ST. LOUIS — Troy Brouwer tapped in his own rebound to snap a third-period tie and the St. Louis Blues advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, eliminating the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in Game 7 of their Western Conference quarterfinals series Monday night.

Brouwer, who played for the Blackhawks’ Cup winner in 2010 and was among the veteran additions to a team trying to break through, swiped in a backhander. The goal at 8:31 was his first in 24 postseason games since 2013.

[naviga:h3]Predators 3, Ducks 1[/naviga:h3]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — James Neal scored the winning goal late in the second period, and the Nashville Predators held on to beat the Anaheim Ducks and force the first Game 7 in franchise history.