#TXHT‘s coverage of the #StanleyCup Finals begins tonight, but first here are some previews to read before the start of Game 1.
#NHLBruins Preview by @TheLindenbaum75 https://txhthockey.com/2019/05/27/stanley-cup-finals-preview-the-boston-bruins/ …
#STLBlues Preview by @aweisen123 https://txhthockey.com/2019/05/27/stanley-cup-finals-preview-the-st-louis-blues/ …
Well, I never thought I would be saying this, but tonight begins the first Stanley Cup Finals game in 49 years for the St. Louis Blues. In fact, I’d argue that this is the first meaningful Stanley Cup finals game in team history – though the Blues did make it to the finals each of their first three years, those don’t really count because they grouped all of the original six teams (i.e. the good teams) in one conference, so there was no chance the Blues would beat any team that made the finals.
This time, it should at least be more even. The Blues made it to the final round by dispatching of Winnipeg in 6, and Dallas in 7, while coming back from a 2-1 deficit with inexorable effort against San Jose to take that series in 6 as well.
The Blues are led offensively by Jaden Schwartz who, somewhat inexplicably, has 12 goals in 19 games after scoring only 11 during the regular season. Ryan O’Reilly is next with 14 points, followed by Vladimir Tarasenko, David Perron, and Alex Pietrangelo with 13 points. Though others are not quite putting up the points that those guys have been, the Blues have been receiving meaningful, timely, contributions by the likes of Pat Maroon, Robert Thomas, and Tyler Bozak. The team, as a whole, is scoring a rather respectable 3 goals per game (though I’d definitely like to see more).
Defensively, the Blues have allowed an average of 2.52 goals per game (including a couple of empty netters). This is pretty fantastic, and quite honestly happening during a time when Pietrangelo has not really been at his defensive best. The key for the Blues this postseason defensively has been Colton Parayko – who was integral in tempering the production of Logan Couture (which says a lot about just how good Couture is that scoring ‘only’ 5 goals last series was shutting him down).
As far as goaltending, Jordan Binnington has given the Blues what they have not had for years (…forever?) – consistency. Binnington has a .914 save percentage, allowing 2.36 goals per game, but with a quality start percentage of less than 70% and a Goals Saved Above Average of -1.36 (thank you hockey-reference.com). These are generally pretty good, but nothing mind-blowing, and overall a bit worse than what Brian Elliot gave us a few years back, but the evenness of his play – the knowledge that he is not going to go through a multi-game stretch of just being outright awful, is something all Cup contending teams need. It doesn’t matter much if a goalie shuts out a team all four games one round, and can’t stop a beach ball the next.
All this is nice, and it all also probably means nothing because you just can’t apply large-sample statistics to a small-sample series. So my final thoughts are best served not by proffering some hackneyed predictions, but a plea to the Blues: Just win. Please win. Do it for Doug Wickenheiser, who got us all too close. Do it for Brett Hull and Bernie Federko and Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger who spent careers here trying to win one for this city, and came back for a second career when their playing days were done. Do it for Scott Stevens who was unjustly taken away and so badly wanted to come back. Do it for Martin Brodeur and Wayne Gretzky who played a couple games here and decided to make St. Louis their home.
And most importantly – and I can’t stress this enough – unquestionably, undeniably most importantly, do it for me.
Blues in 6.
Thank you for following TXHT’s extensive Playoffs coverage on our 2019 NHL Playoffs page.
TXHT’s Stanley Cup Finals coverage sponsored by:
It has finally come, the rematch of 49 years ago has arrived. the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals is etched in history of Bobby Orr flying through the sky after scoring the game winning goal for the Boston Bruins over the St. Louis Blues. Now it is time for these two to face eachother again.
For the Boston Bruins this will be their third appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals this decade as they won the Stanley Cup in 2011 over the Vancouver Canucks, and then lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013. The Bruins will look to close the decade with their second Stanley Cup victory over the Blues.
How Did They Get Here?
The Bruins in the first round went to a full seven game series with their long time rivals the Toronto Maple Leafs. Then in the second round the Bruins were able to best the Columbus Blue Jackets in six games, and in the Conference Finals they would sweep the Carolina Hurricanes in four games.
