Soul-Crushing Losses In the NHL Playoffs? It's Called (Boston) Bruins

There will never be a more wide open path to the Stanley Cup than the one laid out for the Bruins in the 2019 NHL playoffs. The Lightning, Capitals and Penguins all went down in the first round which meant that after they survived a seven game first round series vs. Toronto for the second year in a row, they got Columbus in the second round and they eliminated them in six rugged contests before sweeping the overmatched Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals. Meeting up with the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Final on paper seemed like a dream: this after all was a team that was in last place for the entire NHL on January 3. They were here for a reason but with home ice and a wealth of experience on their side, the B's surely would find a way to get their seventh Cup in franchise history and first since 2011, rectifying 2013's loss to the loaded Blackhawks in 2013.

The 2019 Stanley Cup Final is a perfect example of why we love sports: the team that nobody believed in all year (Blues) actually got the job done. Tonight at TD Garden in the first ever Game 7 of the SCF on home ice for the B's, they fell flat on their Black and Gold faces. St. Louis never trailed, scoring two goals in the first period before choking the life out of the Bruins en route to a shockingly easy 4-1 victory that clinched their first Cup in their team's long-tortured history (52 years). This series was unpredictable from start to finish so it was only right that the final chapter followed that same unpredictable route. Boston went 1-3 at the Garden vs. St. Louis, including three straight losses to close it out where they scored a grand total of four goals.

Boston had the top-ranked power play in the playoffs which is great but you can't always rely on that, especially in a Game 7 where only one penalty was called all night (delay of game on Colton Parayko in the first period). St. Louis was the better team 5-on-5 and their top defensemen (Parayko, Alex Pietrangelo and even ancient Jay Bouwmeester) completely shut down the Bruins' so-called perfection line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak. Who knows if Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington will ever turn into a star but he just set an NHL record for most wins (all 16 in the postseason) by a rookie so it's tough to knock that. Center Ryan O'Reilly earned the Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP) with 23 points (8 goals, 15 assists) which tied for the league lead in the postseason and the most points in the SCF (5 goals, 4 assists). Equally impressive, he helped make Bergeron (who has to be battling some type of injury given his ineffectiveness) turn invisible vs. the Blues. O'Reilly capped off his tour de force with the opening goal in Game 7 and an assist on the final tally which gave St. Louis an insurmountable 4-0 lead late in the third period.

Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (16 saves) was a shoe-in for the Conn Smythe if he teammates hadn't choked this all away in the biggest moment. He deserved better as he was brilliant and it's tough to dump much on him this evening despite the fact that St. Louis scored on exactly half of its shots on goal (4) in the first. In front of its loudest crowd of the postseason (who paid undoubtedly the highest price ever for a sporting event in Boston), the Bruins came out on fire, outshooting the Blues 12-4 but they had nothing to show for it. Binnington robbed Marchand, he made a nice save on David Krejci's backhander and finally had a spectacular stop on Marcus Johansson. In soccer, they talk about goals that come against the run of play and that's precisely what the Blues got when O'Reilly tipped in Bouwmeester's shot from the point at 16:47 of the first period. Pietrangelo had the second assist (his team-high 16th) on O'Reilly's goal that extended the former Sabre's point streak to six games (5 goals, 4 assists) and that gave him 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) in his last eight games.

For the most part, this was a low-scoring series aside from Boston's random offensive explosions in Game 3 (7-2) and Game 6 (5-1) at Enterprise Center. Still, 1-0 in the first period doesn't feel insurmountable. However, the Blues going up 2-0 with 7.9 seconds left in the frame was the definition of a backbreaker. For some unknown reason, Marchand decided to come off for a line change which left Pietrangelo all the time and space that he could ever dream of. The All-World Canadian and Blues captain beat Rask with a backhander for his third goal of the postseason, assisted by Jaden Schwartz who had done absolutely nothing all series. Going into the first intermission down 2-0 instead of the 1-0 it should have been (not to mention tied or even ahead) had to eat away at Boston's fragile confidence.

