SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 06/10/19 Anaheim Ducks 1146437 End of an era … Ducks ready move on from Corey Perry 1146478 Can former Blackhawks goalie Darling rebound from a this summer and go younger season of injury and tragedy? Columbus Blue Jackets 1146438 The Bruins broke free and scored often 1146479 Scott Harrington happily proves his worth 1146439 Bruins refuse to lose, beat Blues to force Game 7 1146440 No glory — or play ‘Gloria’ — for Blues after they bungled Game 6 1146480 Matt Patricia, Darren McCarty enjoy NASCAR experience 1146441 Tuukka Rask wins game of keepaway at MIS 1146442 Now the Bruins can give Boston a third championship this 1146481 Detroit Red Wings 2017 NHL draft review: Some quality sports season choices amid quantity 1146443 For Bruins, deep playoff runs become a hairy situation 1146482 2019 Final: Bruins vs. Blues, Game 6 live 1146444 Bruin Karson Kuhlman was called to fill in, then he scored chat a big in Game 6 1146445 Marcus Johansson, one of best Bruins in postseason, is a Edmonton Oilers free agent at season’s end 1146483 Trading for Loui Eriksson: What makes sense for the 1146446 Newspaper sends premature congratulations message to Oilers? the Blues 1146447 Stanley Cup Today: Will the Bruins force Game 7 or do Minnesota Wild the Blues end 51 seasons of waiting? 1146484 Ahead of a huge offseason, here’s a look at the current 1146448 Tuukka Rask unflappable as Bruins avoid elimination 2019-20 Wild depth chart 1146449 Brad Marchand to the Game 6 rescue for Bruins again 1146450 Bruins fans cheer them on to Game 7 NHL 1146451 Bruins rout Blues, force Game 7 in Stanley Cup Final 1146485 Suiting Up Hockey’s Stars, One Stitch At a Time 1146452 With season on line, Bruins go with Kuhlman 1146486 Stanley Cup Finals Headed to Game 7 After Bruins Wallop 1146453 Bruins’ Torey Krug standing tall in Stanley Cup Final Blues 1146454 Blues’ Robert Thomas back for Game 6 vs. Bruins 1146455 For Bruins, Blues home ice has been no advantage 1146456 Bruins pregame notes: Season on the line in Game 6 1146487 Fan behavior reaches more lows, and even creeps into 1146457 Talking Points from the Bruins' 5-1 win in over the Blues in front office Game 6 1146458 These Tuukka Rask stats bode well for Bruins in Game 7 1146459 Bruins' Zdeno Chara set Stanley Cup record in Game 6, 1146488 A Marleau return would set up an epic farewell tour for Mr. will set another in Game 7 Shark, Jumbo 1146460 Bruins remain undefeated in Stanley Cup Final when Brad 1146489 Sharks' Logan Couture could finish as NHL ' top Marchand scores goal scorer 1146461 Bruins and Blues to play first ever Stanley Cup Final Game 7 in Boston St Louis Blues 1146462 The Jim vs. Pam Office rivalry goes back to the 2004 1146490 Thomas back in for Game 6 as Blues look for first Stanley World Series Cup 1146463 Torey Krug's playoff scoring not seen by Bruins d-man 1146491 On the cusp of the Cup: Can the Blues shut out all the since Ray Bourque noise for Game 6? 1146464 Jordan Binnington's stats in series-clinching games will 1146492 BenFred: Perron quiets critics, mentors teammates during make Blues confident in Game 6 underappreciated postseason 1146465 Bruins' fantastic Stanley Cup Game 6 hype video has one 1146493 Hochman: A Blues win Sunday would start the party of simple message parties in St. Louis 1146466 Patrice Bergeron on do-or-die Game 6 mentality: "You go 1146494 Blues notebook: Vladi's a daddy once again out there and give everything you've got" 1146495 Hochman: Q-&-A with the 'Keeper of the Stanley Cup,' 1146467 Report: Blues already have victory celebration planned who is in St. Louis for Game 6 1146468 Backes hopes to be back in for Game 6, knows B's need 1146496 Thomas skates in practice, could be back for Blues in to do 'whatever it takes' Game 6 1146469 With another outstanding performance, Tuukka Rask 1146497 Rookie Thomas may return to action for Blues in Game 6 makes his own legend 1146498 Outmatched: Bruins force Stanley Cup Game 7 with 5-1 1146470 The right thing to do: Why Karson Kuhlman was the spark win over Blues plug for Bruins in Game 6 1146499 The evolution of Vladimir Tarasenko as a leader for the 1146471 Stanley Cup final report card – Game 6 Blues 1146472 Blues goalie Jordan Binnington stumbles in Game 6 Buffalo Sabres 1146500 How summer moves could impact Lightning’s expansion 1146473 Patrice Bergeron's words stir Bruins to Game 6 win protection list for Seattle 1146474 Potential Cup clincher is latest marquee event to hit St. Louis 1146475 Stanley Cup final: Blues go for the clincher in Game 6 1146476 Williamsville's Andrew Poturalski named AHL playoffs MVP 1146477 Running on fumes, champs: Checkers capture hockey title not a day too soon Vancouver Canucks 1146502 Canucks don't expect surgery to drop Peyton Krebs' draft stock 1146503 Canucks Under The Microscope: Bo Horvat 1146501 Caps goalie Braden Holtby honored to be back at Capital Pride Parade Websites 1146504 Sportsnet.ca / Bergeron's pre-game speech motivates Bruins to push Final to Game 7 1146505 Sportsnet.ca / Coach's Corner: Small plays what makes Blues' Pietrangelo a 'winner' 1146506 Sportsnet.ca / Three UFA risks to be wary of overpaying this summer 1146507 TSN.CA / Bruins veterans slam Stanley’s case shut, force Game 7 1146508 TSN.CA / Winning the Stanley Cup would be a family affair for Blues 1146509 USA TODAY / Bruins rout Blues 5-1 to force Game 7 of Stanley Cup Finals 1146510 USA TODAY / Newspaper accidentally posts ads congratulating Blues for winning Stanley Cup ... before actually 1146511 USA TODAY / Stanley Cup Final: Blues can end 52-year championship drought in Game 6 1146512 USA TODAY / Stanley Cup Finals: Time, TV, streaming info and everything you need about Game 6 of Bruins- Blues SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1146437 Anaheim Ducks “It’s a really tough day for all of us,” Getzlaf wrote in a text message. “I love that guy and have been through everything with him in one way or another.”

End of an era … Ducks ready move on from Corey Perry this summer Perry captured one of the league’s signature awards in a Ducks sweater, and go younger which even Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya or Scott Niedermayer couldn’t put among their Hall of Fame credentials. He has been beloved in Anaheim and reviled just about everywhere else for his ability to piss off By Eric Stephens Jun 8, 2019 opposing players and often get the last laugh against them on the scoreboard. Goal-scoring artist? Goalie-bothering nuisance? Both.

There were the occasional struggles he had finding that net in the The two have seemingly been joined at the hip since they walked up to postseason — three times putting up zeroes in first-round knockouts. the stage at the then-named Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville There also was scoring the final goal in a clinching Game 5 blowout of about a half-hour apart 16 years ago. Ottawa to start the Cup celebration and wrapping the puck around a Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry have experienced the highs of hoisting a deked and fallen Cam Talbot the double- winner in the zany Stanley Cup and winning Olympic gold medals together, as well as Game 5 against Edmonton, capping the stunning Comeback on Katella celebrating each other’s impressive individual achievements. Along with that’s right up among the franchise’s greatest moments. those have been commiserating over the lows of playoff failures, No question, Perry is now not that All-Star who was on the short list of coaching dismissals and individual struggles. the best right wings in hockey. At 34, it’s a strong bet he won’t ever be The two forwards were drafted nine picks apart, broke into the NHL that again. That’s part of why the Ducks are at that hard-to-ever-imagine together and became bookend superstars who helped define the Ducks decision they’re making. for well over a decade. They were “The Twins” who provided relevance They’ve needed to get younger, and Murray is working on that in the from an often-ignored franchise used to fighting for attention. When you rebuild he doesn’t want to call a rebuild. And they must be more efficient talked about the Ducks in virtually any manner, their names invariably and prudent when it comes to managing the cap and putting the Ducks came up in the conversation. back on a path toward being a playoff team and one that can win rounds. An era of them holding Anaheim’s fortunes on their collective shoulders Behind the scenes, the cost-conscious club knew it couldn’t make real was coming to a close. Now the two as teammates appears to be at finis. moves forward if it was tied to three huge contracts that carried a decreasing return. Getzlaf is still part of the Ducks’ future but Perry won’t be. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported Saturday the Ducks are working on a trade of the Ryan Kesler’s potential absence for all of next season as he recovers winger, and if a deal cannot be facilitated with a team, the club will look to from a second major hip surgery opened a door for greater cap flexibility. buy him out. The former is not a tremendous surprise given how Perry His $6.875 million hit can be stashed away on long-term injured reserve. has declined in recent years and the amount he is still owed for the And now the jettisoning of Perry has the potential of stretching that remaining two years of his contract. The latter might be an absolute flexibility even further. shock. Whether it’s a trade or a buyout, the Ducks are going to be on the hook Without doubt, Anaheim general manager Bob Murray has great respect for some portion in actual cash or cap hit. Getting another team to agree for the former Hart Trophy winner and is keeping his agents at to a deal figures to have the Ducks retaining a large portion of salary — it Mississauga, Ont.-based Newport Sports Management firmly in the loop. could be as much as 50 percent, though they would obviously look for a He has to. Perry’s eight-year, $69 million contract signed in 2013 — much lower amount — as a starting place in trade talks. It would likely during the lockout-shortened season and before successive years of 43, have to include a sweetening piece of a high draft pick or a better 33 and 34 goals — contains a full no-movement clause, so he has the prospect on an entry-level contract the acquiring club sees as NHL- power to veto any deal that may come across his table. bound who can have an impact.