Offense:
In the regular season the Bruins averaged 3.134 Goals Forward, while in the playoffs they have been lead by their top offensive players with Brad Marchand has been leading the way with 7 goals, 11 assists for 18 points. Plus the Bruins have been getting contributions from David Pastrnak (7g, 8a, 15p), David Krejci (4g, 10a, 14p), Patrice Bergeron (8g, 5a, 13p), and trade deadline pickup Charlie Coyle (6g, 6a, 12p). The Bruins top guys have been shut down in the first two rounds of the playoffs, but once they got heated up or found a way to break through the system the other teams utilized, there was nothing that could stop them.
Defense:
On defense the Bruins allowed 2.585 Goals Against per game, and are lead by their captain Zdeno Chara (1g, 2a, 3p) with a +11. Also the Bruins defense has been contributing offensively this postseason led by Torey Krug with 1 goal, and 11 assists for 12 points. Plus the Bruins have been getting contributions from their young defenders in Charlie McAvoy (1g, 6a, 7p +9), and Matt Grzelcyk (3g, 4a, 7p -2), and from their top forwards as well as both Bergeron and Coyle are +8 and +9 respectively.
Goaltending:
For the Bruins they have been getting solid goaltending from Tuukka Rask in all 17 games that they have played this postseason. Rask is 12-5 with a 1.84 GAA and a .942 Save Percentage. Rask has also recorded two shutouts this postseason.
Special Teams:
Powerplay – 50.7% (10th in Regular Season)
Penalty Kill – 79.9% (16th in Regular Season)
The Bruins are atop the league this postseason scoring on 34% of their powerplay opportunities. Also the Bruins are third during the postseason with a 86.3% on the penalty kill.
Final Thoughts:
It’s going to be interesting to see how the Bruins come out of the gate in Game 1 as they will have been off for 11 days at that point. While they have been doing scrimmages to stay fresh, it’s not the same as the real deal. Also there is the storyline now of the sweeps. Starting with the New York Islanders sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins, then getting swept by the Hurricanes, and then the Bruins sweeping Carolina. Does that mean St. Louis is going to sweep the Bruins? Probably not, but there’s still a chance for it to happen.
Prediction: Blues in 6
Thank you for following TXHT’s extensive Playoffs coverage on our 2019 NHL Playoffs page.
TXHT’s Stanley Cup Finals coverage sponsored by:
Today in NHL news Arbitrator Shyam Das issued his decision in regards to Slava Voynov’s appeal to his one year suspension, which honestly we didn’t know was happeninng and honestly shouldn’t have either, but here we are.
So here is the statement by the NHL and NHLPA in regards to Voynov’s suspension:
NEW YORK/TORONTO (May 23, 2019) – The National Hockey League Players’ Association and National Hockey League announced today that Arbitrator Shyam Das has issued his decision with respect to the appeal of defenseman Vyacheslav Voynov’s one-season suspension issued pursuant to Article 18-A of the NHL/NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement. Arbitrator Das upheld the Commissioner’s determination that Voynov be suspended for the equivalent of one NHL season, but found that he is to be credited with having already served 41 games of such suspension during the 2018-19 regular season. Accordingly, the suspension will remain in effect until the mid-point of the 2019-20 regular season.
Here is the statement by the NHL in regards to the decision on the Voynov appeal:
NEW YORK (May 23, 2019) – The National Hockey League released the following statement today regarding Arbitrator Shyam Das’ decision in the NHLPA’s appeal of Vyacheslav Voynov’s League-imposed suspension for domestic assault:
“We have reviewed Arbitrator Das’ opinion in the NHLPA’s appeal of Vyacheslav Voynov’s suspension for domestic assault, which upheld the Commissioner’s imposition of a one-season (one-year) suspension for Voynov’s off-ice conduct in October 2014. In his decision, Arbitrator Das confirmed that there was substantial evidence to support each of the Commissioner’s material factual findings as well as the quantum of discipline imposed. Arbitrator Das described his decision to grant Mr. Voynov some ‘credit for time served’ for a portion of the 2018/19 season as being due to various ‘highly unusual facts and circumstances [which] were not contemplated by the drafters of [the CBA] and do not easily fit into its procedures.’ While we do not believe Mr. Voynov was entitled to any ‘credit’ for time missed during 2018/19 season, we accept Arbitrator Das’ conclusion that the precise factual context here was unusual – including the fact Voynov has not played in the NHL since October 2014, and that he did not play professional hockey at all during the 2018/19 season.