Boston showed that the pressure was truly getting to them in the second period as they played one of their worst stanzas of the entire season let alone the postseason. They outshot St. Louis 11-6 but there were no Grade A chances and Binnington hardly had to break a sweat. The Blues have to be one of the toughest teams in the NHL to play from behind against too because they love to just continually dump the puck in your end, make you chase it then continually pound you against the glass. The Bruins seemed flummoxed as to how to solve this problem. The team played nervy and you can't blame the fans for being equally on edge.

Comparing comebacks from other sports is silly but we had to cling to memories of the Patriots 28-3 Super Bowl comeback vs. the Falcons as if that meant anything for the B's. They huffed and puffed but could never gain any semblance of control in the game as Binnington extinguished all hope with a brilliant save on Sean Kuraly early in the third period. Brayden Schenn's one-timer at 11:25 made it 3-0 as the first wave of Bruins fans headed for the exits (who could do that after dropping so much money?). Vladimir Tarasenko and Schwartz had the assists on Schenn's fifth goal of the postseason. Salem, MA native and BC alum Zach Sanford had the honor of putting the last nail in Boston's coffin when he scored on a similar one-timer at 15:22. His first goal of the playoffs was assisted by David Perron and O'Reilly. The only thing that prevented Binnington from a joke shutout was Matt Grzelcyk's goal with an extra skater at 17:50 that cut it to 4-1 Blues. He returned to action after being out with a concussion since Game 2. David Krejci had the lone assist on the Charlestown native and BU alum's fourth goal of the postseason.

Earlier this week, Marchand talked about how that 2013 loss to Chicago still haunts him to this day and he already admitted in this postgame that this was the worst loss of his career, a sentiment echoed by another guy that's been a Bruin for a long time (Krejci). The toughest part to swallow from all of this is that St. Louis isn't a super team like the Blackhawks were in 2013. Unfortunately, I feel like in a few years, we'll look back at this Blues team as one of those fluky NHL clubs that somehow finds its way to a Cup that then proceeds to fall off a cliff never to be heard from again. Teams change every year in professional sports so undoubtedly at least one or two Bruins that we like probably won't be on the team next season. Sadly, it also is unlikely that the nucleus of Bergeron, Marchand, Krejci, Zdeno Chara and Rask that has been so productive in Black and Gold will ever capture another Cup, at least all together. This was their chance to really put a stamp on the franchise and the NHL as a whole. 2-1 in the Stanley Cup Final looks a hell of a lot better than 1-2 and frankly 2011 seems like a lifetime ago. The Cup is the hardest trophy to win in professional sports but I have a feeling that this will always be remembered by the Bruins and their fans as the painful one that they left sitting on the table.

Tweet

B's Survive Game 6 In St. Louis (5-1) To Set Up the 1st Ever Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final In Boston

The Stanley Cup was in the cookie cutter building (Enterprise Center) but the dopey people of St. Louis were left very disappointed tonight as the Bruins came into town and skated back to a real city with a very impressive 5-1 victory to tie the Stanley Cup Final series at three games apiece. That means that an epic Game 7 will be on Wednesday (8, NBC) at TD Garden and would you believe that in the long (and sometimes glorious) history of the B's, they've never hosted a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final? Needless to say, no work will be done in Boston or around New England on Wednesday for the entire day and it should be an absolutely incredible atmosphere from start to finish.

After not leading in either Game 4 or Game 5 (where not coincidentally their PP was scoreless each time), Boston eradicated both of those trends that were dragging them down. Also, the first line decided to show up with a pair of timely goals by Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy did his best Red Sox manager Alex Cora impression from last October (ie. pushing all the right buttons) as he put rookie winger Karson Kuhlman in the lineup for the first time since April 30 and of course, the undrafted rookie from Minnesota-Duluth came through with a key goal (his 1st career NHL playoff goal). Finally, goaltender Tuukka Rask (28 saves) further cemented his lock on the Conn Smythe Trophy (postseason MVP)-win or lose in Game 7-with yet another brilliant performance in a run chock full of them.

