North Stars Start Quickly, Almost Finish Blues, 8-4

Brian Bellows scored 1:12 into the game and Mike Modano followed with two goals in the next 7:41 as the Minnesota North Stars took a 3-1 lead in the Norris Division finals Wednesday night with an 8-4 victory over the St. Louis Blues.

Bellows and Brian Glynn also scored twice each for Minnesota, the NHL’s 16th-best regular-season team. The North Stars are trying to follow their opening-round upset over No. 1 Chicago with a best-of-seven victory over second-ranked St. Louis.

The North Stars finished 38 points behind Chicago and 37 behind the Blues, but have outscored those teams, 29-13, while winning six of seven games.

Minnesota has scored first in every game this series--at an average of 1:55 into each contest. The North Stars, who led, 4-0, after one period Monday and 3-1 Wednesday, have outscored the Blues, 11-2, in the first periods.

A victory in Game 5 Friday night at St. Louis will put Minnesota into the Stanley Cup semifinals for the first time since 1984. Game 6, if necessary, would be at Minnesota on Sunday.

Despite getting two goals apiece from Brett Hull and Adam Oates, the Blues have fallen into a 3-1 hole for the second consecutive series. Against Detroit in the first round, St. Louis became only the eighth team to rally from such a deficit.

All of the Blues’ goals came on the power play, where they had scored only four times in 57 previous postseason attempts. They also allowed four power-play goals, giving Minnesota a playoff-high 23.

St. Louis was the league’s best road team (23-13-4) during the season, but the North Stars are 16-2-2 at home since Jan. 17.