“Taken in its totality, we are satisfied that Arbitrator Das’ decision supports our strongly held views that the conduct engaged in by Mr. Voynov in this case was completely unacceptable and worthy of significant League-imposed discipline. The decision also confirms and reaffirms the Commissioner’s broad authority under the CBA and applicable League Rules to establish – and to enforce – appropriate standards of conduct for individuals involved in the National Hockey League.”
Then we had the statement from the Los Angeles Kings who still hold the rights to Voynov:
“Today the NHL arbitrator rendered a final decision on further discipline to Slava Voynov. From our perspective, the player will not be playing for the Kings. We will now determine the impact of the arbitrator’s decision on our rights to the player and consider our options going forward.”
We here at TXHT try to stay partial, but this a topic that we are going to express our opinions freely on because we are honestly disturbed that Slava Voynov has been reinstated and served with a one year suspension opening the door for him to come back. He should never be allowed to play ever again in the NHL for what he has done. He beat his girlfriend to a bloody pulp and it’s disgusting. People like Voynov do not deserve the privilege to play in the NHL, and we applaud the Los Angeles Kings on their swift action and issuing a statement declaring that Voynov will not play for them.
The St. Louis Blues enter game 6 with a chance to earn a birth in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1970 (and really, the first meaningful one, and not a diluted conference title).
The first period started out with a bang with David Perron redirecting a Sammy Blais shot to give the Blues a quick 1-0 lead. After some staggeringly good play and control, San Jose took a penalty that let the Blues’ special teams go to work. This led to an almost immediate Vladimir Tarasenko goal (dare I say, snipe), to put the Blues up 2-0. They took this lead into the second period.
With the storm clouds over the city of St. Louis hopefully not acting as a portend, the Blues came out strong in the second, but it was San Jose’s Dylan Gambrell that added to the offense, scoring his first NHL goal, and cutting the Blues’ lead in half. This was short-lived as Brayden Schenn (finally finally) scored to bring the lead back to 2.
The third period began with San Jose getting a power play off of a Patrick Maroon trip. The Blues were able to kill it off, though San Jose kept pressuring. The Blues seemed to be playing this period not so much to win, rather not to lose, putting up zero shots as the period approached its halfway mark. After enduring this attack, the Blues capitalized again with Tyler Bozak scoring to make it 4-1. Barbashev would add an empty netter to make it 5-1.
The Blues will play the Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup.
Thank you for following TXHT’s extensive Playoffs coverage on our 2019 NHL Playoffs page.
St. Louis Blues v. San Jose Sharks
Game 5 – Series Tied 2-2
Game Recap:
Heading into Game 5 both the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues would look to win the first game of a now best of three series, and to start off both teams would trade a total of 5 odd man chances only to attribute to two hit posts and no goals scored. However, after the five minute mark Erik Karlsson would try to clear the puck up the boards and out of the zone, but it would take a weird bounce and stqy in the zone and go right to Oskar Lundqvist who would bomb it past Martin Jones to make it 1-0 for the visiting Blues.
Petition to rename Sunday to Sunnyday ☀️ #stlblues pic.twitter.com/dwg2W3SQwh
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 19, 2019
Going into the second period the Blues would put on a forechecking clinic on the Sharks and it would lead to two goals. First goal had Vladimir Tarasenko getting a shot on goal only for Martin Jones to play the rebound right to Jaden Schwartz who would shoot it right into the open net. Then Tarasenko would be at it again as he would get fouled by Brent Burns while on a breakaway to receive a penalty shot, which Tarasenko would score on to make it a commanding 3-0 lead.