Led by their head coach Craig Berube who prefers his barbaric hockey straight out of the Stone Age, the Blues just can't help but commit stupid penalties time and again. That's why it's on the Bruins and their top-ranked power play in the postseason to take advantage. St. Louis outdid themselves early tonight with a pair of infractions (boarding on Brayden Schenn and delay of game on Ryan O'Reilly) that gifted Boston their first 5-on-3 of the entire postseason. The Black and Gold made the most of that golden opportunity as Marchand blasted in a one-timer from Pasta and Torey Krug at 8:40 of the first period. It was Marchand's ninth goal of the postseason (which tied him for the team lead with Charlie Coyle and Patrice Bergeron) and his 13th point (5 goals, 8 assists) in the last 13 games. The Little Ball of Hate leads the league with 23 points this postseason. Pastrnak (10th) and Krug (NHL-best 16th) both reached double-digit assists in the playoffs, mostly thanks to Boston's usually unstoppable power play.

For the entire contest, the B's outshot the Blues 32-29 but St. Louis predictably had their biggest push (outside of a nervy start by the visitors) in the second period when they outshot the Bruins 10-8. Conversely, the Blues' power play couldn't be much more of a liability: they went 0-for-4 (including 0-for-2 in the 2nd) this evening which added to their series ledger makes them a Claude Julien coached team-esque 1-for-18 in these six games. Yuck. Rask's best save of this one came in the second period with some help from a post and Charlie McAvoy. Alex Pietrangelo's backhander hit the post then Rask with some sort of Jedi mindtrick was able to find the puck with his glove behind his back (no seriously, this happened) and McAvoy was able to bat it away once it reappeared.

When it came to winning time-the 3rd period-Boston's veteran experience showed up in a major way as they closed out St. Louis to the tune of 4-1 over the last 20 minutes. Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington (27 saves) got handcuffed by a bouncing shot by Brandon Carlo that beat him (with a screen in front by Kuhlman) from just inside the blue line that you expect any capable NHL goalie to stop in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Carlo's second goal of the postseason was assisted by Jake DeBrusk for a 2-0 lead at 2:31. Any chance of a St. Louis comeback was extinguished by one of the most unlikely participants-Kuhlman-who became the 21st Bruin to score this postseason, tying an NHL record. John Moore is the only Bruins skater that has played this postseason who hasn't scored so I fully expect him to bury a huge goal on Wednesday with the way that this has been going.

Kuhlman sniped a wrister right under the crossbar from David Krejci at 10:15 of the third period. The only time that the Blues could beat Rask tonight came with the help of a video review (at least the NHL got that call right): O'Reilly's shot snuck over the goal line right before Rask got over to it and pushed it back over the line. O'Reilly has been St. Louis' best player this series as he picked up his seventh goal of the postseason at 12:01, assisted by Alex Pietrangelo (their other top stud) and that weasel David Perron. Pastrnak quickly helped Boston regain that three-goal lead at 14:06. Marchand sauced a beautiful backhand pass to him and he waited for Binnington to make the first move before he flipped it in for his ninth goal of the postseason with Sean Kuraly picking up the other helper. Bruins captain Zdeno Chara (and our Robot Overlord until further notice) officially clinched the victory with an empty-netter at 17:41. His second goal of the postseason made him the second oldest ever player (42) to score a goal in the Stanley Cup Final, trailing only former teammate Mark Recchi (43) who scored three goals in the 2011 SCF vs. Canucks.