Without doubt, Murray also has Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli But even if they were left to pay as much as $7.5 million, a trade would fully involved in the contemplation of a major financial move they all keep them from having Perry counted against their cap until 2023 the typically frown upon. A buyout of Perry would put them on the hook for way a buyout would. And while there would be $6 million in cap savings $11 million of the $15 million in hard cash that is, as of now, due to him. for 2019-20, that drops to $2 million in 2020-21 and then there’s Making up that $11 million is an $8 million salary for 2019-20 and a $3 the charge of $2 million against for the following two seasons. million signing bonus that must be paid. Another factor pushing Murray and ownership to cut ties is Perry tying up If the latter occurs — which is very possible given the difficulty of a roster spot that could go to someone making far less — maybe even engineering the trade of an aging, high-salaried forward with an NMC six figures instead of seven. Looking at right wing alone, the Ducks would and decreased production over the last three seasons — it represents have to find room for the veteran while having Jakob Silfverberg, Troy quite a shift by ownership to green-light such a maneuver. They’ve Terry, Daniel Sprong, Ondrej Kase and Kiefer Sherwood in the mix. All bought out just three players in the salary cap era (Todd Bertuzzi, Mark are younger and better skaters at this stage. Fistric and Simon Despres). But as we speculated last month and There wouldn’t be any calls for a trade or buyout if the sheer numbers recently debated that such a move must be considered, they’re now from Perry were better, except they’ve gone down from 34 goals and 62 seeing this path as one they’re willing to go down. points in 2015-16, to 19 and 53, to 17 and 49. And now he is coming off a But before we dig more into the dollars and sense, let’s look at the sheer season of six and 10 in just 31 games, the result of MCL and meniscus meaning of this. surgery in September.

Another sign has been posted that an era for the Ducks is ending. A How much value does he have now? An NHL scout believes Perry has season with Perry no longer on the only team he has ever played for worth “for sure” in the trade market or in free agency, which he would would now leave Getzlaf as the lone remaining member of the 2007 Cup enter if a buyout occurs during the June 15-30 window. “I would keep him squad, and the pictures of that climb to the mountaintop are now or try to move him,” the scout said. “Not buy him out.” collecting dust. A run of six straight years of playoff appearances — two And if he can fully recover and strengthen his knee to where he can of which culminated in conference finals — crashed this past season and capably move pain-free about the rink, Perry still has the know-how in the had Murray leading the call for dramatic change. As he considers this, offensive zone to be a threat for a team. He could be a renewed the GM is deep in the process of choosing a new head coach. contributor for a contender seeking to add someone who’s been through Reached by The Athletic early Saturday evening, Getzlaf looked right at the postseason wars at a heavily discounted rate, or settle in as a mentor the significance of losing a running-mate he has fed and fed off in their with something to prove to set a professional example for a team flush intertwined careers. The two were unquestionably among the NHL’s top with youngsters and cap space. duos over their prime years, which were many. For the finisher, 988 A former NHL executive told The Athletic he believed Perry would games, 372 goals, 404 assists and 776 points. For the setup man, 984 probably get two years at around $4 million per season, if Perry gets games, 261 goals, 662 assists and 923 points. bought out. But that appears to be left for one team among the other 30 to decide. The Ducks, with a bit of a heavy heart, have said it is time they move on. No. 10 might join the other three numbers hanging up in the Honda Center rafters and it may still appear on the backs of some fans entering the arena on game night, but it won’t be appearing on the ice this fall.

And that’s still tough for the star who remains to fathom.

“I guess we all know there is an end one day,” Getzlaf said. “But until it happens …”

The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146438 Boston Bruins linemate put in some serious pregame preparation to get ready for his role.

■ continued in his role of lead pest. Once again, he got up The Bruins broke free and scored often in Tuukka Rask’s grill, this time as the first period ended. Rare for a guy with his offensive skill to be that kind of agitator. Not that Marchand lacks anything in the skill-and-agitation department, but the Li’l Ball o’ Hate is a Adrian Walker li’l more subtle about it than Perron. The Bruins had Perron on their acquisition radar back when then-GM Peter Chiarelli was shopping for

swaps on Phil Kessel. “I didn’t think we dumped pucks in very well,” said Blues coach Craig ■ One way to break the Blues pressure: home run passes. Charlie Berube. “I thought we kinda put pucks to bad areas. Whether our McAvoy threw a beauty to Danton Heinen with 4:17 gone in the second, forwards didn’t soft chip it enough to get it to good areas — or be and Heinen closed to the top of the crease with a great chance, only to physical enough with our forwards. I didn’t think we got in their quick have reach in with his stick at last second and enough to win enough battles with our forecheck. disruptHeinen’s shot. “There were a lot of battles there — but we lost them.” ■ Marchand was tossed in the box for tripping Pietrangelo with a nasty The Bruins’ first goal, a power-play snipe by Brad Marchand during a 5- trip at 9:11 of the second. Right call. But it was precisely the same play, on-3 advantage, had them playing with a lead again, after going 0:00 with Tyler Bozak on Noel Acciari, that was not penalized in Game 5 at the the lead in Games 4 and 5. Playing with the lead, or “downhill” in coach Garden, leading to a 2-0 St. Louis lead. When the Lords of the Boards Bruce Cassidy’s terms, has been a key for the Bruins this playoff season. debate refereeing inconsistency, that vid comparison should be Exhibit A.

Boston’s forwards also were key in breaking that relentless Blues energy. ■ ’s shot that provided the 2-0 lead was a 58-foot wrister Playing slightly tighter to their defensemen in their own end, the forwards that bounced some 10-12 feet in front of Jordan Binnington and beat the made themselves available for passes and retrievals. They weren’t guilty to the paddle side. Best knuckler throw by anyone in a Boston of blowing the zone — leaving too early — in prior games, but they were uniform since Tim Wakefield. more attentive in their own end of the ice. Boston Globe LOADED: 06.10.2019 Cassidy felt the adjustment began in Game 5 — when the Bruins had 65 shot attempts to the Blues’ 41 — and rightly credited the Blues showing good pressure for the start on Sunday. But it began to break down in the second.

“If that trend continued, I thought, ‘It’s really going to be tough for us tonight,’ ” said Cassidy, the traction really beginning to change once Brad Marchand nailed in the 1-0 lead. “I thought in the second period we did a much better job handling it. Numbers at the puck. Get our feet moving. When the defensemen do recover the puck, you’ve got to make sure you take a couple of steps and live to fight another day by either pitching it out to the neutral zone — or just back them off. We were able to do that better.”

The Blues fired 59 shots attempts, and the Bruins only 47. Part of that imbalance was because the Blues were awarded four power plays (double the Boston chances). In the first 40 minutes, the Blues landed 19 shots on net — 12 of which were on the power play.

The Bruins scored three times at 5 on 5, and finally showed they can get inside the stout, punishing Blues defensemen.

“They’re big guys — if you don’t get positioned, you have no chance on their D to keep it alive,” said Cassidy. “We did better on the walls. That’s where this series is tilted in their favor. We’re not strong on the walls in our own end [under the forecheck], they keep pucks alive, we get fatigued. As a result, we get worked down low and they score their goals.”

■ The Bruins again were reluctant to land hits in their offensive end. The Blues again used their forecheck to keep the Bruins pinned in their end in spurts in the first period. They establish that forecheck with punishing hits. The Bruins opt to use quick sticks, and few hits, in the offensive zone. They can survive and win with that finesse game. The Blues prefer power. One or the other will walk out of the Garden with the Cup.

■ The hometown crowd, ready to celebrate the first Cup in franchise history, lost its edge considerably when Marchand ripped home the David Pastrnak pass for the 1-0 lead. The energy drain was obvious . . . and understandable. They were in full party mode, and the party went out of town.

■ Ryan O’Reilly came out snortin’, and won five of his six faceoffs in the first period. He also nearly connected on a shorthanded attempt only seconds after the Bruins were awarded their first power play — a boarding call on Brayden Schenn vs. Joakim Nordstrom. Not a good first period for Patrice Bergeron at the dot. Patrice The Thief lost all but one of his seven drops. When the night finished, Bergeron was a tepid 8 for 18 (44 percent) and O’Reilly 14 for 21 (67 percent).

■ Brett Hull, a huge star here in his Golden Brett days, was a constant presence as a cheerleader, seen numerous times on the vid board ginning up the crowd. Just a guess, but it looked like Adam Oates’s old 1146439 Boston Bruins Quiet for most of the series, the top line (two goals) and second line (one goal, on the ice for another) showed up when the Bruins needed them most. Pastrnak scored his first even-strength goal of the series. Kuhlman Bruins refuse to lose, beat Blues to force Game 7 had his first career playoff goal.