LET'S 👏 GO 👏 BLUES 👏 #WeAllBleedBlue #stlblues pic.twitter.com/xLcweSKaze
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 19, 2019
In the third period the Sharks would not do themselves any favors as they would take two penalties on the same play which would lead to Jaden Schwartz scoring his second of the game when he would chip the puck over Martin Jones to make it 4-0. Then much later in the period the Blues would continue their attack on a injury depleted Sharks team as Vladimir Tarasenko and Schwartz would tag team in the Sharks zone as Schwartz would score his third of the game, and second hat trick of the playoffs, to make it a 5-0 victory and give the Blues the 3-2 series lead heading into Game 6 Tuesday night in St. Louis.
WE'RE COMING HOME WITH THE SERIES LEAD!! #WeAllBleedBlue #stlblues pic.twitter.com/nSQkrHwjhY
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 19, 2019
Lineups:
St. Louis Blues:
Jaden Schwartz — Brayden Schenn — Vladimir Tarasenko
Sammy Blais — Ryan O’Reilly — David Perron
Pat Maroon — Tyler Bozak — Robert Thomas
Ivan Barbashev — Oskar Sundqvist — Alexander Steen
Joel Edmundson — Alex Pietrangelo
Jay Bouwmeester — Colton Parayko
Carl Gunnarsson — Robert Bortuzzo
Jordan Binnington
Jake Allen
Scratched: Robby Fabbri, Michael Del Zotto, Zach Sanford, Mackenzie MacEachern, Chris Thorburn, Ville Husso
Injured: Vince Dunn (upper body)
Your Game 5 starters. #WeAllBleedBlue #stlblues | @maryvilleu pic.twitter.com/2Pb0CHRJPw
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 19, 2019
San Jose Sharks:
Timo Meier — Logan Couture — Gustav Nyquist
Evander Kane — Tomas Hertl — Joe Pavelski
Melker Karlsson — Joe Thornton — Kevin Labanc
Joonas Donskoi — Barclay Goodrow — Micheal Haley
Marc-Edouard Vlasic — Brent Burns
Brenden Dillon — Erik Karlsson
Joakim Ryan — Justin Braun
Martin Jones
Aaron Dell
Scratched: Dylan Gambrell, Tim Heed, Lukas Radil, Radim Simek, Antti Suomela, Marcus Sorensen
A few game-time decisions today so here's what we're projecting.
🗒: https://t.co/AmytYJO9oA pic.twitter.com/j3UEoWmhOV
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) May 19, 2019
Matinee showing of #GameOfJones coming up!
🗒: https://t.co/AmytYJO9oA pic.twitter.com/VGonxJ4cly
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) May 19, 2019
First Period:
Blues Goal – 5:50 – Oskar Sundqvist (4) from unassisted
The fourth line comes up big again!!!! #stlblues #WeAllBleedBlue pic.twitter.com/gWtEAJq1TB
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 19, 2019
Blues Penalty – 15:18 – Jay Bouwmeester 2 minutes for Delay of Game
End of 1st – STL – 1 SJ – 0
Shots 04 11
Faceoffs 10 08
Hits 18 13
PP 0/0 0/1
Second Period:
Blues Goal – 3:05 – Jaden Schwartz (10) from unassisted
That's TEN playoff goals now for Jaden Schwartz. #stlblues #WeAllBleedBlue pic.twitter.com/R5RxfaHVQx
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 19, 2019
Blues Penalty Shot – 6:53 – Vladimir Tarasenko – Goal (7)
OH BABY!!!!! #stlblues #WeAllBleedBlue pic.twitter.com/DQJPMzDFKS
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 19, 2019
Sharks Penalty – 10:43 – Joonas Donskoi double minor for High Sticking
Blues Penalty – 11:23 – Tyler Bozak 2 minutes for Hooking
End of 2nd – STL – 3 SJ – 0
Shots 24 16
Faceoffs 23 18
Hits 28 35
PP 0/2 0/1
Third Period:
Sharks Penalty – 1:55 – Barclay Goodrow 2 minutes for Roughing
Sharks Penalty – 1:55 – Micheal Haley 2 minutes for Interference
Blues PPG – 2:19 – Jaden Schwartz (11) from David Perron (6) and Vladimir Tarasenko (4)
Schwartz x2 #stlblues #WeAllBleedBlue pic.twitter.com/saqhDfsbRy
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 19, 2019
Sharks Penalty – 7:13 – Micheal Haley 2 minutes for Unsportsmanlike Conduct
