- To some extent, Game 3 felt over minutes into the second period. After Sean Kuraly’s 3-0 goal stood, David Pastrnak made it 4-0 on the resulting penalty from the Blues’ offside challenge. Even when the Blues showed a modicum of life in making it 4-1, Torey Krug’s power-play tally made it 5-1 about a minute later. We may not see much garbage time in this series, but the third period felt mostly like that, although the Bruins still managed to score against Jake Allen after he replaced Jordan Binnington. Yeah, it was that kind of night for the Blues.
Boston Bruins 7, St. Louis Blues 2 (Boston leads SCF 2-1; Game 4 airs on NBC at 8 p.m. ET on Monday (stream here).
The Bruins’ power play supremely overpowered the Blues in Game 3. Boston went 4-for-4 on the man advantage on Saturday, and all four of those goals were scored in the first minute of those opportunities. Pretty mind-boggling stuff, and it made for a tough - and short - night for Jordan Binnington. When you lose 7-2, one thing can’t explain your struggles, and that was true here. Boston also dominated at even-strength, and scored the first four goals of Game 3, making you wonder how much St. Louis’ modest successes came from the Bruins merely taking their feet off the gas a bit. It would be surprising if we see more blowouts in this series, although the Bruins are playing at a level that continued dominance isn’t out of the question.
[NBC 2019 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]
Three Stars
1. Torey Krug
Krug might have topped his wild, helmet-less hit from Game 2 with his Game 3 performance, as he managed an impressive one-goal, three-assist night. Krug’s four points is the most in a single SCF game in Bruins history.
The defenseman’s four points topped all players in Game 3, as he continues to be one of the leading catalysts of Boston’s peerless power play. His 5-1 goal killed any sense of momentum for the Blues, while all three of Krug’s assists were primary ones. Krug logged 22:09 TOI with an output that slightly outpaced other players, such as a strong secondary choice:
2. Patrice Bergeron
Bergeron scored an important 1-0 goal for the Bruins, beginning a dominant night for Boston’s power play. He also added two assists (though both secondary), and after some attention was drawn to Game 2 issues like relative struggles on draws, Bergeron went 11-8 in the faceoff circle on Saturday.
If you want, you can look at the top two stars as a collective award for the Bruins’ deadly power play in Game 3.
3. Charlie Coyle/Marcus Johansson
It would be too easy for the Blues to chalk everything up to special teams.
While Johansson scored his goal (and Coyle collected his assist) on a victory lap power-play goal to make it 7-2, the Bruins’ deadline duo also combined for a very nice goal to make it 2-0. Johansson provided a great setup, while Coyle showed great timing and precision in scoring that goal. So, each forward ended Game 3 with a goal and an assist.
You could make a decent argument for Tuukka Rask (27 out of 29 saves), Joakim Nordstrom (two assists), and maybe some others. That’s the nature of a 7-2 whooping. Coyle-Johansson deserve a mention for their great work, both on Saturday, and in general.
Factoids
- Boston’s four power-play goals ties for second all-time in a Stanley Cup Final game. Only the 1980 Islanders scored more with five.
- More on PPG dominance: Bergeron leads this postseason with seven PPG, which is two short of the record (nine by Mike Bossy [1981] and Cam Neely [1991]).
- Bergeron’s three points push him to 102 playoff points during his career, tying Phil Esposito for the second-most in Bruins history. He’s 60 behind Ray Bourque for first all-time, but hey, second isn’t bad.
How to watch Game 4
Game 4 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final airs on NBC at 8 p.m. ET on Monday (stream here).
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.