When Carlo’s bouncer struck gold, the Bruins could taste it.

Adrian Walker When Kulhman’s snap shot went off Binnington’s elbow and in — making him the 21st Bruin to score this postseason — they knew.

When Pastrnak put one under the bar with 5:54 left and Chara, the “He’s a legend,” Jake DeBrusk said after the Bruins forced a Game 7 of captain playing with a busted jaw, sailed home an empty-netter from his the Stanley Cup Final, to be played Wednesday night in Boston. “To see zone, it was well in the bag. him set the tone that way, it made us want to run through a wall.” The fans chanting “We Want the Cup” in the final minute were thinking David Pastrnak called Bergeron’s message “unbelievable leadership. It’s wishfully. insane what this guy brings to the team every single day,” he said. “Sharing moments like he did . . . it touched every single one of us and The Cup is on its way to Boston. Someone will win it Wednesday night. got us going.” “It’s going to be exciting,” Marchand said. “We’re not going to get caught It is unusual that teammates won’t say what Bergeron’s words were. up in the excitement of it. We’re going to prepare the same way.” They would only relay the gist of it. Coach Bruce Cassidy called it If they play the same way, they’ll have all summer to celebrate. “tremendous.” Bergeron himself told a French reporter that he stressed that, “We are in a situation that is everyone’s childhood dream here and Boston Globe LOADED: 06.10.2019 we must realize it.”

Charlie McAvoy said more, and with reverence.

“It was an element of what the dream is,” McAvoy said. “Growing up, every one of us shares the same dream.

“We were all a little kid once and we all wanted this bad. And I think it was just an element of savoring this moment and not letting it end tonight. It was exactly what we needed. He stepped up. When he talks, you listen.”

And the Bruins silenced these Blues, whose fans had swarmed into downtown on a warm, sunny afternoon long before Bergeron, who has been quiet, put his stamp on this series. An estimated 40,000 filled Market Street, hoping to experience hockey heaven for the first time in their team’s 52-year history.

They left cursing the name of Tuukka Rask, the ace netminder who stopped 28 shots, 12 of them on Boston’s perfect kill (4 for 4).

While St. Louis waits for its first Cup, the Bruins will try for their first Game 7 Cup win at home. A Cup Final has never before come to Causeway Street tied, 3-3. It will be the first Game 7 for a championship in Boston since the Celtics defeated the Lakers in 1984.

Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo, Karson Kuhlman, David Pastrnak, and Zdeno Chara scored for Boston, but there was Rask, with the opponent poised to clinch the Cup, and he looked 10 feet tall to a frustrated group of St. Louis shooters.

“Good for Tuukka,” Cassidy said. “He’s allowed us an opportunity to play in a Game 7. I think the whole hockey world loves a Game 7, so it should be a great night in Boston and may the best team win.”

In the other net, Jordan Binnington came up small.

The rookie let a one-hop wrister from Carlo skip past him at 2:31 of the third period, a backbreaker that gave Boston a 2-0 lead. The knuckling try from 58 feet went through traffic, skipped about 10 feet in front of the net, and squirted under Binnington’s arm. Carlo, who had a shorthanded goal in Game 5, has his first two career playoff goals at the most critical time.

Binnington didn’t have much of a chance to stop Marchand’s 5-on-3 one- timer, which gave Boston a 1-0 lead at 8:40 of the first. Binnington was beat by a killer shot from Kuhlman, who sent a rocket far side at 10:15 of the third. The Bruins, for the first time this series, carried 5-on-5 play. They outshot the Blues, 26-16, and outscored them, 3-1.

The Blues, ferocious on the forecheck, had 43 shot attempts through two periods, but the Bruins blocked 12. It was as if the players were told they couldn’t have their name etched on the Cup unless they laid in front of a slap shot. They finished with 16 stuffs, a major reason St. Louis dropped to 1 for 18 on the PP in the series.

When shots did get through, Rask was massive, stopping tips, deflections, and anything straight on. The only goal he allowed was a Ryan O’Reilly stuff-in that was shown via replay to be just over the line. 1146440 Boston Bruins

No glory — or play ‘Gloria’ — for Blues after they bungled Game 6

Adrian Walker

“Credit Boston, they played well,” coach Craig Berube said after his team’s 5-1 loss.

The Bruins struck first midway through the first period — a goal Berube pegged as an early difference maker. Already on a power play, Boston earned another man-up advantage when Blues center Ryan O’Reilly couldn’t clear the puck and was whistled for delay of game. Fifty-eight seconds of 5-on-3 is a surefire recipe for generating scoring chances, especially when the league’s best power play unit of the postseason is on the attack.

Left wing Brad Marchand notched his first non-empty netter score of the series, giving the Bruins a 1-0 lead they would never relinquish.

“When you score first, it changes a lot,” Berube said. “Obviously, it gives you a ton of confidence and momentum. I liked our start. I thought we were pressuring and we were on it. If you score, probably a different game. But that’s the way it goes.”

“You’d like to get the first one and get the crowd involved,” added center Brayden Schenn.

Despite four power-play opportunities to notch an equalizer, the Blues couldn’t find the back of the net in the first or second period.

Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask, who finished with 28 saves, played a critical role in maintaining Boston’s advantage, fending off nearly everything that came his way. His teammates helped, too, blocking 12 shots over the course of the opening two periods.

“We had some good looks,” Berube said. “Could [our power play] be better? Yeah, it has to be better. That could have won us the game tonight. We had good looks. We had 12 shots on the power play tonight, but we definitely have to bury a couple.”

“There were a few times there that that could have given the spark we needed to transfer the momentum,” added center Ryan O’Reilly, who tallied St. Louis’s only goal of the game. “Unfortunately, we didn’t.”

Despite trailing 1-0 after 40 minutes, the Blues seemed pleased with their effort. “Two periods of tight hockey,” as Berube put it. The final frame, however, told a different story.

Defenseman Brandon Carlo fired a shot from nearly 60-feet out that tumbled past goaltender Jordan Binnington and into the net, giving the Bruins a 2-0 lead. Rookie Karson Kuhlman, making his series debut, notched his first goal of the postseason eight minutes later to make it 3-0. The pair of daggers deflated the crowd, and all but secured a Game 7 in Boston.

Berube said he didn’t think the pressure of the moment — an opportunity to clinch the franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup at home — got the best of his team. The group will once again have to keep their emotions in check upon taking the ice Wednesday night at TD Garden.

Speaking in platitudes, the Blues insisted they’ll be ready.

“We got pick ourselves back up and get back at it,” Binnington said.

“We know if we play our best game, we can get it done,” O’Reilly said.

“We know we need to play better,” echoed team captain Alex Pietrangelo.

The Blues referenced their strong 9-3 road playoff record this season, including two wins in Boston this series, as reasons for their confidence.

“We’ve said in this locker room, if you would have told us in January that we have a Game 7 to win the Stanley Cup, we’d be pretty excited,” Schenn said.

Boston Globe LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146441 Boston Bruins radio airwaves and barstool conversations saying, “I hope he’s converted a few. . . . I hope fans recognize what he did tonight. I think you have to as a fan acknowledge when a player plays well. I know in this town when Tuukka Rask wins game of keepaway you don’t you hear about it and that’s fine, too. But tonight he played well and hopefully the people get behind him and acknowledge that.”

He’s only gotten better since. ] Adrian Walker “It goes without saying. He has been a big reason why we’re in this position,” Patrice Bergeron said. “Tonight, he was definitely in the zone and gave us that spark, if you will. He made some tremendous saves, “It happened so fast,” is what McAvoy would say later. “I saw it go off the especially early on, to keep us in the game, and then that first goal got us post and off [Tuukka’s] back and kind of, I don’t know, in a split second going.” reflex swatted at it.” Boston Globe LOADED: 06.10.2019 This was long before the Bruins would make this little job of saving their season look so easy Sunday night in St. Louis, before four third-period goals would earn them a 5-1 lopsided final, before they would book the first home ice Stanley Cup Game 7 in franchise history, a Wednesday night TD Garden clash that is sure to captivate the hockey world. No, this was midway through the second period, when victory in these do-or-die stakes seemed no such certainty, when Boston was clinging to a 1-0 lead and hanging on for survival against a full-on St. Louis pummeling, when all it would have taken was one goal from the home team for the tinder box that was Enterprise Arena to ignite from excitement.

This was back when Rask wasn’t simply proving he could once again put his team on his back, but save them WITH his back, too.

“I saw the replay after, when I was doing an interview,” Rask said. “It hit the post and then it kind of like bounced in there, Chuckie hit it with his stick, I kind of heard it, I didn’t know where it was, I figured it was somewhere behind me, I tried to corral it, stuck my hand up back there, and then it fell, into my pants.

“Chuckie made a great play. It’s never a good thing for a goalie to be facing the play that way, but luckily it stayed out.”

Rask would eventually make 19 saves across those first two periods, 40 minutes in which he faced 43 shots toward his goal, 40 minutes he spent playing his own sublime version of keepaway. That proved just long enough for the Bruins to cash in on some puck luck early in the third period, when Brandon Carlo’s long shot on net dribbled by Jordan Binnington for a 2-0 lead. The rout was on from there, but no one should forget it was Rask who allowed it to happen.

Again.

Pucks off his chest that dropped to the ice and he smothered. Pucks off his shin pads that he stretched wide to deflect. Pucks from all angles that he seemed to know were coming before they arrived. Pucks he refused to let into his house.

