Final: Bruins top Blues 4-2, lead Stanley Cup Final 1-0
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 27: Alexander Steen #20 of the St. Louis Blues mixes it up with Jake DeBrusk #74 and Connor Clifton #75 of the Boston Bruins during the second period in Game One of the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on May 27, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Bruins are up 1-0 in the Stanley Cup Final after defeating the St. Louis Blues 4-2 at TD Garden on Monday night. Sean Kuraly came up with the eventual game-winner in the third.
Check below for a recap of our live updates from during the game.
Recap: Third Period
— 1:49: Brad Marchand whips it into the empty net, and the Bruins can play keep-away for another 1:49 to leave the Garden tonight with a 1-0 series lead.
— 2:13: Tuukka Rask with a few workmanlike saves in a squirrelly sequence for the Bruins. Clearing the puck still tends to be an issue for Zdeno Chara at times. The Blues called a timeout after this stoppage.
— 4:32: Blues successfully kill off the penalty, but look no more organized or energetic than they have since the Tarasenko goal. The Bruins just need to sustain the pressure they’re keeping on the Blues after their zone entries and they’ll salt this thing away. Shots currently 37-14 Bruins.
— 6:32: Bruins back to the power play. Sammy Blais is off for interference. Chance for a dagger.
— 6:58: The Bruins continue to look more like the faster, smarter, more desperate team deep into the third period. The Blues have looked tentative and even lazy at times. They’ve had barely any time in the Bruins’ zone outside of their power play.
— 10:24: In one of the most thrilling sequences of the playoffs so far, Torey Krug just freight-trained through the Blues’ Robert Thomas – without a helmet. And it happened after Krug got tangled up with David Perron in a scrum at the Bruins’ end. Clearly, Krug was feeling some adrenaline in that moment.
Torey Krug, sans helmet, steamrolls Robert Thomas pic.twitter.com/a7irGDSAS1
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) May 28, 2019
Here’s the full sequence for everyone screaming about a charge pic.twitter.com/eFi10H6zqt
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) May 28, 2019
— 13:05: David Krejci is whistled for an elbow. Bruins will have to go back to the PK less than two minutes after Kuraly’s big goal put them ahead.
— 14:39: Sean Kuraly, big goal scorer. Can we get this guy a playoff nickname? Noel Acciari whips a loose puck around to the scrum in front and Kuraly hammers it home to make it 3-2 Bruins. They have also controlled the majority of this period. Plenty of time left for the Blues, but the Bruins have dictated this game ever since the Tarasenko goal.
.@kurals9 gives the @NHLBruins their first lead of the game! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/dkGLtbZuVi
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) May 28, 2019
.@kurals9 wants you on your feet, @NHLBruins fans! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/85t0ctczgI
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) May 28, 2019
— 17:13: Now the Blues can’t clear the puck. The Bruins have been tenacious on their forecheck with all of their forward groups and the Blues have responded with mostly desperation breakout attempts. Binnington has had some work to do while Tuukka Rask has been just kinda hangin’ out.
— 19:04: Sean Kuraly with an early shot on Binnington. The Bruins have sustained zone time in the early-going here.
Recap: Second Period
— Second Period Thoughts: It appears that the Bruins have worked off the rust. The shots still aren’t quite falling and the passes still aren’t crisp, but the speed and puck battles are there. Bruins now out-shooting the Blues 26-11 through two frames after out-attempting them 21-6 in the second.
— 3:20: Marcus Johansson made a slick toe-drag into a centering pass that resulted in another scoring chance. Johansson has had his speed from the jump.
— 7:19: Back to the drawing board. Charlie McAvoy has made it 2-2 after rifling a wicked wrister from the high slot past Binnington. The Garden crowd has woken up a bit. Now the Bruins can play with a clean slate and their legs under them more than the first period.
.@CMcAvoy44 ties it! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/NMODH4chsg
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) May 28, 2019
McAvoy on the power play ties the game 2-2 #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/oBauCjRj0o
— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) May 28, 2019
— 8:56: Oskar Sundqvist is off for a cross-check and the Bruins will get another power play.
— 12:35: Blues successfully kill off the penalty, but multiple high-danger scoring chances for the Bruins. They are buzzing, but still down by one.
— 14:35: The Blues Joel Edmundson is off for a cross-check against David Backes. He also gave Backes a cowardly shove to his back while Backes was down on the ice. That drew an “A**-HOLE” chant from the crowd.