Sharks Penalty – 7:13 – Micheal Haley 10 minute Misconduct
Sharks Penalty – 8:35 – Timo Meier 2 minutes for Tripping
Blues Penalty – 13:12 – Joel Edmundson 2 minutes for Slashing
Blues Goal – 16:02 – Jaden Schwartz (12) from Vladimir Tarasenko (5)
Jaden Schwartz is the first player to have multiple hat tricks in a single postseason since Detroit’s Johan Franzen in 2008. pic.twitter.com/6Y9eK5I8J7
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 19, 2019
Sharks Penalty – 17:13 – Evander Kane 2 minutes for Goalie Interference
Sharks Penalty – 17:13 – Evander Kane 2 minutes for Slashing
Sharks Penalty – 17:13 – Evander Kane 10 minute Misconduct
End of 3rd – STL – 5 SJ – 0
Shots 40 21
Faceoffs 36 27
Hits 34 52
PP 1/8 0/2
Next Up:
Game 6 – STL/SJ Leads Series 3-2
Thank you for following TXHT’s extensive Playoffs coverage on our 2019 NHL Playoffs page.
San Jose Sharks v. St. Louis Blues
Game 4 – SJ Leads 2-1
Game Recap:
Going into Game 4 the St. Louis Blues come into their home barn with a chip on their shoulder after how Game 3 ended in overtime in the San Jose Sharks favor, and it wouldn’t take long either for the Blues as Ivan Barbashev would get the puck on net and past Martin Jones to make it 1-0 35 seconds into the game. Then later in the period on their second powerplay opportunity the Blues would strike again as Justin Braun would inadvertently kick the puck between Jones’ legs to give the Blues a 2-0 lead going into the first intermission.
The boys are FIRED UP. #WeAllBleedBlue #stlblues pic.twitter.com/6pigxORUMH
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 18, 2019
Not an ideal start, but there's still plenty of time left. #PlayoffMode pic.twitter.com/H4yLARJbhP
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) May 18, 2019
Going into the second period both teams would share opportunities, and also featuring a Sharks powerplay that they could not do anything with. Both teams would get some godd chances at both ends, but the game would remain 2-0 going into the second intermission.
Got pucks on net. Now we just need pucks in net. #PlayoffMode pic.twitter.com/EI6tK731CW
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) May 18, 2019
In the third period it would be special teams striking again, but this time for the Sharks as Brent Burns would bomb a shot through Jordan Binnington and Tomas Hertl would tap the puck in to make it 2-1 on the powerplay. Then in the final two minutes of the game the Sharks would pull Jones for the extra attacker and they would force great pressure in the Blues zone, but the Blues would withstand the surge and take Game 4 2-1 to tie the series at two games a piece.
THIS SERIES IS TIED!!!!!!! #WeAllBleedBlue #stlblues pic.twitter.com/ew4PMp38EY
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 18, 2019
Lineups:
San Jose Sharks:
Timo Meier — Logan Couture – Gustav Nyquist
Evander Kane — Tomas Hertl — Joe Pavelski
Melker Karlsson — Joe Thornton — Kevin Labanc
Marcus Sorensen — Barclay Goodrow — Joonas Donskoi
Marc-Edouard Vlasic — Brent Burns
Brenden Dillon — Erik Karlsson
Joakim Ryan — Justin Braun
Martin Jones
Aaron Dell
Scratched: Micheal Haley, Dylan Gambrell, Tim Heed, Lukas Radil, Radim Simek, Antti Suomela
How the #SJSharks are starting things off tonight. #PlayoffMode pic.twitter.com/vkpskcd6ua
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) May 18, 2019
Martin Jones between the pipes 🥅
🗒: https://t.co/WvJ5qmnymw pic.twitter.com/nLuSN3CjEQ
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) May 17, 2019
St. Louis Blues:
Jaden Schwartz — Brayden Schenn — Vladimir Tarasenko
Sammy Blais — Ryan O’Reilly — David Perron
Pat Maroon — Tyler Bozak — Robert Thomas
Ivan Barbashev — Oskar Sundqvist — Alexander Steen
Joel Edmundson — Alex Pietrangelo
