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Kind of Blue

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St. Louis Blues 4, Boston Bruins 1

When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Where: TD Garden, Boston
Attendance: 17,565
Special to Digital Sports Desk by Field Level Media

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BOSTON — In the lead-up to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington could barely contain his excitement, as a rookie is wont to do.

“I couldn’t even sleep the last couple of days,” Binnington said. “Your mind wanders.”

It didn’t show. 

(Editor’s Note: Please click HERE and open new window before reading)

Binnington shined in a 32-save performance as the Blues beat the Boston Bruins 4-1 on Wednesday for the first Stanley Cup title in franchise history.

The championship ends a 52-year drought for the Blues, the longest wait for a first title in NHL history. St. Louis completed a full turnaround from last place in the league as recently as Jan. 2, becoming the first team in the NHL’s expansion era to win a championship after ranking last at any point after its 30th game of the season.

The late-season push for the Cup went hand in hand with the call-up of Binnington, who took over as the starting goaltender Jan. 7 and led the team to the best record in the NHL the rest of the way into the playoffs.

“At the time, we wanted to get someone up here, and he was the guy,” St. Louis coach Craig Berube said. “He was outstanding tonight, I thought it was his best game of the series.”

Binnington, 25, became the first rookie to win all 16 of his team’s games in a single playoff year. He is the 14th freshman to earn a Stanley Cup-clinching win and the fourth to do so in a Game 7.

Of course, Binnington couldn’t do it alone. Ryan O’Reilly and Alex Pietrangelo scored late in the first period for the Blues, and Brayden Schenn and Zach Sanford each scored in the third to put St. Louis up 4-0.

O’Reilly, the leading scorer of the finals with five goals and four assists, was named winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player of the playoffs. When he got the Blues on the board with 3:13 remaining in the first period, he became the first player with goals in four straight Stanley Cup Final games since Wayne Gretzky in 1985.

Further, it was the fourth straight game O’Reilly opened the scoring for St. Louis, putting him alongside Toronto’s Sid Smith (1951) and Detroit’s Norm Ullman (1966) as the only players to accomplish that feat during the finals.

“There’s so many people to thank, and I’m just so proud of this group and myself, too,” O’Reilly said. “I just can’t believe that we hung on and got this done.”

Tuukka Rask stopped 16 of 20 shots for the Bruins in the loss. He had been 3-0 in series-clinching opportunities entering the finals. Rask wound up with a 2.02 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage in this year’s playoffs.

“For him to be as good as he was, that’s the reason we’re here,” Bruins forward Brad Marchand said. “He was incredible every night, gave us every opportunity to win.”

Boston forward David Krejci added, “He was our MVP for sure.”

Matt Grzelcyk scored the Bruins’ lone goal with 2:10 remaining and Rask pulled.

While Binnington was on his game early, the St. Louis offense got off to a slow start, held without a shot for more than 16 minutes after getting the first of the game 27 seconds in. O’Reilly’s marker came at 16:47, and Pietrangelo put one over the shoulder of Rask on the backhand with eight seconds left in the opening period.

The Blues carried a 2-0 lead to the locker room despite being outshot 12-4 in the first 20 minutes.

“I don’t think anybody was down after the first period, we just knew the task at hand was going to be a challenge,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said.

Binnington continued his strong play through a scoreless second, turning away another 11 shots. He batted away several scoring chances in the third before Schenn’s goal came with 8:35 remaining for a 3-0 lead. Sanford made it 4-0 at 15:22.

“I’m really excited right now, it’s an incredible feeling,” Binnington said from the ice after the game. “Happy to be here.”

The defeat was the second straight for the Bruins in the finals, after they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games in 2013.

“This hurts more than that,” Marchand said. “It’s not something you ever forget.”

