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Blues win first Stanley Cup by bottling Bruins

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The Blues win Game 7, 4-1 and stifle the Bruins on the road behind 32 saves from Jordan Binnington to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

The wait is over for the St. Louis Blues.

This franchise has been around since 1967, so leave it to Jordan Binnington - a goalie in his first season, who only recently became the Blues’ starter - to lead them to the promised land.

And boy, did Binnington ever do that. The Blues won their first-ever Stanley Cup by beating the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 7, but that final score is awfully misleading.

The Bruins dominated the flow of play, particularly during the first period, yet found themselves down 2-0 after the opening 20 minutes. The Bruins didn’t just roll over and die after falling in that early hole, but they also couldn’t find much room against St. Louis, who played a perfect road Game 7 with everything on the line.

Whenever the Bruins did find some daylight, Binnington slammed the door shut. Binnington ended Game 7 with 32 saves, with some of his best work coming in the first period, although his third-period save on Joakim Nordstrom probably ranked as the backbreaker.

While the Bruins’ lone goal spoiled the shutout for Binnington, it’s fitting that Alex Pietrangelo’s goal will stand as the game-winner. That tally, which came with less than 10 seconds remaining in the first period, made it 2-0, and really deflated the Bruins.

As brilliant as Tuukka Rask had been during the Bruins’ run within one win of another title for the city of Boston, Binnington was far superior on this night, and that’s what most of us will remember from Game 7.

Judging by the reactions in St. Louis, it’s also a performance that Blues fans won’t ever forget.

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.