NHL playoffs 2016: Who wins Stars vs. Blues Game 7?

The St. Louis Blues haven't advanced past the second round of the playoffs since 2001, while the Dallas Stars are looking to prove that they were the Western Conference's best team for a reason, even if they've relied on their offense to carry them. A ticket to the Western Conference Final will be punched Wednesday night (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN).

Here are the Game 7 predictions from Paste BN Sports' NHL staff:

Kevin Allen: Blues 3, Stars 2. The Blues survived their Game 7 test against the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round. They are comfortable on the road. Fighting a hunch that Kari Lehtonen will step up and prove he can be a big game goalie to stick with the Blues to win the series.

Kristen Shilton: Blues 3, Stars 2. It's hard to choose a winner in this one because both teams are great in different ways. Dallas moves the puck well offensively and can be so explosive, but St. Louis has stronger goaltending and more consistent defense (plus their offense isn't exactly a no-name group). Anything can — and has — happened in this series, so nothing would surprise me, but I originally picked the Blues to come out on top and I'll stick with them.

Jimmy Hascup: Blues 4, Stars 2. Home ice has meant little in this series. It comes down to confidence in goaltending, and even after a dismal performance by Brian Elliott in Game 6, I still trust him a lot more than Kari Lehtonen. The Blues’ core, hardened by past playoff disappointments, will reverse the script.

Mike Brehm: Blues 4, Stars 2. They’ve won the last two games in Dallas, so the Stars’ home-ice advantage isn’t that great. Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen will need to put together back-to-back strong games and he hasn’t done that since the opening two games of the playoffs.