–By Kyle Brasseur, Field Level Media

SE7EN-Up

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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS

St. Louis Blues at Boston Bruins

When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Preview for Digital Sports Desk by Gracenote

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BOSTON – An 82-game regular season and two pressure-packed months of playoff hockey have taken NHL fans on an exhilarating adventure, one filled with myriad memories and answers to every question except the identity of the champion. The wild ride enters its final turn on Wednesday as the visiting St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins battle for supremacy in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

While the City of Boston prepares to host its first Game 7 in a championship round since the NBA’s Celtics in 1984, the core group of Bruins — namely Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, captain Zdeno Chara and Tuukka Rask — previously traversed this terrain by suiting up in a winner-take-all contest in Vancouver in 2011. “(The) leadership group’s been there; they’ve been in a Game 7 before, in the Stanley Cup Final,” Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. “They’ve lived it. We’ve been in Game 7 at home against Toronto this (season). Stanley Cup’s not at stake, but if you don’t win (that game), you have no chance at (the Cup).”

St. Louis’ chances for its first championship in franchise history looked bleak at best just three days into the calendar year, with the club residing in the basement of the league’s standings. “Listen, if you told me four months ago we were going to be in the finals in Game 7, I think I’d take it,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “We’ve been a good road team (9-3 in the playoffs). We’ve won twice up there in this series, so we’re a confident group.”

NHL Final

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, Sportsnet, TVAS

ABOUT THE BLUES: Ryan O’Reilly has scored four goals and set up another in his last three games to push his overall playoff point total to 21 (seven goals, 14 assists), matching a franchise record with Hall of Famers Doug Gilmour (1986), Bernie Federko (1986) and Brett Hull (1990). Jordan Binnington, who yielded four goals on 31 shots in a 5-1 setback in Game 6 on Sunday, will have a second chance to set the single postseason rookie win total of 16 should he rebound after a loss. The 25-year-old has posted a 7-2 mark with a 1.86 goals-against average in games after defeats in the playoffs.

ABOUT THE BRUINS: Rask added to his potential Conn Smythe Trophy-winning resume by turning aside 28 shots on Sunday, including 12 while St. Louis was on the power play. The 2014 Vezina Trophy recipient sports a sparkling .938 save percentage in the playoffs, a total that elevates to .973 (145 saves on 149 shots) in elimination games this spring. Rask, who served as a backup to Tim Thomas on Boston’s 2011 championship-winning team, was stellar for all but a disastrous 17-second span in the Bruins’ eventual Stanley Cup Final run that resulted in a heartbreaking loss to Chicago.

OVERTIME

  1. Home teams own a 12-4 record in Game 7s of the Stanley Cup Final, although the road club has won each of the last two (Pittsburgh in 2009, Boston in 2011).
  2. Like the Bruins, the Blues also captured a win in Game 7 of the 2019 playoffs after St. Louis native Patrick Maroon scored in double overtime against Dallas on May 7.
  3. Chara will play in his 14th Game 7, passing Hall of Famers Patrick Roy and Scott Stevens for the most in the NHL.

NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS

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Blues Crossed with Blues Shield 

Boston Bruins 5, St. Louis Blues 1

B’s, Rask Force Game 7 in Boston on Wednesday Night

When: 8:00 PM ET, Sunday, June 9, 2019
Where: Enterprise Center, St. Louis
Attendance: 18,890
Special to Digital Sports Desk by Field Level Media

ST. LOUIS — Nearly 19,000 fans filled every nook and cranny of Enterprise Center on Sunday night, ready to help the St. Louis Blues throw their biggest party in franchise history.

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Tuukka Rask and his Boston Bruins teammates played the role of party-poopers perfectly.

Rask stopped 28 shots, and Boston broke open a 1-0 game with four third-period goals, posting a 5-1 win in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals to even the series at three games each.

That forces a Game 7 in Boston on Wednesday night, the latest twist in a fascinating series that has mostly favored road teams. This was the fourth victory for the road team in the series and was the Bruins’ second win this postseason when facing elimination in front of an opposing audience.

Rask had a lot to do with this one. He made 12 saves on four St. Louis power plays, including four after Sean Kuraly put Boston a man down less than three minutes into the game with a delay of game infraction.

“He made some tremendous saves, especially early on to keep us in the game,” said Bruins center Patrice Bergeron.

Boston then got its power play cranked up after a two-game hiatus. Following a 4-for-4 performance on four shots in a 7-2 rout during Game 3, the Bruins couldn’t figure out the Blues’ penalty kills in Games 4 and 5.

