BOSTON — Colton Parayko, like all young hockey players, dreamed of this scenario as a little kid. Game 7, Stanley Cup on the line, a game for it all with his friends on either the pavement or an outdoor rink somewhere. He won every time, of course.
If Parayko and his St. Louis Blues teammates are going to realize their Stanley Cup dreams, they need to win Game 7 Wednesday night at TD Garden (8 p.m. ET; NBC; live stream). Another big game on the road.
The road has been good to the Blues as they sport a 9-3 record away from Enterprise Center this postseason.
“We had a lot of practice on the road in January and February,” said Blues head coach Craig Berube. “I think that really helped a lot.”
[NBC 2019 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]
What Berube is referencing is the stretch that started the turnaround of the Blues’ season. In January and February, St. Louis went 11-3-2 on the road and during that 11-game winning streak eight of those wins happened away from home. That’s a way to help build confidence when you’re not playing on familiar ice
“We play a simple style of hockey: getting pucks deep, forechecking, that kind of thing,” said Berube. “I think that goes along with our road success, how we play.”
Game 7 won’t be a typical road game, however, no matter how much the Blues try to keep their preparation the same as it’s been. Everyone knows what’s at stake and their Game 6 defeat that spoiled a huge party in St. Louis is already out of their minds. What happened Sunday can’t affect what happens Wednesday night.
“That’s it, winner take all. It’s one game,” said Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo. “Get your mind ready because it’s just one more game.”
Blues-Bruins Game 7 from TD Garden in Boston will be Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
MORE BLUES-BRUINS COVERAGE:
• Win or lose the Conn Smythe should belong to Rask
• Blues, Cardinals team up to offer Busch Stadium Game 7 viewing party
• How much it costs to attend Game 7 of Blues-Bruins
• St. Louis newspaper gets roasted for ‘jinxing’ Blues before Game 6
————
Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.