At this point, there really isn't that much left to say (sorry Dave Matthews Band) but don't worry there is plenty of time before the opening puck drop on Wednesday night. This is the first time since 2011 that the Final has gone the distance and as all New Englanders (should) know, that's when Boston rallied from down 3-2 in the series to capture the Cup with an unforgettable win in Vancouver for Game 7. It seems odd to say this given the embarrassment of riches that Boston sports teams have delivered over the past decade plus but the last Game 7 of a championship series here was way back in 1984 for Celtics-Lakers.

Obviously, it's been a pretty back-and-forth series vs. St. Louis and while the Blues have proven to be a worthy (albeit extremely dirty) foe, I maintain that when the Bruins play their A game, the Blues can't match it. Keep in mind that St. Louis has been way better on the road this postseason (9-3) than they have at home (6-7) while the B's are a modest 7-5 at the Garden this postseason. Must resist the trite cliche that every bozo will be spouting until then (anything can happen in a Game 7!), ugh now I need to take a shower to wash that grime off. This has been quite an unpredictable series not to mention postseason for the Bruins and all we can hope is that they embrace this incredible opportunity to win the seventh Cup in franchise history on their home ice in front of their irrationally loyal and passionate fans.

Tweet

With A Huge Boost By The Refs, The Blues Beat the Bruins 2-1 In Game 5 to Take a 3-2 Series Lead

There is nothing that puts me to sleep faster than complaining about referees or officials in any sport, at any level (kids, high school, college, pros, etc). It is the low-hanging fruit that any slob can grab onto when their favorite team (God forbid!) loses a game. With that said, when you see something like the clown show that transpired in Game 5 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final between the Bruins and Blues tonight at TD Garden, it would be a disservice not to at least mention what actually happened. St. Louis held on for a 2-1 win and took a 3-2 series lead thanks to a no-call (midway through the 3rd period) that Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy termed "egregious."

Wouldn't you know that turned out to be the game-winning goal as the B's finally got on the board late in the third down 2-0 but they ran out of time and ultimately paid the price for going 0-for-3 on the power play and wasting 38 other shots that were stopped (some barely) by Blues rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington. It is truly a shame that a tilt with such high stakes and that featured a ton of thrilling action between the hits, saves and top-notch plays on both sides had to be decided by a garbage goal by David Perron (who else?) that shouldn't have counted after Tyler Bozak tripped/slew-footed Noel Acciari right onto his head in Boston's defensive zone.

This also wasted a Herculean effort by Bruins captain Zdeno Chara who broke his jaw on Monday in Game 4 at St. Louis. Being the cyborg that he is, some dental work at the Enterprise Center followed by surgery between games allowed him to play 16:42 this evening. Cassidy dressed seven defensemen (Steven Kampfer made his first appearance of the SCF) and sat David Backes for the first time since the Columbus series. As was the case for much of this series thus far, the B's couldn't muster nearly enough scoring chances 5-on-5 and now that their power play isn't going 4-for-4 (like in Game 3) every night, they are shit out of luck and making Binnington look way better than he is, juicy rebounds and all.

The first period was one big wasted opportunity for the Bruins as the crowd naturally went bananas every time that Chara was shown on the Jumbotron and Boston came out on fire, outshooting St. Louis 17-8. Tuukka Rask (19 saves) wasn't tested nearly as much as Binnington in the opening stanza nor the entire contest but he made some big saves when he had to. Brad Marchand continues to be mostly invisible as the best he could was take a shot that deflected off the crossbar. Like a prize fighter that takes an opposition's best body blows then counter-punches their way to victory, the Blues followed the same recipe for their second win in a row (the 1st team to do that in this SCF).

