Boston Takes Game 1 of Final Over Blues

After a very lengthy layoff for the Boston Bruins, the puck finally dropped on Game 1 of their Stanley Cup Final bout against the St. Louis Blues. It was 49 years ago when these two teams played opposite each other in a Stanley Cup Final. And it has been 49 years since the Blues were in a Final.

Though the shots on goal in the first period didn’t show it, it was clear that the Bruins were shaking off a bit of rust. While they weren’t completely outplayed by the Blues, there were some situations in which it was clear that the Bruins weren’t completely up to their normal speed. So perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise when Brayden Schenn notched the first goal for the Blues at 7:23 of the opening period.

One minute into the middle period and things looked like they were going to go St. Louis’ way, as they got their second goal of the game, this one coming from Vladimir Tarasenko—marking his 9th goal in the postseason. The Bruins didn’t waste any time in responding, when defenseman Connor Clifton got the Bruins on the scoresheet a little over a minute later. And it became clear that Boston was tilting the ice in their favor. From the moment that Tarasenko scored, the Bruins denied the Blues any opportunities to shoot on net for almost seven straight minutes. The Blues would get one more puck on Tuukka Rask in the second period exactly four minutes after their second at 11:44, and that would be the last time Rask would have to stop the puck during the middle frame.

Meanwhile, while again on the power play, Boston’s Charlie McAvoy tied the game at 12:41. The man advantage for the Bruins was the result of a high sticking call on Joel Edmundson who got his stick up around the throat of David Backes. It was the third penalty for the Blues, and it was apparent with each opportunity on the power play that the Bruins were getting back to what makes them dangerous when they are on the man advantage.

Going into the second intermission the teams were tied, but the shots on goal were an astounding 26-11, with the Bruins having put 18 shots on rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington, as opposed to the three that Rask saw.

Physicality throughout the first two periods had certainly been a factor, as both teams seemed happy to trade hits. During the first period the edge went to St. Louis who had one more hit than the Bruins. During the second period the Bruins edged the Blues by one hit.

The Bruins have been strong in the third period throughout much of the postseason, so it was perhaps not surprising when they came out strong in that final frame once again. At 5:21 of the third, Sean Kuraly showed how important the fourth line is to the Bruins, by getting the B’s the go-ahead goal. Of course, a one-goal lead in a Stanley Cup Final game is not as much breathing room as any team would like, but Boston continued to limit the Blues in shots on Rask at that point.

Perhaps the biggest hit, and biggest “controversy” of the game, depending on whose take was read afterward, was the solid hit by Torey Krug on Robert Thomas at 9:41 of that third period. There had been some pushing, shoving, what have you, at the other end in front of Rask, between David Perron and Krug. It resulted in Krug’s helmet coming off. He continued up the ice and landed a huge hit on Thomas that had everyone at TD Garden on their feet.

With 2:13 remaining in regulation, the Blues head coach Craig Berube pulled Binnington for the extra attacker and 24 seconds later, Brad Marchand put the puck in the empty net to ensure the Bruins would win the first game with a final score of 4-2.

The Bruins know that this was just one game, and they expect a response from the Blues when they gather again on Wednesday night for Game 2 in Boston before the teams head off to St. Louis for the following two. However, it was certainly a big win for the team in black and gold, especially as many were concerned that their lengthy layoff would make them ineffectual in the first game.