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Hitchcock, Blues exit playoffs early again

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The St. Louis Blues have been at the top of the League standings in the regular season for each of the past four seasons, but exited the Stanley Cup Playoffs prematurely again.

The Blues were defeated by the Minnesota Wild 4-1 at Xcel Energy Center on Sunday, to lose the best-of-7 series 4-2, the third straight season they've been eliminated in the first round.

St. Louis finished with 14 goals in the series and four of them came in their four losses.

Sunday, Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk made 30 saves, allowing a T.