Getting a two-man advantage after Brayden Schenn and Ryan O’Reilly took minors 62 seconds apart, Boston cashed in. David Pastrnak fed Brad Marchand in the left circle, and he beat Jordan Binnington with a one-timer at 8:40.

That goal might not have quieted the raucous crowd much, but it definitely settled the Bruins down.

“It got us going in the right direction,” said Boston coach Bruce Cassidy. “After that, I thought we played a good, smart hockey game. We managed pucks, tried to limit odd-man rushes and protect the front of the net.”

St. Louis created a spate of good chances during its first three power plays, but Rask stood tall. The one time the Blues appeared to beat him, Alex Pietrangelo’s rebound chance in the second period clanged off the left goal post.

That was the continuation of a series-long trend — the Bruins’ superiority in special teams. While Boston is 7 of 21 with the man advantage in the finals, St. Louis is 1 for 18, its only marker coming in Game 3.

“We had 12 shots on the power play tonight,” Blues interim coach Craig Berube said, “but we have to bury a couple. We had some good looks, but can it be better? Does it need to be better? Yes.”

Boston used a couple of surprising goals from bit players to pull away. Defenseman Brandon Carlo’s soft shot from the point took a tricky bounce off the ice and snuck under Binnington at 2:31 of the third period for a 2-0 advantage.

Karson Kuhlman, playing his first game since April 30, upped the margin to 3-0 when he finished a rush off David Krejci’s pass at 10:15, wiring a wrister from the right circle past Binnington for his first postseason marker.

Ryan O’Reilly drew St. Louis within a pair when he beat Rask on a rebound at 12:01. The goal was confirmed via replay review after it was originally ruled the puck didn’t cross the goal line.

But Pastrnak quashed any thoughts of a dramatic rally at 14:06 with his ninth playoff goal, and Zdeno Chara tacked on an empty-netter at 17:41.

Binnington saved 27 of 31 shots for the Blues, who owned the worst record in the NHL on January 6 before Berube molded them into Western Conference champions.

“If you had asked me in February whether I’d take a Game 7 on the road for the Cup, I’d say yes,” he said. “We’ve won twice up there this series.”

–By Bucky Dent, Field Level Media

Stanley Cup Final Scout

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Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues

When: 8:00 PM ET, Sunday, June 9, 2019
Where: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Preview for Digital Sport Desk by Gracenote

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ST. LOUIS – When the St. Louis Blues woke up on Jan. 3, they were facing a bleak reality entering their first game of 2019, sitting at the bottom of the pack with the fewest points in the NHL. Just over five months later, the Blues will try to complete a stunning turnaround and capture their first Stanley Cup when they host the Boston Bruins in Game 6 on Sunday night.

Much like the regular season, St. Louis has been playing catch-up against the Bruins until taking its first lead of the series, squeezing out a 2-1 victory in Boston on Thursday to give the Blues a chance to hoist the Cup in front of the home fans in their first Finals appearance since 1970. “We know what Sunday is,” captain Alex Pietrangelo told reporters about the potential Cup clincher. “But the group’s calm and we’ve done a really good job of refocusing after games. I don’t really get a feel from anybody that the emotions are too high right now.

The emotions have been running feverishly high for the Bruins after a controversial non-call led to the deciding goal in Game 5, but the players know they must bury that memory and focus on sending the series back to Boston for a winner-take-all matchup. “We understand what we need to do, it’s just a matter of putting in a full 60 (minutes),” forward Jake DeBrusk said of Boston, which is 7-3 on the road in the postseason. “They’re one win away, that’s what they’re thinking over there. We’ve just got to go into St. Louis and win a game.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, TVAS, Sportsnet

ABOUT THE BRUINS: The No. 1 line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak combined for 106 goals in the regular season and 55 points in the playoffs, but managed only two assists in the past two losses. “We can’t force it all on three individuals and say, ‘Hey, they’ve got to score or we don’t win’,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “So I get that, that they need to produce at some point. We could use a big goal from them. But we can win without them producing. We have. We’ve gotten here with secondary scoring.” Boston’s power play is 0-for-5 in the past two games after converting in each of the previous seven contests.

