On Thursday night, the St. Louis Blues looked like a well-oiled machine, as they cruised past the Minnesota Wild 5-1 to advance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For the first time since the Stanley Cup season, the Blues have made it out of the first round.

Next stop: a rematch against the team that swept them out of the playoffs last season: the Colorado Avalanche.

In front of a sellout crowd at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, the Blues dominated in all phases of the game. Whether it be on offense, defense, or goaltending between the pipes, the Blues outplayed the Wild.

They outscored the Wild 3-0 in the second period, and outshot them 21-5. The Blues were 2-for-6 on the power play and 5-for-5 on the penalty kill as well, showing that they were a much improved team than over the past two seasons.