Blues at Bruins
The Boston Bruins made a loud statement -- psychologically and physically -- that the road to the Stanley Cup must go through them and that standing in their path carries a risk of getting run over. A stirring comeback and thunderous hit right out of "Slap Shot" enabled the Bruins to take a 1-0 series lead into Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals versus the visiting St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night.
It may not rival the iconic image of Bobby Orr flying through the air after scoring the Cup-clinching goal versus St. Louis in 1970, but Bruins defenseman Torey Krug left an indelible mark on Game 1, going airborne after his helmet-less, open-ice thunderous check on Robert Thomas in the third period. “That was pretty cool," Boston forward Brad Marchand said after his team's eighth consecutive win in the postseason. "There’s a lot of plays that people look back on in playoffs and talk about for a long time. That will be one of them." While the Blues prefer to look ahead rather than dwell on the series opener, they were manhandled in more ways than Krug's hit, squandering an early two-goal lead and getting outshot 30-12 over the final two periods. "It's not always going to be perfect," rookie netminder Jordan Binnington said after St. Louis fell to 7-3 on the road in the playoffs. "It's Game 1. It's a seven-game series. We're going to regroup and come back at 'em."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, SN, TVAS
ABOUT THE BLUES: Defenseman Vince Dunn, sidelined since Game 3 of the Western Conference finals after getting hit in the mouth by a shot, practiced for a third straight day Tuesday and could be back in the lineup for Game 2. "Obviously a ton of skill, moves his feet well, skates very well and makes a good first pass and plays power play," center Tyler Bozak said of Dunn, who has seven points in the postseason and scored in two of his previous three games before he was injured. "Obviously it's nice to have the depth we do, and guys can step in when guys get hurt." Binnington, who posted a 24-5-1 mark since he was called up from the minors in early December, is 5-2 in the playoffs following a loss.
ABOUT THE BRUINS: Fourth-line center Sean Kuraly added to his clutch performer reputation by setting up Boston's first goal before scoring his third-game winner of the playoffs. Kuraly, along with linemates Noel Acciari and Joakim Nordstrom, also had to do some heavy lifting defensively when coach Bruce Cassidy matched them up against St. Louis' No. 1 unit after the Blues struck for two goals. “One of the strengths of this team is that we have four lines that can produce at any given time on any given night,” forward Marcus Johansson said. "It’s not just they scored the goals, I think they led the group to take the game over in to being more physical and I think that is what won us the game.”
OVERTIME
1. Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said he was fine after receiving stitches to close a cut sustained in the third period.
2. Blues F Brayden Schenn has scored in back-to-back contests following a 13-game goal drought.
3. Boston has won all nine playoff matchups against St. Louis, which is 0-13 all-time in Stanley Cup play.