The St. Louis view: 'Order has been restored' by beating Wild

Here's some of what was being written by St. Louis media after Wednesday's 6-1 Blues victory over the Wild, which evened their best-of-7 Stanley Cup playoffs series at two games apiece:

'Order has been restored' -- Jeremy Rutherford, St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Order has been restored with the Blues, and in more ways than one.

The Blues' top players finally checked into the Western Conference playoff series against Minnesota and the result was an emphatic 6-1 victory over in Game 4 that has tied the best-of-seven series at two games apiece.

David Backes, Paul Stastny, T.J. Oshie and Alex Pietrangelo entered Wednesday's game at Xcel Energy Center without a point. They left with five and they weren't the only ones, as seven Blues picked up their first point of these playoffs.

The Blues' offensive explosion, which also included another highlight-reel goal from Vladimir Tarasenko, put an end to the team's nine-game losing streak in road playoff games and put this series back on even terms as it shifts back to St. Louis for Game 5 at 8:30 p.m. Friday.

"It looks like we've joined the tournament now and we're dialed in," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said.

***

Blues elevate their game to unseen levels -- Jeff Gordin, St. Louis-Post-Dispatch

Maybe, just maybe, this strafing will have a carryover impact on (Devan) Dubnyk. He has been nearly invincible for the Wild for months, but he was just awful in this game.

Maybe, just maybe, this was a solid takeoff point for the Blues. Their outburst reaffirmed just how talented this team really is.

All four of their lines sustained pressure and scored. They played smart, hard and very, very well.

The Blues rose to a new, previously unseen level in this game. If they can do that again and again, perhaps they can finally make the deep playoff run the franchise so desperately needs.

Read Gordon's entire column here.

***

"We want the Cup: -- Yes, there's a St. Louis Blues playoff song.

Presented without comment:

'Tarasenko is a league of his own.' -- A.P. Andres, Bleedin' Blue blog

After the St. Louis Blues not only dismantled and humiliated the Minnesota Wild in front of their fans but chased first-year marvel Devan Dubnyk in the second period after mounting a 6-1 lead on only 18 shots, the significance of Blues superstar Vladimir Tarasenko's two goals might be overlooked.

It shouldn't be.

Ovechkin. Kane. Malkin. None of those names are near the top of the list of goal scorers in the 2014-15 NHL playoffs. Instead, the 23-year-old Siberian sniper Tarasenko now has 5 goals in 4 games, and sits alone in first place in the playoffs scoring derby ahead of Nashville Predator Colin Wilson, who has scored 4 goals. With 6 points he is also one point behind NHL co-leaders Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks and teammate Kevin Shattenkirk for total points, each with 7.

Read the fuill blog post here.

Even teammates are in awe of Tarasenko -- Elisabeth Meinecke, FOX Sports Midwest

It took 180 minutes of playoff hockey to get there, but on Wednesday, in a pivotal Game 4 for the St. Louis, the Blues turned in a full 60-minute performance, beating the Wild 6-1 in Minnesota to tie their first-round series at two games apiece.

The showstopper came in the second period. Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko already had a hat trick this postseason, but the 23-year-old kept things interesting by scoring a jaw-dropping, one-handed goal against the Wild's Devan Dubnyk.

It was the Blues' fifth tally of the evening, which made it pretty sweet icing on the cake.

"You just shake your head," teammate David Backes described it to reporters postgame. "I can't do that in a video game when it's slowed down for me."

***

And, finally, if you want to see what Blues fans are talking about today, there's a Live Chat on the Post-Dispatch web site at 1 p.m.