“He’s our best player,” McAvoy said. “He has been all playoffs, all regular season, we know that when he plays like that to the best of his ability and when we do our jobs in front of him and help him out, he’s going to be there, he’s going to be that stone.

“He just steps up when it matters most and we have all the faith in the world in him. To see him play the way that he did, it’s really not a surprise to us. We just believe in him so much. He’s our rock.”

Sunday night, he was a brick wall.

Again.

Go back to that first-round series against , back to the last time the Bruins played a Game 7 this postseason, and remember it was Rask standing on his head that night, too. That one also ended by a 5-1 count, but without some bloodless stops on Leafs’ snipers Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner early in the night, this Bruins run might have been over before it really even got started. Turns out that was only the beginning of Rask’s 2019 story, one that should rewrite his Boston legacy for good, forever burying the notion he doesn’t have the chops to win a Cup. He could win a Conn Smythe even if the Bruins falter Wednesday. He’s been that good, stealing the second-round series against Columbus, sweeping the Eastern Conference finals against Carolina, even surviving the 11- day layoff before the start of the Cup.

The Toronto game was but a prelude to a tale Boston fans might well remember forever.

There was coach Bruce Cassidy after that game, facing down the longstanding love-hate relationship Rask has held with the Boston fan base, speaking to that unseen audience of Rask doubters who fill talk 1146442 Boston Bruins breathing room. The immortal Kuhlman got another softie by Binnington with 10 minutes left. He’s the 21st Bruin to score a goal in these playoffs.

There would be no “Gloria” on this night. And no glory for the locals. Now the Bruins can give Boston a third championship this sports season St. Louis’s premature celebration was mildly reminiscent of Jack Kent Cooke’s scheduled party when the aging Boston Celtics went to the Los Adrian Walker Angeles Forum to play Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals against the Wilt Chamberlain/Jerry West/Elgin Baylor Lakers, On that night, Red Auerbach took note of balloons hanging from the ceiling for the Forum. Somebody in the Celtic entourage got a copy of the postgame “All of us will remember where we were, what we did, and how we felt celebration that had been planned for LA’s victory. The party included when the Blues brought the Cup home,’’ wrote Stillman. “We can finally release of the balloons from the arena ceiling and an appearance by the say, ‘We won the Cup for St. Louis.’ ’’ USC marching band. No. Instead they will remember the Boston Bruins skating into the After the Celtics crashed the party (it was the final game of Bill Russell’s Enterprise Center Sunday and stuffing the corks back into their career), Auerbach went on national television and taunted, “What are champagne bottles with a 5-1 Game 6 win. Brad Marchand, Brandon they gonna do now with all those goddamned balloons?’’ Carlo, Karson Kuhlman, David Pastrnak and Zdeno Chara (into an empty net) scored and Tuukka Rask channelled from 2011. Like the Bruins and the Blues, the Stanley Cup will be packing up and making the trip to Boston. All party plans and parades are on hold until Game 7 will be played Wednesday night on Causeway Street. Wednesday. One game. This series is far from over. The Blues can still storm into Boston and win For the Stanley Cup. the Cup on the road. But their golden opportunity was Sunday night in Game 6. And they found out how hard it is to win a fourth game in the At the Garden. Stanley Cup Final.

Which is what this thunderous series deserves. Boston Globe LOADED: 06.10.2019 There’s more, of course. If the Bruins can win just one more game, Boston will have the reigning champion in three of the four major sports, joining the 2018 Red Sox World Series winners and Bill Belichick’s latest Super Bowl heroes. No city has held three championship simultaneously since Detroit did it with the Tigers, Lions, and Red Wings in 1935-36.

Not to go all St. Louis on you, but winning at home would make things even sweeter. Only two of New England’s 12 21st century champions have clinched in Boston. The Celtics beat the Lakers at the Garden in 2008 and the Red Sox danced on the Fenway lawn after beating the Cardinals in 2013. The other titles were won in New Orleans, Houston (twice), St. Louis, Jacksonville, Denver, Vancouver, Glendale (Ariz.), Los Angeles, and Atlanta.

That’s a lot of winning football, baseball, and basketball games, but there is always something special when the Bruins compete for the Cup. Ours is a hockey culture of cold rinks, hot chocolate, and early morning ice time.

“You can do an X-ray of Boston sports and the heart would be a hockey puck-shaped pump,’’ said Richard Johnson, curator of the Boston Sports Museum.

Imagine being boss of a Boston Sports Museum in 2019. That’s like working in the Sistine Chapel during the 16th century and deciding what would hang on the walls.

Boston’s three non-football teams have been involved in 68 Game 7s. The overall record is 40-28, including the Bruins’ Game 7 win over the Maple Leafs at the Garden in April. The Bruins are 15-12 lifetime in Game 7s. They have never won the Stanley Cup in a Game 7 at the Garden. They have won six Stanley Cups, but only twice on Garden ice (1939, 1970).

Game 6 in St. Louis was pretty darned good. After all the emotion of losing Games 4 and 5, and the frustration of the infamous “no call” tripping of Noel Acciari in the third period of Game 5 at the Garden, it was time for the Bruins to fight back. And they did.

Boston’s top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak had been held scoreless in five-on-five play over the first five games of the series, but Marchand blasted a one-timer past Jordan Binnington midway through the first period when the Bruins were on a five-on-three power play. They would spend the rest of the evening holding off the heavy-hitting Blues and trying to make the narrow margin stand. This required more great play by goalie Tuukka Rask, who has emerged as a strong candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy awarded to the best player in the NHL playoffs.

Rask stopped 19 shots in the first two periods.

Carlo made it 2-0 with a softie in the third minute of the third period. His 58-foot knuckleball bounced past Binnington and the Bruins had some 1146443 Boston Bruins “I can’t wait to shave it, to be honest,” Pastrnak confessed. “It’s ginger, I don’t like it.”

“The longer it gets, the more red it gets,” said Clifton. “Brown hair, red For Bruins, deep playoff runs become a hairy situation beard just doesn’t look great.”

The ceremonial pruning might be a gradual process for others.

Adrian Walker “I might play around with it,” Grzelcyk said. “If I go shave it all off at once, I’m probably going to look like a 10-year-old, so maybe I’ll keep it little by little.” “I maybe cheated,” Krejci said with a smile. “Maybe not.” Either way, there’s no doubt players will happily put off shaving a few A tradition that is said to have started with the 1980 more days if it means forcing a Game 7 for an opportunity to hoist the was welcomed with open arms in Boston this postseason. The concept is Stanley Cup back in Boston Wednesday night. simple: No shaving until elimination. The deeper the Bruins go in the playoffs, the longer the bearded men in the locker room have to delay Boston Globe LOADED: 06.10.2019 dusting off their razors.

For some, that’s not a problem.

A small contingent of players has mastered the quasi-lumberjack look.

Sporting thick brown facial hair that seamlessly joins his sideburns to his jawline to his mustache, defenseman John Moore says he’s in the conversation for best on the team. Other names considered to be at the top include Krejci, 35-year-old David Backes, and 42-year-old Zdeno Chara.

“When we went in the final eight and six years ago, I was younger, so I didn’t have a good one,” Krejci, now 33, said. “So, I’m like, ‘OK, I have a good feeling about this team, I’m going to give myself a headstart and see how it’s going to look if we make the Final.’ And here we are. There’s no rule you have to shave the day before the playoffs.”

The elder statesman on the team, of course, aren’t the only ones who rock more than just a collection of patches.

Forwards David Pastrnak and Sean Kuraly both have respectable showings. As does Grzelyck, who, like Krejci, gave himself a bit of a headstart and was surprised to learn that he could grow a full beard.

“I don’t know if I like it, but it’s pretty cool,” Grzelyck said. “Growing up watching the Stanley Cup, it’s one thing that kind of gravitates you towards the playoffs. You’re always checking in on the players’ beards. I’m just happy that I can grow a little bit.”

Not everybody is as fortunate.

Rookie Connor Clifton openly admits his scraggly look is “terrible.” Defenseman Brandon Carlo calls his “pretty patchy.” Forward Marcus Johansson says his is “not great, but it’s there.” Left wing Jake DeBrusk wishes his was “a little bit more greasy.”

The honor for worst on the team, however, was split between two players: Acciari and Danton Heinen.

“I don’t even know if Danton has anything on his face,” Carlo said.

Heinen doesn’t disagree.

“It’s the longest it’s ever been, though,” he said.

Acciari argues Heinen’s actually isn’t that bad, his light blonde hair just makes it difficult to spot. Acciari’s spotty showing, on the other hand, is there for all to see.

“This isn’t what you call a beard,” he said. “I just can’t grow a beard. I can’t do it.”

Regardless of the quality of their final products, the Bruins seem to be big fans of the tradition — as long as, in the words of Moore, “certain guys take the hygiene seriously.”

“I like it,” Kuraly said. “I think it’s cool. When you grow up and you’re watching this, it kind of shows the war of attrition that you’ve kind of been through to get here — and how long it takes by how much some players’ beards are growing.”

“You look around and you see guys lift up the Cup, it looks like they’re kind of grizzled and they’ve been through a lot,” added Grzelcyk. “You look around the room, and you see guys that just remind you of the playoffs.”