Jay Bouwmeester — Colton Parayko
Carl Gunnarsson — Robert Bortuzzo
Jordan Binnington
Jake Allen
Scratched: Robby Fabbri, Michael Del Zotto, Zach Sanford, Mackenzie MacEachern, Chris Thorburn, Chris Butler, Ville Husso
Injured: Vince Dunn (upper body)
Tonight's starters. #WeAllBleedBlue#stlblues | @maryvilleu pic.twitter.com/hO4z0UkiCB
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 18, 2019
First Period:
Blues Goal – :35 – Ivan Barbashev (1) from unassisted
35 SECONDS IN BARBASHEV MAKES IT 1-0!!!!! #stlblues #WeAllBleedBlue pic.twitter.com/dr5shWmxbk
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 18, 2019
Sharks Penalty- 5:09 – Brenden Dillon 2 minutes for Holding
Sharks Penalty – 17:44 – Timo Meier 2 minutes for Hooking
Blues PPG – 17:53 – Tyler Bozak (4) from Pat Maroon (4) and Vladimir Tarasenko (3)
With Timo Meier in the penalty box for a stick infraction, Tyler Bozak scored on the power play. #stlblues #WeAllBleedBlue pic.twitter.com/bCmqg4kSmv
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 18, 2019
End of 1st – SJ – 0 STL – 2
Shots 09 10
Faceoffs 11 09
Hits 11 15
PP 0/0 1/2
Second Period:
Blues Penalty – 5:41 – Sammy Blais 2 minutes for Hooking
Blues Penalty – 8:24 – Brayden Schenn 2 minutes for Roughing
Sharks Penalty – 8:24 – Marc-Edouard Vlasic 2 minutes for Slashing
End of 2nd – SJ – 0 STL – 2
Shots 20 18
Faceoffs 18 18
Hits 14 24
PP 0/1 1/2
Third Period:
Sharks Penalty – 4:35 – Brenden Dillon 2 minutes for High Sticking
Blues Penalty – 6:01 – Alex Pietrangelo 2 minutes for Interference
Sharks PPG – Tomas Hertl (10) from Brent Burns (11) and Erik Karlsson (14)
Just needed a liiiiittle bit of help to go in the net. #PlayoffMode pic.twitter.com/sMDwfjbKiV
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) May 18, 2019
Blues Penalty – 9:52 – Ivan Barbashev 2 minutes for Tripping
Sharks Penalty – 12:33 – Bench (Kevin Labanc) 2 minutes for Too Many Men
End of 3rd – SJ – 1 STL – 2
Shots 30 22
Faceoffs 27 32
Hits 15 29
PP 1/3 1/4
Next Up:
Game 5 – Series Tied 2-2
Make sure to follow TXHT’s extensive Playoffs coverage on our 2019 NHL Playoffs page.
Boston Bruins v. Carolina Hurricanes
Game 4 – BOS Leads 3-0
Game Recap:
Heading into Game 4 with the potential to clinch the series in Carolina, the Boston Bruins will have to do it without their captain and veteran defenseman Zdeno Chara who is listed as “day to day”.
UPDATE: Zdeno Chara (day-to-day) will not play in tonight’s game.
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 16, 2019
In the first period both teams would trade chances, and both teams would get at least one powerplay opportunity each, but neither would capitalize on their opportunities.
Twenty minutes in the books! pic.twitter.com/uVwJWg5rW2
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) May 17, 2019
Going into the second period the Carolina Hurricanes would shoot themselves in the foot when they would take a too many men on the ice penalty, and the Bruins would take advantage as David Pastrnak would get the puck past Curtis McElhinney to make it 1-0 less than five minutes into the period. Then much later in the second period, Carolina would get themselves into penalty trouble again as Patrice Bergeron would score from the slot area as McElhinney did not have a chance on the shot.
Two on the PP in the second.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/5InuYYeo79
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 17, 2019
Going into the third period it would be do or die for the Hurricanes, and despite their best efforts a turnover in their own zone midway through the period would push the game more out of reach as David Pastrnak would exhibit great patience to feed Patrice Bergeron for his second goal of the game to make it 3-0.
EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS!!! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/HCapuk77Bl
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 17, 2019
Lineups:
Boston Bruins:
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk — David Krejci — David Backes
Marcus Johansson — Charlie Coyle — Danton Heinen
Joakim Nordstrom — Sean Kuraly — Noel Acciari
Matt Grzelcyk — Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug — Brandon Carlo
John Moore — Connor Clifton
Jaroslav Halak
Scratched: Steven Kampfer, Karson Kuhlman
Injured: Chris Wagner (right arm), Kevan Miller (lower body), Zdeno Chara (day to day)
John Moore is in for Big Zee. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/0soywvtfqT
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 17, 2019
Carolina Hurricanes:
Andrei Svechnikov — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen
Nino Niederreiter — Jordan Staal — Justin Williams
Warren Foegele – Lucas Wallmark — Brock McGinn
Micheal Ferland — Greg McKegg — Saku Maenalanen
Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton
Brett Pesce — Justin Faulk
Haydn Fleury — Calvin de Haan
Curtis McElhinney
Petr Mrazek
Scratched: Jake Bean, Patrick Brown
Injured: Jordan Martinook (lower body), Trevor van Riemsdyk (left shoulder)
TONIGHT'S
LINEUP
IS
IN pic.twitter.com/XLOYpFW4et— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) May 16, 2019
Grit and Grind.
Keys 👉 https://t.co/Inb8Z8fpc3 pic.twitter.com/BvNSg0lRfo
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) May 16, 2019
First Period:
Bruins Penalty – 1:18 – Matt Grzelcyk 2 minutes fot Tripping
Hurricanes Penalty – 10:35 – Nino Niederreiter 2 minutes for Slashing
Bruins Penalty – 12:19 – Charlie Coyle 2 minutes for Interference
WOWOWOWOW 😱 pic.twitter.com/ob6ZAnTJHF
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) May 17, 2019
End of 1st – BOS – 0 CAR – 0
Shots 10 13
Faceoffs 12 10
Hits 08 07
PP 0/1 0/2
Second Period:
Hurricanes Penalty – 4:26 – Bench (Justin Williams) 2 minutes for Too Many Men
Bruins PPG – 4:46 – David Pastrnak (7) from Brad Marchand (11) and Torey Krug (11)
Speed kills.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/7L4ZLUA5ZP
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 17, 2019
Hurricanes Penalty – 18:10 – Greg McKegg 2 minutes for Goalie Interference
Bruins PPG – 18:34 – Patrice Bergeron (7) from David Pastrnak (7)
That's six power-play goals for Bergy this postseason.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/1hzQBio4BW
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 17, 2019
End of 2nd – BOS – 2 CAR – 0
Shots 18 18
Faceoffs 25 23
Hits 15 19
PP 2/3 0/2
Third Period:
Bruins Goal – 10:32 – Patrice Bergeron (8) from David Pastrnak (8)
These two are having a night.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/RD9EbGcKWi
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 17, 2019
Bruins ENG – 17:43 – Brad Marchand (7) from Patrice Bergeron (5) and David Krejci (10)
End of 3rd – BOS – 4 CAR – 0
Shots 23 24
Faceoffs 35 31
Hits 17 33
PP 2/3 0/2
Next Up:
Stanley Cup Finals – Boston v. STL/SJ
The @NHLBruins are off to the #StanleyCup Final for the 20th time in franchise history and third in the last eight years (also 2011 and 2013). #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/qRpiFLjZob
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) May 17, 2019
Make sure to follow TXHT’s extensive Playoffs coverage on our 2019 NHL Playoffs page.
The St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks started out about the same way all the games these playoffs have for the Blues – without them. The Blues mustered only four shots the entire period en route to a 2-0 deficit. Erik Karlsson scored the first goal (unassisted), followed by Joe Thornton’s first of the game.
