After a wild comeback that included a very angry Torey Krug, the Boston Bruins took Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals and defeated the St. Louis Blues 3-2. Despite the slow start that saw the Bruins looking a bit rusty after an 11-day layoff, they quickly found their legs and dominated the rest of the game. Tonight, Boston will be looking to keep the momentum going as they face a St. Louis team who will no doubt come out looking to take at least one game at the TD Garden.
EVERY LINE COUNTS
Monday night’s game saw great plays from all lines, with contributions from the back end to the first line. With the Bruins down 2-0, both defensemen Connor Clifton and Charlie McAvoy got Boston on board, tying up the game. Blue-liner Sean Kuraly once again notched the winning goal that moved the Bruins ahead of the Blues. Brad Marchand placed the final nail on the coffin when he scored an empty netter, making the final score 4-2.
PUSHBACK
Expect continued strong shifts from all Bruins lines tonight, and a more ready Blues team, who undoubtedly will make adjustments to their game. Boston held practice yesterday and will hold an optional pregame skate this morning. For St. Louis, Jordan Binnington will most likely get the start in net. The rookie goaltender made 34 saves, and understandably looked less than happy with the goals that squeaked by him. Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask made 18 saves, and now has .940 save percentage in the post season, with a 1.85 goals against average.
Players to watch: Brayden Schen and Vladimir Tarasenko. Blues Coach Craig Berube stated Robert Thomas will sit out for tonight’s game. Thomas was famously hit by Torey Krug in a shot heard around the hockey world. St. Louis has been in this position before when they faced the San Jose Sharks, dropping Game One to battle back to win the Western Conference. The Bruins will continue to play a fast and more physical game as they look to once again get through the Blues big defense.
LOOKING AHEAD
“We knew what our best game looks like and we’re confident we can win. We know the first one wasn’t what we wanted and we’re going to respond and tie the series up. That’s our plan and we’re just going to keep taking it one day at a time.”
Blues Forward Ryan O’Reilly
“We weren’t too happy with the way the game was going….weren’t playing our game and I think after the second goal, our guys, that kind of woke us up. We needed something good to happen and it did.”
Bruins Coach Bruce Cassidy
WHEN TO WATCH: Tonight with puck drop just after 8:00 pm, TD Garden, Boston
WHERE TO WATCH: NBCSN
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