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Hockey fans in the city of St. Louis waited a half century for that? The Blues were ambushed in Game 3, playing their first Stanley Cup Final game on home ice since getting swept by the Boston Bruins in 1970.
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Boston grabbed a 2-1 series lead with the 7-2 victory and can take a commanding lead with a win Monday night in Game 4. The Blues have responded with a win after each of their last four playoff losses and they’ll need to do it again to knot the series.
Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues Game 4
Date and Time: Monday, June 3, 2019, 8 p.m. ET
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO
Opening Odds: St. Louis -120, Boston +100, O/U 5.5
Bruins at Blues TV Coverage: NBC
Odds Analysis
The Bruins bounced back from their overtime loss in Game 2 to regain home ice advantage and they can put a stranglehold on the Blues with a win on Monday night. Boston improved to 14-6 this postseason and their goal total in the 7-2 victory on Saturday was a playoff high and just one off the franchise playoff record. The Bruins have scored a playoff-high 70 goals averaging 3.5 per game. Despite that the Over is just 8-12.
St. Louis really hasn’t had a home ice advantage this postseason, but if they ever need it to be a factor Monday is it. The Blues fell to 5-6 at the Enterprise Center in the Stanley Cup playoffs with Saturday’s loss. They’ve also been outscored 33-28 in those 11 games. The Blues have been able to win big games on home ice, though. All three series clinching wins came at home with one-goal victories over Winnipeg and Dallas in the first two rounds followed by a 5-1 trouncing of San Jose in the Western Conference Final.
Bruins
Known as a solid team when playing 5 of 5, the Bruins are even more deadly when playing with a man advantage. That was evident on Saturday when the Bs converted all four of their power play opportunities, helping pave the way to a big victory. And the PP has been off the charts during the playoff run. The Bruins have 23 goals with the extra attacker and they are converting at a ridiculous 35.9 percent clip. They also got their top line scoring, which could lead to some opportunities at even strength.
Top-line center Patrice Bergeron tallied a goal and two assists, and linemates Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak got on the scoresheet. Game 3 was all about special teams with the Boston scoring on its four power plays while limiting St. Louis to one PPG in five chances. It was the Blues first power play marker of the series. Meanwhile, Tuuka Rask has been stellar in net. He’s allowed two goals or fewer in 14 of his 20 starts and owns a sparkling 1.91 goals against average and .939 save percentage.
Blues
It may have been a case of over excitement for the Blues, who played their first Stanley Cup Final game at home in 49 years. And they’re still looking for that first win. There’s a fine line between being physical and illegal, and the Blues have crossed it. A team that grinds and wears down opponents can’t do that when spending time in the penalty box. And they’ve paid the price. The Blues aren’t going to change their style of play, it’s what got them here after having the fewest points in the NHL in January, but they need to be more disciplined.
They also need Jordan Binnington to have a short memory. Binnington was yanked for the first time this season in the second period of Game 3 after allowing five goals. Not all were his fault as the defense crumbled under the constant barrage. “We have to limit the penalties for sure,” Craig Berube said. He’s also going back to Binnington in net for Game 4. “My confidence level in his is really high,” Berube said of his netminder.
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The Blues have been a resilient group and I don’t see that stopping in the biggest series of their lives. Playing shorthanded and from behind takes them out of their game and they aren’t a squad built to play catch up. They need to stay out of the box and special teams needs to come up big, either with a clutch kill or a PPG. The Blues have shown the ability to bounce back after defeats and I anticipate Binnington will be on top of his game with plenty of help from his mates. Boston is tough, but they are beatable, and I like the Blues to even the series with a home victory.
Stanley Cup Final Prediction: St. Louis 3, Boston 2
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