The second period was entirely different. Alex Steen opened the scoring to cut the lead to 2-1. Thornton netted his second of the game to increase San Jose’s lead back to 2, but the much maligned (unfairly, to this writer), Vladimir Tarasenko brought the Blues back to 3-2. Now, the game got really fun. David Perron committed what should have been a delay of game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass, but it was missed by the referees (of note, it is very fun to see Peter DeBoer’s incredulous face). He then proceeded to score the next two goals to give the Blues a 4-3 lead entering the third.
The Blues generally outplayed the Sharks in the third, with no team scoring until about 1 minute left, where Couture tied the game at 4, after a series of laughable, contemptuous icings by Alex Pietrangelo, then a poor defense play by him. I generally think Petro is a wonderful player, but he has been simply bad this series.
Hey everyone! Michael here. Aryan asked me to take over and cover the overtime period(s) of this tightly contested Game 3 between the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues.
In overtime both teams would trade chances in the first five minutes of the extra period, but then on a controversial play that saw Timo Meier bat the puck with his hand in front of the Blues net to Gustav Nyquist who would then pass it to Erik Karlsson who would shoot the puck past Jordan Binnington to win the game 5-4 in overtime and take the 2-1 series lead.
Clearly a hand pass by Meier, but unfortunately this is not a reviewable play and the fact that all four officials missed this call the goal cannot be reversed. St. Louis got the short end on this one and will be motivation going into Game 4.
Make sure to follow TXHT’s extensive Playoffs coverage on our 2019 NHL Playoffs page.
The Carolina Hurricanes hosted the Boston Bruins in Raleigh tonight. The Bruins came into the game with a 2-0 lead in the series, and both victories were in convincing fashion. The Hurricanes came to tonight’s game to try and take advantage of their home ice; as coming into tonight, they are undefeated at PNC Arena.
GAME 3 LINES 👇 pic.twitter.com/hCVGx9XpTg
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) May 14, 2019
Starting out like this for Game 3.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/YYtv5j8Syk
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 15, 2019
In the first period, the Hurricanes came out flying, trying to capitalize on the momentum of home ice, but the Bruins weathered the storm. The first period would have no scoring, but the Hurricanes out-shot the Bruins 20-6. The period also featured a ton of penalties between the two teams. The Bruins took six penalties and the Hurricanes took four penalties, with both team’s PK units taking care of business.
A big first for Tuukka and the PK.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/mVY6eJrolh
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 15, 2019
All the scoring in this game happened in the second period. The Bruins would quickly strike first in the period, at a little over a minute in. It would be Chris Wagner, who would notch his second goal of the playoffs.
#HesFromWalpole@chriswags23 | #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/jOfuiqqKdS
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 15, 2019
The Bruins would proceed to take a 2-0 lead in the game about five minutes later, when everyone’s favorite hockey player Brad Marchand would notch his sixth goal of the playoffs. A back hand shot in the slot, beating McElhinney.
Silky.@Bmarch63 | #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/eEAxSD83dB
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 15, 2019
The Hurricanes would get one back, as seven minutes later Calvin de Haan would notch his first goal of the playoffs with a nice slap shot goal from the circle, beating Rask five hole. The goal would be de Haan’s first career playoff goal. The period would end 2-1 in favor of the Bruins.
Let 'er rip! pic.twitter.com/sEoRxegrpL
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) May 15, 2019
In the third period the Bruins held on as the Hurricanes would throw 10 more shots at Rask, who stopped them all. As Boston’s defense again made the difference in seeing out the 2-1 victory and the win would give the Bruins a commanding 3-0 series lead. For the Hurricanes this loss represents the first loss at home for them in the playoffs.
Check out the @CDWCorp postgame infographic from tonight's #NHLBruins win. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/O2gMm8rMje
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 15, 2019
It was a battle.
Game 4 Thursday. pic.twitter.com/lQeYqhxn9o
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) May 15, 2019
Game 4 will be on Thursday at PNC Arena in Raleigh, where the Hurricanes will look to avoid the sweep.
Boxscore
https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-car/2019/05/14/2018030313#game=2018030313,game_state=final
3 Stars of the Game
Tuukka Rask
Chris Wagner
Calvin de Haan
Make sure to follow TXHT’s extensive Playoffs coverage on our 2019 NHL Playoffs page.