carried over into Game 6, and they won easily,” Kelly said. “Conversely, the Blues played a great Game 2 in Denver and didn’t follow it up at home and lost both home games. So I don’t really think there’s momentum going from one game to another.

“But I do think if the Blues win Game 6, there will be an enormous amount of pressure on the Avalanche players because of the stigma of not getting out of the second round the last three years. That’s what they’re going to be asked going into Game 7. So the pressure is still on the Blues, but considering the Avalanche’s past and the Blues had a great record in Game 7s in 2019, they can call on those experiences since half of those players are still on the team.”

(Photo: Dustin Bradford / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)