ABOUT THE BLUES: St. Louis turnaround coincided with the arrival of netminder Jordan Binnington, who went 24-5-1 following his promotion from the minors in early January and is coming off his best game of the Finals with a 38-save performance in Game 5. “Unbelievable,” defenseman Colton Parayko told reporters after Binnington matched a postseason rookie record with 15 wins and set another with nine road victories. “It was a huge game by him. Very impressive. … I could talk about that performance all day.” Center Ryan O’Reilly, riding a four-game point streak, has been huge in the past two wins with three goals and an assist.

OVERTIME

  1. Blues fourth-line F Ivan Barbashev will sit out Sunday, serving a one-game suspension for an illegal check to the head.
  2. Bruins G Tuukka Rask recorded shutouts in close-out wins over Columbus and Carolina.
  3. St. Louis is 7-1 in Games 5, 6 and 7 in the playoffs, outscoring its opponents 25-10.

Robbed!

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St. Louis Blues 2, Boston Bruins 1

When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, June 6, 2019
Where: TD Garden, Boston 
Attendance: 17565
Special to Digital Sports Desk by Field Level Media

Embed from Getty Images

BOSTON — To the Boston Bruins, the reaction of St. Louis Blues forward Tyler Bozak after tripping Noel Acciari in the third period of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final said it all.

Bozak immediately threw his hands up to protest a penalty that was never called. Moments later, David Perron scored what would be the game-winning goal with 9:24 to play as the Blues came away with a 2-1 victory Thursday to move one win away from their first Stanley Cup title. 

The Blues carry a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series into Game 6 in St. Louis on Sunday.

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Blues goalie Jordan Binnington made 38 saves in a brilliant performance, but after the game, most the focus was paid toward the missed call and its effect on the outcome of such a pivotal contest.

“Yeah, it is frustrating,”said Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron. “Especially with what’s at stake. Bottom line, you have to be ready for Game 6. That’s all we can focus on.”

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy wasn’t as quick to move on. Like some of his players, he pointed the finger further back to Blues coach Craig Berube calling out the officiating following his team’s 7-2 loss in Game 3 as the real turning point of the series.

“There was a complaint or whatever put forth by the opposition that seems to have changed everything,” Cassidy said. “The non-call on Acciari … it was egregious.”

Berube disagreed with the idea that his comments changed the narrative.

“I’m not here to judge the officials and calls that could have been or couldn’t have been,” he said. “They go both ways. I mean, there’s calls the other way that could have been called and they weren’t, so I don’t know what to say about that. I really don’t want to say anything about it.”

Regardless of their frustration, the Bruins made it a game late when Jake DeBrusk scored with 6:28 remaining in the third period to make it 2-1. But Binnington, who was tested from the start, held firm the rest of the way.

“We just battled it out, trusted each other, stayed with it and got better as the game went on,” said Binnington, who tied the NHL rookie record for most wins by a goaltender in a single postseason with his 15th.

Tuukka Rask had 19 saves in the loss for Boston.

No doubt energized by the presence of captain Zdeno Chara — who played despite sustaining a reported broken jaw on a puck to the face during the second period of Game 4 — the Bruins came out firing in the first period, outshooting the Blues 17-8.

However, St. Louis broke through just 55 seconds into the second period. Positioned in front of the net, Ryan O’Reilly backhanded the puck over the glove of Rask off a through-the-legs feed from Zach Sanford.

Forward David Krejci kept it a 1-0 game with a desperation save late in the second period. The Bruins nearly tied it when they got a puck on the goal line with 13 minutes left in the third, but replay confirmed Binnington never let it get over the threshold.

Perron’s controversial goal came less than three minutes later to give the Blues a 2-0 lead.

“Yeah, I know there’s something I guess the fans weren’t too happy with,” said Perron in reference to the crowd’s reaction of throwing rally towels and trash onto the ice in protest of the call.

“Obviously, when people expect things to go a certain way and it doesn’t, you know, stuff happens,” added Bozak, who described his getting tangled up with Acciari as a “puck battle.”

With Chara on the mend, the Bruins dressed seven defensemen, Steven Kampfer subbing for forward David Backes. Matt Grzelcyk, a game-time decision after returning to practice Wednesday for the first time since sustaining a concussion in Game 2, was once again out of the lineup.

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