— 14:59: Bruins have some jump in their step since the Clifton goal. They are beginning to get their legs under them. The sloppy turnovers in the neutral zone have persisted, though.
— 17:44: The Bruins are right back in it. Just 1:16 after giving up an ugly goal to Tarasenko, Sean Kuraly bursts into the offensive zone then finds Connor Clifton cross-ice. Clifton tips it and it flutters over the goal line and in to make it 2-1 Blues.
Kuraly to Clifton is the Bruins’ first connection of the SCF pic.twitter.com/egkIS2lNwz
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) May 28, 2019
— 19:00: Vladimir Tarasenko has made it 2-0 Blues. Ugly turnover on a behind-the-net backhand pass attempt by David Pastrnak, who wasn’t looking and passed it right to Brayden Schenn instead of Zdeno Chara. Schenn fed it right in front to Tarasenko for the one-timer and easy goal. Not much Tuukka Rask can do there. That one is on Pasta.
Atrocious turnover by Pastrnak and Tarasenko makes it 2-0 pic.twitter.com/g0jT3JNBq2
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) May 28, 2019
Recap: First Period
— First Period Thoughts: The rust is real for the Bruins. Besides Jake DeBrusk, who looks healthy after a fireball of a first period, the Bruins mostly look just a little off with their execution. They’re also being beaten to more loose pucks than you’d expect as the faster team against a bigger St. Louis squad. The B’s have had the better chances overall, but the puck was just a little off whether it was deflected into the netting or Brad Marchand fanning on a shot. The hope is they finally work off all the rust for the second period, sort of like Columbus did two rounds ago.
— 3:15: The Blues killed off Perron’s penalty, but now they have another PK to deal with. Robert Thomas is off for a hook. It got treacherous for Binnington and the Blues on the last PK.
— 4:58: Prime scoring chance for Jake DeBrusk after he snaked through the defense to get in close on Binnington. He’s got some jump to start this game.
— 6:45: Bruins will go to the power play for the first time. David Perron is whistled for tripping Danton Heinen.
— 7:24: Clearing the puck has been an issue for the Bruins. The Blues’ size and length on the blue line is helping to keep pucks alive. The B’s have been able to get the puck deep themselves, but the Blues have had more sustained zone time and it’s reflected on the scoreboard so far.
— 12:37: Brayden Schenn puts the Blues up 1-0. He gathers a loose puck in the high slot then glides in until he finds an angle to fire it over Tuukka Rask’s right shoulder. Big early goal for St. Louis after the Bruins have generated some chances.
Schenn has all day in the slot and the Blues claim a 1-0 lead pic.twitter.com/yyCiolZ8Nm
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) May 28, 2019
GOAL. Brayden Schenn opens the scoring in the Stanley Cup Final. Blues lead 1-0. pic.twitter.com/X9QLRLUMZM
— Ryan Quigley (@ryanquigz) May 28, 2019
— 13:07: Bruins get another scoring chance with Marcus Johansson and David Pastrnak. Bruins have an early 4-2 lead in shots.
— 16:23: Sean Kuraly is whistled for tripping. Looked more like Brayden Schenn fell on his own. Bruins have to go to the PK early.
— 19:32: Charlie McAvoy gets off the first shot of the Cup Final, a long wrister easily stopped by Jordan Binnington. Sean Kuraly won a neutral zone puck battle against Alex Steen.
Pregame Updates
— The Bruins’ pregame fan banner captains will be members of the 2010-11 squad, the last B’s team to win the Stanley Cup. Among those in the group: Shawn Thornton, Gregory Campbell, Daniel Paille, Michael Ryder, Rich Peverley, Dennis Seidenberg, Chris Kelly, and Andrew Ference.
— Brad Marchand and Zdeno Chara are indeed on the ice for the Bruins’ usual pregame warmups. No funny business or horrible surprises tonight.
— Bruins winger Brad Marchand is good to go for Game 1 after a maintenance day during Sunday’s practice. Marchand had an injury scare during Thursday’s scrimmage at TD Garden, but it appears that he’ll be fine for the series.
.@Bmarch63 on the St. Louis Blues: "They're deep, they've got four really good lines...they don't have any weaknesses. They compete extremely hard...it's gonna be a really good test." pic.twitter.com/8Fmlttthwc
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 27, 2019
— Zdeno Chara and Tom Brady teamed up for an incredible pump-up video before the start of the Cup Final. Watch it below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx986f6BkSI/
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