That being said, some are still itching (literally) to get rid of their beards — or whatever semblance of one they might have. 1146444 Boston Bruins pages were likely supposed to run in Monday’s edition — if the Blues had won, and ended the series.

Blues chairman Tom Stillman penned a thank-you letter to fans, calling it Bruin Karson Kuhlman was called to fill in, then he scored a big goal in a “dream come true” and telling everyone how excited he was about their Game 6 parade on Market Street.

“All of us will remember where we were, what we did, and how we felt Adrian Walker when the Blues brought the Cup home,” Stillman wrote. “. . . We can finally say, ‘We won the Cup for St. Louis.’”

Whoops. Kuhlman had 18 shifts and played 13 minutes, 7 seconds. he was a plus- 2 on the night, and won his only faceoff. An ad for the arena’s sponsor, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, congratulated the Blues for their first championship and included a Bluenote version of a All in all, as good as any coach could ask for. “2019 Stanley Cup Champions” logo.

Coach Bruce Cassidy slotted him on David Krejci’s flank, scratching The Post-Dispatch, tweeting from its @STLToday account, said the ad veteran David Backes for the second game in a row. Kuhlman’s foot pages had been removed from the e-edition. speed and motor boosted a line that had produced one even-strength point this series (Jake DeBrusk’s goal in Game 5). Krejci and DeBrusk “In preparation for the outcome of the Stanley Cup Final, some of our each had an assist in Game 6. readers got a sneak peak (sic) at what our advertisers are hoping to say to the Blues, the fans and St. Louis,” one of the tweets said. “We “The challenge for him will be, like a lot of our guys, getting inside of this apologize for the sneak peak and hope to share their messages with big, heavy D,” said Cassidy, who went with a traditional 12-forward-six- everyone very soon!” defensemen lineup after going with 11 and 7 in Game 5. Blue liner Steven Kampfer was a healthy scratch. Elsewhere, WPRI-12 in Providence reported that the Blues had a Stanley Cup celebration ready to go. They reportedly rented out the top floor of a The former Minnesota-Duluth captain, 23, is used to playing a support downtown bar in preparation for an all-nighter. role. He has sat the last 12 games. In six postseason outings before Sunday, he recorded a pair of assists. He dressed for the first three We did see it,” DeBrusk said. “It gives you motivation, any time you see games of the Toronto series, returned to the lineup for Games 6 and 7, that.” and played Game 3 against Columbus. Family affair

Backes, after sitting the final two games against the Maple Leafs and the From broadcaster Kenny Albert, who is calling the Cup Final on first three against Columbus, was effective in his return against the Blue Westwood One radio: The last time the Stanley Cup was required to be Jackets. He registered a point in four of five games (2-2—4) against in the building in St. Louis was May 4, 1969. John Ferguson scored the Columbus and Carolina, but was missing from the scoresheet in his next Cup-winning goal for Montreal. His son, John Jr., was in the building six, before taking a healthy scratch in Game 5. Sunday as the Bruins’ executive director of player personnel . . . The Grzelcyk remains out Bruins, who lost Games 4 and 5, have not lost three games in a row since March 10-14 . . . Netminder Tuukka Rask has not lost three in a The Bruins were again without Matt Grzelcyk, who practiced with the row all year. His last such streak was the end of last year’s second round team the last two days in St. Louis but was not cleared from concussion against Tampa (0-4) . . . Blues rookie winger Robert Thomas played for protocol after being boarded by Oskar Sundqvist in Game 2. the first time since Torey Krug steamrolled him in Game 1.

According to the NHL, the Blues are the first team to have multiple Boston Globe LOADED: 06.10.2019 players suspended in the Stanley Cup Final. Sundqvist sat for Game 3, while Ivan Barbashev missed Game 6 for his head shot on Marcus Johansson.

Play angered Acciari

On Saturday, Noel Acciari was partly blaming himself for his role in St. Louis’s Game 5 winner, on which he was tripped by Tyler Bozak and was on his knees while David Perron scored. He felt he should have gotten up quicker, but noted he was woozy from hitting his head on the ice.

“Definitely mad,” he said. “There were multiple reasons why I was mad. That goal being scored definitely hurts.”

Acciari was informed that some St. Louis supporters — and other contrarian types — suggested he flopped to get a call. He saw that as a ridiculous idea.

“People can say what they want,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten an embellishment penalty in my years playing. I’m not going to embellish, given the circumstances. I’m not going to lay on the ice.

“I don’t think I could do that again if I tried.”

Speaking Friday, Cassidy said he felt for Acciari, whom he formerly coached in Providence.

“I’ve grown tight to this group, to these players, they leave it all on the line, so I feel bad for him,” Cassidy said. “There’s no call so he feels like he didn’t win his puck battle. That’s a tough one. So I have to pick that player up after. So that’s the emotion that comes into it after a game. The emotion now is we have to put it behind us and we have to win Game 6.

Dispatch jumps gun

Subscribers to the St Louis Post-Dispatch got a big surprise when they opened their e-edition Sunday morning. On pages 84, 85, and 86 were messages of congratulations to the . . . Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues, who were at the time leading the Bruins in the Final, 3-2. The 1146445 Boston Bruins Carolina’s Micheal Ferland, suffering a lung contusion that kept him out for three weeks. Not quite the way he wanted to make an impression on his newest teammates.

Marcus Johansson, one of best Bruins in postseason, is a free agent at “It’s never easy when you’re a new guy coming in and you get hurt right season’s end away,” Nordstrom said. “I know speaking to him he was kind of rattled, you know you come into a new team and you want to prove yourself.”

Adrian Walker Said Johansson: “It’s never fun with injuries and stuff, but it’s part of the game. I’m not the first guy who’s had some issues. That’s just the way it goes. Knock on wood, I’m happy to be healthy right now, and it’s fun to be out there.” He could have been a trade-deadline afterthought but has instead turned into a postseason juggernaut, not unlike what Steve Pearce did for the Fun to have a reason to grow that beard, and hold onto these playoff Red Sox. But Johansson is no journeyman. Once a highly-paid star with days just a little bit longer. the Capitals, he was traded to the Devils to save salary, which meant he missed out on Washington’s captivating Cup run a year ago. When the Boston Globe LOADED: 06.10.2019 dormant Devils decided to go a similar money saving route this season, Bruins GM Don Sweeney made a quick play for Johansson, happy to rent the final portion of that original three-year, $13.75 million deal for the chance to revive his third line.

It’s worked for the Bruins, and it’s going to work for Johansson as well, surely setting him up for a hefty free agent payday.

Coyle got the majority of the headlines, and as a kid from Weymouth, his midseason arrival carried far more fanfare than the winger to his left. But don’t forget Johansson has been just as important to that third-line rebirth.

He’s done it by reminding the hockey world just what a marvelous skater he is, by showing the hockey world just how quickly his skates can move, and perhaps most satisfyingly, alerting the hockey world he is no marshmallow. Contrary to the criticism leveled by longtime hockey analyst , the 28-year-old winger has managed just fine in this heavy hitting Stanley Cup series with the physical Blues, barely missing a beat after the hit by Ivan Barbashev that went uncalled in last Thursday’s Game 5 loss but ultimately was judged bad enough to cost Barbashev the chance to play in Sunday’s Game 6.

But mostly, he’s done it by finding a seamless path into a locker room loaded with veteran leaders, shaping himself like the last piece of a puzzle and making himself fit.

“He’s an easy-going guy. He’s not a guy who came in and demanded certain things,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He’s a little more laid back, not as forceful. At first I think it was a challenge for him to see where he fit, to be honest with you. He had injuries, was sick for a while, we moved him from left to right, but at the end of the day, once he got comfortable, and I think that’s Marcus, once he was comfortable it all improved.

“Listen, it can be an intimidating group I think, even for guys that have been around the league. You’ve got Zee [captain Zdeno Chara] and you’ve got Bergy [four-time Selke winner Patrice Bergeron] in there and they are who they are. So once he got through that, he felt like he could help the team and was contributing on a regular basis. It keeps moving up and up.”

He’s hit a high in the Stanley Cup, making it clear in his first career Cup game he was ready to play. Despite not registering a point in the Game 1 win at TD Garden, Johansson was one of the best players on the ice, knocking one shot off the post after skating through two defenders, slipping another pass through his own legs to deke out defender Carl Gunnarsson (right winger Danton Heinen couldn’t bury the finisher) and firing another beautiful shot from the point that goaltender Jordan Binnington was just able to smother.

“It feels like he’s getting better each and every game,” teammate Joakim Nordstrom said. “He just seems to find that extra gear, and been able to elevate his game not only through this series but the previous ones as well. He’s really good offensively, he makes plays you didn’t really see they were going to be able to, but somehow he’s able to sneak the puck through and find some open ice for someone else.”

“We saw from his first couple games it was a little bit of a wow factor, we got a guy with so much skill,” said Torey Krug. “He’s played up and down our lineup. He went away for a little bit there with the injury but his ability to come back, bounce back and regain that chemistry with a couple guys, playing a bunch of different situations, it’s been impressive and obviously we’re very lucky to have him.”

The injury Krug referred to could have derailed Johansson’s Bruins tenure. In just his fourth game for Boston, Johansson was blasted by 1146446 Boston Bruins

Newspaper sends premature congratulations message to the Blues

Adrian Walker

ST. LOUIS — This is not the kind of news the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wanted to break.

Readers of the city’s largest daily newspaper got a big surprise when they opened their e-edition Sunday, the morning of Game 6.

On pages 84, 85 and 86 were messages of congratulations to the . . . Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues, who, at the time, were leading the Bruins, 3 games to 2 in the series. The pages probably were supposed to run in Monday’s edition — if the Blues had won.

Blues chairman Tom Stillman penned a thank you letter to fans, calling it a “dream come true” and telling everyone how excited he was about their parade on Market Street.

“All of us will remember where we were, what we did, and how we felt when the Blues brought the Cup home,” Stillman wrote. “ . . . We can finally say, ‘We won the Cup for St. Louis.’ ”

Whoops.

An ad for the arena’s sponsor, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, congratulated the Blues for their first championship and included a Bluenote version of a “2019 Stanley Cup Champions” logo.

The Post-Dispatch, tweeting from its @STLToday account, said the ad pages had been removed from the e-edition.

“In preparation for the outcome of the Stanley Cup Final, some of our readers got a sneak peak [sic] at what our advertisers are hoping to say to the Blues, the fans and St. Louis,” one of the tweets said. “We apologize for the sneak peak and hope to share their messages with everyone very soon!”

Elsewhere, WPRI-12 in Providence reported that the Blues had a Stanley Cup celebration ready to go. They reportedly rented out the top floor of a downtown bar in preparation for an all-nighter.

Boston Globe LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146447 Boston Bruins

Stanley Cup Today: Will the Bruins force Game 7 or do the Blues end 51 seasons of waiting?

Adrian Walker

ST. LOUIS — The Cup has arrived.

Which leads to the burning question entering Sunday night’s Game 6: Will the Bruins ensure that the oldest existing trophy awarded to a sports franchise never makes its way onto the Enterprise Center ice, instead boxed and shipped up to Boston for the to-the-victor-goes-the-spoils Game 7 Wednesday night at TD Garden, or will Bruins players be forever haunted by what could have been, reacting in a state of rage every time “Gloria” is randomly heard on the radio?

Bruce Cassidy’s playoff-tested core, of course, firmly believes it can stave off elimination, as colleague Matt Porter outlined on these pages (previously accomplished against Toronto in the first round this year, Vancouver in the 2011 Cup Final).

“We’re a good team for a reason,’’ said Cassidy.

Will the moment be too big for the Blues? No one on the team has been in this position before (See Game 3).

“It’s tough to sleep right now,’’ acknowledged Blues center Ryan O’Reilly.

A couple of things to watch early: Will this game be tightly called in the wake of Cassidy’s criticism of the officiating after Game 5? And can the Bruins’ top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, held scoreless in five-on-five play, generate some scoring chances on rookie goalie Jordan Binnington? Ditto David Krejci.

Things to know

A victory by the Blues would end the longest wait in NHL history – 51 seasons – for a team a team to win its first championship (the Kings finally won in 2011-12 in their 44th season) . . . The Blues are 17-9 as hosts in potential tying games . . . Overall, teams with a 3-2 advantage in a best-of-seven series all time own a 315-87 series record . . . The Bruins are 4-20 when facing a 3-2 series deficit . . . Tuukka Rask is 7-3 in 10 road starts this postseason (1.81 GAA). Rask’s career road save percentage of .936 in the postseason is the best since 1955-56, when shots on goal became an official NHL statistic. . . The Stanley Cup has been won via 22 times . . . Great stat courtesy of ESPN’s Steve Levy: No team has ever won the Stanley Cup playing six-plus games in all four rounds. The Blues would be the first. . . A goaltender has posted a shutout to help his team fend off elimination in the Final on eight occasions. The last to do it? The Bruins’ Tim Thomas in 2011.

Today’s schedule

11:30 a.m. EST – Blues morning skate, followed by media availability with coach Craig Berube and select players (Enterprise Center)

12:30 p.m. EST – Bruins skate, followed by media availability with coach Bruce Cassidy and select players (Enterprise Center)

8 p.m. EST – 2019 Stanley Cup Final Game 6 (NBC)

Coverage plan

■ During Sunday night’s Game 6, look for a special package of live stats and game updates plus commentary from Globe reporters and columnists on BostonGlobe.com’s homepage and sports page.

■ The Globe has six reporters/columnists, two photographers and an editor at Game 6.

Boston Globe LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146448 Boston Bruins penalty in the first and that was huge. Last time we were here, they scored like 30 seconds in. Obviously we don’t want that to happen again. I think we weathered the storm pretty good and then we got the lead. It Tuukka Rask unflappable as Bruins avoid elimination was a great start.”

Now it’s on to a Game 7, the likes of which the city literally has never seen before. Throughout the playoffs, Rask has displayed a Zen-like By STEVE CONROY | June 10, 2019 at 1:37 am calmness no matter the situation. He needs to lean on that inner peace he’s found for just one more game.

“It’s very exciting. A lot of us have been in the Finals a couple of times ST. LOUIS — There still might be a few people who won’t give Tuukka and we haven’t had a chance to clinch a game at home. Obviously the Rask his due until he can lift the Stanley Cup over his head in city will be behind and will be very excited,” Rask said. “But we have to Wednesday’s Game 7 at the Garden. But that club’s membership has focus on our game. … It’s probably easier said than done, but at the end dwindled to the single digits by now. of that, (you have to look at it as) just a hockey game. You go out there, The Bruins goalie, whom it had become fashionable to malign the past play your best and see what happens.” few years, once again kicked dirt in his detractors’ faces with a season- The Bruins need just one more win for a Stanley Cup. And Rask needs saving performance on Sunday night at Enterprise Center. With the city just one more to cement his legacy. But he’s already shown the doubters of St. Louis about to erupt in jubilation, with just about every big name – at least the sane ones – the stuff of which he’s made. who ever pulled on that blue sweater on hand for the party, with that cloying “Gloria” all teed up and ready to go, Rask made sure all those Boston Herald LOADED: 06.10.2019 nice Midwesterners’ hangovers were going to hurt just a little bit more in the morning.

Rask withstood the predictable early push from the Blues, aided by an early power play, and stopped 28-of-29 shots to lead the Bruins to a 5-1 victory that sets up the first Cup Final home Game 7 in Bruins history and the first championship Game 7 in Boston of any kind since the Celtics beat the Lakers in 1984.

While the final score was lopsided, the game was anything but for the first 40 minutes as the B’s clung to Brad Marchand’s early 5-on-3 goal. The Blues did not get one past him until there was 7:43 left and the B’s were up 3-0. Ryan O’Reilly’s wide-open shot just barely crossed the line before Rask kicked it out a fraction too late, which had to be proven by video review.

Now Rask has the B’s one win away from a Cup. Like any playoff run that lasts long, this has been a team effort. An astounding 21 players have scored now for the B’s in the postseason. But Rask undoubtedly has been their most indispensable player.

“Best player,” Charlie McAvoy said. “He’s been our best player this whole playoffs and in the regular season. We know that when he plays like that, to the best of his ability, and when we do our jobs in front of him – we’ve got to help him out – he’s going to be there.”

In elimination games this postseason, Rask is 5-0 with two , and he’s been beaten only four times on 149 shots for a .973 save percentage. In 24 playoff games, he has a .938 save percentage and a 1.93 goals-against average. No matter what happens on Wednesday, barring a total meltdown, it’s a good bet he’ll show up on Conn Smythe voters’ ballots. If the B’s prevail, he’s the slam-dunk winner.

“I think he just steps up when it matters, and we have all the faith in the world in him,” McAvoy said. “To see him play the way that he did, it’s really not a surprise to us. We just believe in him so much, and we know the kind of person and player that he is. He’s our rock.”

McAvoy combined with Rask on a circus save in the second period when a shot pinged the post. It bounced off Rask’s back and was forced wide by a combination of the goalie’s ability to reach behind him with his glove as he spun around and McAvoy’s ability to get a piece of the puck with his stick.

“(McAvoy) made a great play originally to keep it out the net,” Rask said. “It’s never a good thing for a goalie to be facing the play with your back, but luckily it stayed out.”

But Rask’s best save might have come in the first few minutes of the game after Sean Kuraly put the puck in the seats for a delay of game. On the power play, Brayden Schenn had a great chance from the slot, but Rask was able to smother it. In most of the games in this series, the first period has been pivotal for the road team, which has now won 4-of-6, a fact that should keep the B’s confidence in check for Game 7. Rask turned away all 19 shots he faced in the first two periods until Brandon Carlo, Karson Kuhlman, David Pastrnak and Zdeno Chara (empty netter) gave him all the breathing room he would need.

“That’s been the story for the most part in here,” Rask said. “We try to get a good start, but the home team is trying to make a push and trying to get that early lead. I think our penalty kill was excellent. We killed that 1146449 Boston Bruins

Brad Marchand to the Game 6 rescue for Bruins again

By TOM KEEGAN | June 10, 2019 at 1:13 am

ST. LOUIS — It doesn’t matter the city or even the country, it seems. The Bruins are on the road facing elimination in a Game 6 and Brad Marchand turns into a Tasmanian devil on skates, a human stick of dynamite ready to explode at the expense of those trying to keep him from going where he wants to go.

Marchand did it in Toronto in Game 6 of the first round of the and he did it again Sunday night in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at Enterprise Center, where the amazing Tuukka Rask needed someone to let him know he wasn’t playing out of his mind for naught on the way to the Bruins’ Game 7-forcing, 5-1 victory vs. the Blues.

Tuukka needed somebody to break a scoreless tie and Marchand obliged with a 5-on-3 goal 8:40 into the first period on a feed from David Pastrnak. Later, Marchand returned the favor, setting up Pastrnak for one of the Bruins’ four third-period goals.

The importance of scoring first is not lost on anybody. The Bruins are 13- 3 when drawing first blood in these Stanley Cup playoffs. Check that, 13- 3 when scoring first. Since blood literally has been drawn, we’ll leave the figurative sense of the phrase for writing about tamer sports, you know, such as boxing and football.

The heavy-hitting Blues desire to play with a violent edge played a big part in Marchand’s goal. Attacking from behind, Brayden Schenn rammed Joakim Nordstrom into the boards and was tagged with a two- minute minor for boarding.

The Bruins didn’t whine about the rough stuff. They made the Blues pay.

Halfway into that penalty kill, Ryan O’Reilly flipped a puck into the crowd and had to sit for a delay-of-game penalty. Twenty-one seconds later, Marchand scored the game’s first goal, just as he had in Toronto in Game 6.

“It’s a part of our group,” Marchand said of the rough stuff. “We really have a good mix of everything. We can play a skill game or a physical game. You’ve seen that all the way throughout the playoffs. It’s very big, a big part of our game. It allows us to get some momentum, create some opportunities, so try to feed off that.”

Blues coach Craig Berube spoke to the importance of breaking a scoreless tie.

“When you score first, it changes a lot,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “It obviously gives you a lot of confidence and momentum.”

Said Marchand: “It just allows us to feel comfortable in the game. It’s a lot easier playing with the lead. They play a different game when they have the lead vs. when we have the lead. It allows everyone to kind of settle in and takes the crowd out of it a little bit.”

The Bruins played a like a team driven by the desire to stave off elimination, much the way they did in Game 6 in Toronto. In the first period of that 4-2 victory, Marchand scored a game-tying goal and assisted on the go-ahead goal. At the end of the game, he scored an insurance goal into an empty net.

“We were fighting for our lives,” Marchand said of Sunday’s battle against the Blues. “When we play desperate we see everyone’s best game and I think that’s what we had tonight. Tuukks obviously made the big saves when we needed them. We were able to rely on everyone tonight and we came through, but we have to do it again next game. Ultimately, at the end of the day, that’s what you need, you need to win or it’s all for nothing.”

Both teams look at Game 7 that way: All for one side, nothing for the other.

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Bruins fans cheer them on to Game 7

By RICK SOBEY | PUBLISHED: June 9, 2019 at 11:21 pm | UPDATED: June 9, 2019 at 11:37 PM

Bruins fans hollering on the edge of their seats Sunday celebrated a must-win Game 6 victory — confident their team will hoist the Stanley Cup trophy after Game 7 Wednesday in Boston.

The victory horns blared at The Greatest Bar off Causeway Street as jubilant diehards high-fived, hugged and clinked beer glasses, chanting “Let’s go Bruins!” and “We want the cup!”

“It’s only right,” said Betsy Olivares, 24, of Framingham, predicting a title celebration Wednesday. “It’s only right to join the Red Sox and Pats as champions.”

The Bruins staved off elimination Sunday on the road, beating the St. Louis Blues 5-1. Game 7 will be at the TD Garden Wednesday at 8 p.m.

Bruins fans at The Greatest Bar waved goodbye to a couple Blues fans after the Bruins went up by four goals in the third period, telling them “Game 7, here we come!”

The Dropkick Murphys song “I’m shipping up to Boston” blasted through the speakers.

Casner Parfait, 26, of Randolph, guaranteed victory in Game 7.

“You see (Zdeno) Chara’s perseverance, playing with a broken jaw and that just embodies what Boston is all about,” Parfait said. “It’s a city that is strong and perseveres through anything.”

Christian McNulty, 22, of Bedford, pointed to goalie Tuukka Rask as a key in Game 7. Fans yelled “Tuuuuuuuu” during Game 6 as Rask made impressive saves.

“Tuukka is saving literally everything right now,” McNulty said. “They’re going to pull it out. Definitely.”

He added that the Bruins’ third and fourth lines have been key all playoffs, and will be critical Wednesday.

Olivares said she couldn’t wait for the excitement of a Game 7 atmosphere, with everything on the line.

“That’s what it’s all about,” she said. “It’s going to be awesome.”

Boston Herald LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146451 Boston Bruins Just 2:31 into the third, the Bruins finally notched an insurance goal.

Brandon Carlo — who scored a shorthanded goal for naught in Game 4 — shot the puck from distance at the corner of the blue line, and it took Bruins rout Blues, force Game 7 in Stanley Cup Final an awkward bounce off the ice in front of Binnington and slipped under his arm to double the Bruins lead to 2-0.

By MARISA INGEMI | PUBLISHED: June 9, 2019 at 10:57 pm | Kuhlman essentially iced the win right before O’Reilly continued his hot UPDATED: June 10, 2019 at 1:42 am postseason with a goal that needed to be reviewed.

David Pastrnak piled on with 7:54 left in the third to make it 4-1 with his ninth goal of the playoffs. ST. LOUIS — When up by two against the Blackhawks in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2013, the Bruins let up two goals quickly and were Zdeno Chara potted an empty-netter. sent packing in stunning fashion. Tuukka Rask made 27 saves as he carried the Bruins through a shaky A late lineup addition Sunday ensured that wouldn’t happen this time second period, holding the Blues off the board. around. After they pulled off the same feat in the first round, trailing 3-2 in the Up by two with 10:45 to go in the third period, Karson Kuhlman extended series on the road in Game 6 in Toronto, the Bruins have a chance to win the Bruins lead to 3-0 to seal the contest as they cruised in the final a second Game 7 at home this postseason. It will be the first home frame to a 5-1 win, forcing a Game 7 on home ice Wednesday night. Stanley Cup Final Game 7 in franchise history.

“You’ve got two good teams that have gone toe-to-toe here,” Bruins head “We’re blessed with a chance to play in Game 7 now,” McAvoy said. “It’s coach Bruce Cassidy said. “The whole hockey world loves a Game 7. going to be the same thing. It’s a lot. It’s a roller coaster and you’ve just May the best team win.” got to ride it.”

“Just the thought of it being over tonight was terrifying,” defenseman Boston Herald LOADED: 06.10.2019 Charlie McAvoy added. “We’d come all this way. We come together when it matters, and I think tonight was just a good example of that. We’re thankful.”

McAvoy added a pregame speech from Patrice Bergeron came at the right time as the Bruins forced their season onward.

“It was exactly what we needed,” McAvoy said. “It was. It was an element of what the dream is. Growing up, every one of us shares the same dream, and kind of just bringing us all to a point where we can all be on the same field. We were all a little kid once and we all wanted this bad. And I think it was just an element of savoring this moment and not letting it end tonight. It was exactly what we needed. He stepped up. When he talks, you listen.”

Kuhlman, playing his first game since the second round in place of a scratched David Backes, put any late concerns to rest.

“The last couple weeks have been great, just trying to stay physically and mentally engaged as much as possible,” Kuhlman said. “Been trying to put myself in as many game-like situations as possible, just waiting for the call to get in the lineup, so it was awesome.”

Brad Marchand opened the scoring with a 5-on-3 goal, and the B’s weathered the storm in the second period before tallying twice in the third. The Bruins are now 13-0 when leading after two periods in the postseason.

The Blues brought obvious energy early and pinned the Bruins in their defensive zone, but with a clearing opportunity, Sean Kuraly flipped the puck out of play. St. Louis didn’t capitalize on the two-minute penalty but dominated possession the entire first half of the period before Brayden Schenn boarded Joakim Nordstrom to give the Bruins a potential boost.

Ryan O’Reilly had the best chance shorthanded, but with 58 seconds left on the first power play, the Blues committed a delay of game to give the Bruins a 5-on-3 chance.

It was the spark they needed.

Marchand lifted a puck past Jordan Binnington from the bottom of the right circle to put the Bruins ahead with 11:20 to play in the first.

After a stretch of letting the physicality go in the first, the officials called Zdeno Chara for interference with 1:39 left to give the Blues their second power play, which the B’s killed off at the start of the second period.

Marchand went off for tripping with 10:49 left in the second as the game’s pace turned toward the physical side.

Midway through the second, the Blues fired one of their best chances of the night, as the puck bounced off Tuukka Rask’s back and into the air, only to be batted away by McAvoy to keep the Bruins ahead.

McAvoy got clipped for tripping with 6:17 to play, which the B’s killed off and narrowly escaped another delay of game with Patrice Bergeron rifling the puck down the other end of the ice. 1146452 Boston Bruins

With season on line, Bruins go with Kuhlman

By MARISA INGEMI | PUBLISHED: June 9, 2019 at 7:17 pm | UPDATED: June 9, 2019 at 8:16 PM

ST. LOUIS — Looking for a boost, the Bruins went in a different direction for their lineup in Game 6.

Instead of playing seven defensemen like they did in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Bruins kept David Backes out of the lineup again and dressed 23-year-old rookie Karson Kuhlman in his place.

Kuhlman, a rookie, played with David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk, the lineup spot he primarily held when he played at the end of the regular season and in his previous playoff appearances.

“He’s (Kuhlman) got a good motor,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said before the game. “He’s good on the walls, he’s quick, good forecheck motor. The challenge for him will be like a lot of our guys, getting inside this big, heavy team. But he is fast and responsible.”

Cassidy has mentioned in the past Kuhlman being an asset because he can come in and out of the lineup with energy. Against a Blues squad that has been more physical than the Bruins almost every night, their best asset has been their speed and skill.

Kuhlman’s entry could be too little too late, given how deep into the series he was inserted, seeing the Bruins had the ability to try that kind of style all along.

Given his chemistry as well with what’s become a stagnant second line, he could have provided a spark much earlier.

“[Krejci’s] an awesome guy to play with,” said Kuhlman. “He’s one of the elite passers in the game, thinks the game at such a high level. Just trying to do my job, be hard on pucks, win some battles and let him create some plays.”

Kuhlman’s entry with six defensemen also means Backes is odd man out against his former team, which could have some emotional deficit, but on the ice made perfect sense.

“Backes is a little more straightforward, chip and chase, get behind him,” said Cassidy. “We always felt David played his best hockey in the (Sean) Kuraly role with (Joakim) Nordstrom. … It’s just we’ve got (Noel) Acciari there, we had (Chris) Wagner there. There’s only so many roles carved out on our team for that stuff.”

Grzelcyk not cleared

Despite practicing on Wednesday, albeit in a non-contact red jersey, Matt Grzelcyk remained in concussion protocol and unavailable to play in Game 6.

Grzelcyk suffered his concussion on a hit from Oskar Sundqvist in Game 2 and has been out of the lineup since. He was questionable for Game 5 in Boston but didn’t play. There was hope being on the ice prior to Game 6 gave him a chance, but he was not medically cleared in time.

Chara stayed in the lineup with his facial injury after he also dressed for Game 5. They didn’t opt for extra insurance on the blue line this time.

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Bruins’ Torey Krug standing tall in Stanley Cup Final

By TOM KEEGAN | PUBLISHED: June 9, 2019 at 4:15 pm | UPDATED: June 9, 2019 at 4:16 PM

ST. LOUIS — In a Stanley Cup Final that has kept the NHL’s department of player safety working overtime, Bruins defenseman Torey Krug’s Game 1 blasting of Robert Thomas stood as the signature hit of the series heading into Sunday night’s Game 6 with the Blues leading the series, 3-2.

You will recall, if your memory can stretch all the way back to Game 1, Krug brought the chip created by David Perron ripping his helmet off of his head at the other end of the ice, into that hit. And after the morning skate, Krug seemed ready to bring the same attitude into Sunday night for the Bruins’ third elimination game of these Stanley Cup playoffs. The first two came after the Maple Leafs took a 3-2 advantage in the first- round series.

Asked if he could remember all the way back to those April games what mentality the Bruins carried into those nights, Krug obliged.

“It is a long time ago,” Krug said. “I just remember the mentality, the kind of, ‘Screw it, let’s just go out and play hockey.’ Ultimately, the best players raise their compete level and raise the level of their game to the highest level. Ultimately, you rely on those guys to get you back in the game and get you back into a series.”

Krug’s one of those guys on whom the Bruins count for big nights at big times.

“Ideally, you would love it to be your best game ever played but realize that you still can play a good solid hockey game and deliver yourself and your team a chance to win,” Krug said. “So just try to go into it with the same routine, same mentality, and obviously raise the level of urgency, realizing every mistake at this level is magnified and just try to go play.”

As an offensively skilled blueliner, Krug has drawn praise throughout the playoffs from coach Bruce Cassidy for pulling off the balancing act of making things happen for the offense without surrendering sound defensive principles.

“That’s that line that I flirt with on a nightly basis, whether it’s regular season or playoffs,” Krug said. “Obviously, it’s more magnified now. Obviously, I have to find a way to compete and play on that line while really hanging onto my swagger because that’s what ultimately allows me to make plays as a defenseman. If I’m not playing with that swagger, then I’m not making those high-end plays that I normally do. It’s tough. You have to find that line and ultimately that good solid first pass is what helps our forwards move along with the puck.”

Big-bodied defensemen have been the key for the Blues throughout the playoffs. At 5-foot-9, Krug proves that not all players must adhere to position prototypes.

Krug, undrafted out of State and a native of Royal Oak, Mich., shared the source of his swagger.

“It comes from growing up in a house of four boys, where there’s survival of the fittest, and ultimately being a smaller player on every single team you’ve grown up playing on, you have to do something to make yourself special and unique otherwise teams are just going to pass up on you and go with the safer route, which is the bigger player, especially being a defenseman,” he said. “So I’ve had to make myself unique, and that swagger, hopefully it bleeds through our locker room and the rest of our lineup. If don’t have that and I’m not being a special player, I wouldn’t blame the GM for going a different route and taking a bigger guy. That’s what I bring to the table. I’ll always need it and I’ll always have it.”

Krug had a goal and three assists in the Bruins’ 7-2 victory in Game 3, but his Game 1 hit will be remembered and talked about more prominently, fitting given the physical nature of this series.

Boston Herald LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146454 Boston Bruins “Being around the city, being around all the fans, it’s crazy how much support they have,” Thomas said. “It’s been a long time for them, and we want to bring it home for them.”

Blues’ Robert Thomas back for Game 6 vs. Bruins Boston Herald LOADED: 06.10.2019

By PETER BAUGH |PUBLISHED: June 9, 2019 at 3:50 pm | UPDATED: June 9, 2019 at 3:56 PM

Midway through the Blues’ morning skate Saturday, forward Robert Thomas and coach Craig Berube met on the red line. The two chatted for a few moments, Berube nodded and Thomas skated back to his teammates.

He looked ready to play, and he said as much ahead of Game 6 Sunday.

“(Berube) was just asking how I was feeling, how my legs felt since I hadn’t been on the ice for the last couple of days,” Thomas said. “I obviously said how I felt, which was great.”

Thomas has been out since Game 1 of the Stanley Cup, when Bruins defenseman Torey Krug knocked him to the ice with a third-period hit. Thomas had already been battling a suspected wrist injury and did not return to the game, though Berube said Sunday the hit had no impact on Thomas’ injury status.

Thomas is set to move into the Blues’ lineup in place of Ivan Barbashev, who was given a one-game suspension for “an illegal check to the head” in Game 5. The move forces the Blues to adjust their lines: Thomas will play with his typical linemates, Tyler Bozak and Patrick Maroon, and Sammy Blais will move to Barbashev’s normal line.

The 19-year-old Thomas is one of the Blues’ fastest skaters and collected 33 points this season. His “hockey sense” impressed teammate Ryan O’Reilly, who said the rookie is a future superstar.

“You watch and the plays that he makes are so beyond and above a lot of us,” O’Reilly said. “Watching him do that, you can just tell that it’s only going to get better from there. It’s very impressive.”

Thomas focused on conditioning while he was unable to play. He rode an exercise bike and even ran up the stairs at TD Garden while the Blues were in Boston. He said he had talked to Berube about his condition the past few days.

When he completed a full practice Saturday, he believed he was good to go.

“He wants to play,” Berube said. “He’s a gamer, tough kid, so he was always willing to play. But I think the time off has helped him, and he’s more prepared now.”

Though Thomas gives his team a spark, the loss of Barbashev hurts the Blues. He plays on the fourth line that has been tasked with containing the Bruins’ trio of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, and he has scored three times in these playoffs, including a Game 3 goal against the Bruins.

“It’s tough to lose Barbashev,” O’Reilly said. “But having Thomas come back in, (he) was a big part of the reason we’re in this situation: because of the way he plays and possesses the puck. He’s one of the smartest players I think I’ve seen.”

Thomas is not the only young Blues player to return from injury this series. Defenseman Vince Dunn came back for Game 4 after sitting out six games with a facial injury, and he said Thomas just needs to not overthink the game.

“There’s nothing really to prepare you for the speed of the game right now,” Dunn said. “Do what you do well. It might not go your way the first shift but just mentally stay in it and try to mentally prepare yourself for a hard game. It’s not always the cleanest game or the cleanest couple shifts that you have at first.”

For Thomas, it was difficult watching the past four games from a box and not being on the ice. He said it’s much more nerve wracking watching than playing.

Though he was “sweating the whole game” while watching, sitting in a box for Games 3 and 4 gave Thomas the opportunity to take in the excitement of Blues supporters. 1146455 Boston Bruins

For Bruins, Blues home ice has been no advantage

By STEVE CONROY PUBLISHED: June 9, 2019 at 3:01 pm | UPDATED: June 9, 2019 at 4:18 PM

ST. LOUIS — Hockey teams work the entire season with the clear goals of, first, making the playoffs and, second, earning home ice advantage for as long as they can get it throughout that postseason.

In theory, it makes sense to want your fans behind you, your game day routines in place, and the last change that’s afforded to the home team. But it doesn’t always work out for the best, and there are no two better examples of this than the Bruins and the Blues.

As the Blues were hoping to capture their first Stanley Cup in their franchise history in Game 6 Sunday night at Enterprise Center, their home record in these playoffs was a mere 6-6 while their road mark was an impressive 9-3. The Bruins weren’t much better on home ice, just 7-5 at the Garden with a 7-3 record on the road.

It is a bit of a conundrum.

“I wish I had an answer,” