2019 Stanley Cup Final Preview: A Matchup 49 Years in the Making

2019 Stanley Cup Final Preview: A Matchup 49 Years in the Making

May 27, 2019 Off By Jordan Stoopler

The Boston Bruins and the St. Louis Blues will meet in this year’s Stanley Cup finals, beginning on Monday night at Boston’s TD Garden. This pivotal matchup comes 49 years since the last time both teams met in the finals, a 4-0 Bruins sweep capped off by Bobby Orr’s memorable overtime goal against Blues netminder Glenn Hall, which had him airborne.

A lot has changed in the interim as both teams prepare to do battle once more.

Tale of the Tape:

BOSTON BRUINS

Regular season record: 49-24-9 (107 points, second in Atlantic division)

How they got here: Defeated Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in best-of-7 Eastern Conference First Round; defeated Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2 in best-of-7 second round; defeated Carolina Hurricanes 4-0 in best-of-7 conference final

Top playoff scorers: Brad Marchand (7 goals, 11 assists, 18 points in 17 games), David Pastrnak (7 goals, 8 assists, 15 points in 17 games), David Krejci (4 goals, 10 assists, 14 points in 17 games)

Goaltending: Tuukka Rask (12-5, 1.84 goals-against average, .942 save percentage, 2 shutouts)

Special Teams: Power-play 17 for 50 (34%) Penalty-kill 44 for 51 (86.3%)

Stanley Cup finals pedigree: 20th finals appearance, third in last nine years, after 2011 and 2013

Stanley Cups: Six (most recent: 2011)

The Bruins have flown under the radar on the way to the Stanley Cup finals, finishing 21 points behind Tampa Bay for top spot in the Atlantic Division. Boston took advantage of the Lightning’s early playoff exit and some other surprise eliminations to make their way to the final.

They are coming in hot, having won their last seven playoff games, only giving up nine total goals over that span. Much of that has to be attributed to the play of Tuukka Rask, who, after a modest regular season, has been lights out these playoffs. He has particularly been unbeatable in series-clinching games, shutting out both Columbus and Carolina in the deciding game to send his team into the next round.

Naturally, much of the focus will also be centered on the team’s top line of Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron. The trio has scored 38.6 per cent (22 of 57) of the Bruins’ total goal output these playoffs.

Another player to keep close tabs on is former Blues captain and current Bruin David Backes. He has been somewhat of an enigma for Boston since signing a lucrative five year $30 million contract July 1, 2016. Backes has just 91 points in 201 regular-season games as a Bruin, including just seven goals and 20 points in 70 games this past season. He has collected just five points in eleven post-season games. His decade in St. Louis and many good friends on the other side might spur Backes towards a productive Cup final, production-wise.

The Bruins may, however, be a victim of their own success. Their four-game sweep of the Hurricanes has meant the team has had a 10 day layoff between series. While the rest will undoubtedly help the banged-up 42 year old d-man Zdeno Chara, it is fair to ask whether or not the Bruins might experience some rust in their play, at least to start the Finals. Fourth-line forward Chris Wagner, who picked up three points in the two regular-season games against the Blues, is also likely to miss the beginning of the playoffs with a right arm injury.

ST. LOUIS BLUES

Regular season record: 45-28-9 (99 points, third in Central division)

How they got here: Defeated Winnipeg Jets 4-2 in best-of-7 Western Conference First Round; defeated Dallas Stars 4-3 in best-of-7 second round; defeated San Jose Sharks 4-2 in best-of-7 conference final

Season Series: 5-2 Bruins win January 17, 2019 at Boston, 2-1 Blues shootout win February 23, 2019 in St. Louis

Top playoff scorers: Jaden Schwartz (12 goals, 4 assists, 16 points in 19 games), Ryan O’Reilly (3 goals, 11 assists, 14 points in 19 games), Vladimir Tarasenko (8 goals, 5 assists, 13 points in 19 games)

Goaltending: Jordan Binnington (12-7, 2.36 goals-against average, .914 save percentage, one shutout)

Special Teams: Power-play 12 for 62 (19.4%) Penalty-kill 32 for 41 (78%)

Stanley Cup finals pedigree: 4th finals appearance (first since 1970)

Stanley Cups: None

It has been a tale of two seasons for the St. Louis Blues. The team began the year in a rut, going 7-9-3 through their first 19 games or quarter mark of the season. This prompted general manager Doug Armstrong to fire head coach Mike Yeo, replacing him with then interim bench boss Craig Berube, who had been an associate coach under Yeo since.

The team, then coming off being shutout for the third time in their past four games and sitting last in the Central division, were in such of some sort of spark to avoid missing the post-season for the second consecutive season. After all, they had invested much money in free agents (Tyler Bozak, David Perron, Pat Maroon) and made a blockbuster trade last summer for centerman Ryan O’Reilly.

It did take some time for the Berube effect to take its course, so much so that the Blues stood at 15-18-4 , good for last place in the entire National Hockey League as late as January 2nd.

St. Louis is seeking to become the first team to win Lord Stanley’s chalice after having been in last place beyond the team’s 20th game of the season. Berube had his team buy into the defensive aspect of the game and play with some “edge”, creating a team identity the group could rally around.

Beyond Berube, the play of rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington was a catalyst behind the Blues turnaround in the new year. The Blues went 30-10-5 down the stretch, with 25-year-old Binnington starting in 30 of those contests, beginning on January 7th. From there, he supplanted Jake Allen as the Blues starter, going 24-5-1, to go along with a 1.89 GAA (to pace the NHL), .927 SV% and five shutouts. Binnington, who played 28 games with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League last season with the Blues not having a farm team last season, was nominated for the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in recognition of his exploits.

These playoffs, the Blues have received contributions up and down their lineup, as evidenced by the 18 different players who have scored a goal these playoffs in their lineup. Most notably, perhaps, Jaden Schwartz has made a name for himself these playoffs, potting 12 goals in 19 playoff games. His 12 markers is one more than the 11 total goals he scored in 69 regular-season games this past season.

On the injury front, defenseman Vince Dunn is the only casualty, having missed the last three games after taking a shot in his mouth.

Who will win the 2019 Stanley Cup Final?

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CategoryNHL Uncategorized
TagsBackes Binnington Blues Bruins Rask stanley cup