Ryan O'Reilly has been a force on faceoffs all series (19-9, 68% tonight) but his offensive output has really picked up with a pair of goals in Game 4 followed by the opening tally in Game 5. BC's Zach Sanford has gone from a healthy scratch for most of the playoffs to a key contributor to St. Louis who squeezes all the offense that it can get from a team of many plumbers and few skilled laborers. Sanford won a puck battle behind Boston's net and backhanded a nifty pass out front to O'Reilly who swung around Rask and finished a backhander of his own 55 seconds into the second period. His sixth goal of the postseason extended his point-streak to four games (3 goals, 3 assists) while also giving him nine points (3 goals, 6 assists) in his last six games. Alex Pietrangelo (who played 27:55) had the other assist-his team-leading 14th of the postseason-on O'Reilly's goal.

Boston outshot St. Louis 8-6 in the second but it was played at much more of a Blues pace as they basically are grinding the Bruins into dust before our very own eyes. The only real scoring chance for the B's was a great one by Marcus Johansson: he found himself wide open in front of Binnington but his backhander missed the net. Ironically given how the third period and game-winner played out, the Blues almost bagged what would have been another super controversial goal. With time winding down in the frame, goon Oskar Sundqvist held Torey Krug's arm which led to Pietrangelo having a lane to the net with Rask down and out of position trying to anticipate the shot. Major props to David Krejci who's done very little in the SCF but he pulled a Michael Ryder from the 2011 first round series vs. Montreal as he blocked a shot with his body that would have gone in.

Down 1-0 heading into the third, Bruins fans were understandably nervous since their team did very little to inspire confidence in them that they would figure out a way to cobble together some offense. Boston finished with 65 shot attempts (15 blocked, 11 missed net) which is an absurd sum when it only results in one measly goal. As you can probably guess even if you didn't see a second of the game, they were clearly squeezing their sticks too tight and not burying the looks that they normally would. Charlie McAvoy had a 2-on-1 but he missed the net, earlier on that same shift he had bumped into teammate Jake DeBrusk. Colton Parayko had a shot hit the post and Rask kept his team in it with a big save on Ivan Barbashev.

There is deflating (the Patriots have no idea what you're talking about) and then there's seeing such an obvious penalty go uncalled and then directly lead to a soul-crushing goal. Perron's seventh goal of the postseason was assisted by O'Reilly and the main offender-Bozak. There was a delay after the goal as plenty of water bottles and rally towels were thrown onto the ice. I'll never condone that type of idiocy but imagine paying hundreds of dollars to see that group blindness by some of the supposed best referees and linesmen in the league?

This being the Bruins, they couldn't just go quietly into the night. Nope, they were required by law to make it interesting with Jake DeBrusk's one-timer at 13:32 from Torey Krug (who got a high-stick in the face and Boston was about to go on another power play). DeBrusk's goal was only his fourth of the postseason and you can tell how much he and Krejci have been struggling that they were the line to lose a forward (Backes) in the lineup shuffle. St. Louis could have put this to bed earlier as Rask made a game-saving stop on Vladimir Tarasenko and after DeBrusk's goal, Perron had a breakaway but missed the net. After it took a couple tries, Rask was able to eventually get pulled for an extra skater and Cassidy used his timeout but Boston couldn't take advantage of multiple faceoffs in St. Louis' defensive zone with time running out.

So here we are: another Game 6 with the Black and Gold facing elimination (see 1st round at Toronto) this postseason. On the other end, St. Louis is bidding for their first Stanley Cup in 52 years of forgettable existence. Gee, do you think that you'll be tuning in on Sunday night (8, NBC)? Even through all of their success with this strong nucleus of players (Chara, Bergeron, Marchand, Rask, Krejci, etc.), I've always said that the Bruins will often find the most difficult path to get something done. Why should this campaign be any different? I have no idea what will happen in Game 6 but would it surprise you at all if the B's found a way to win to send it back to Boston for an epic Game 7 on Wednesday? Of course, before we start worrying and/or daydreaming about that scenario, they have to take care of business on the road in what should be a crazy environment of its own. All I ask is that whatever result happens on Sunday that the refs stay out of the spotlight and fade to the background where they belong. This is not the NBA, I never want to be focusing this much on them in the Stanley Cup Final.

Tweet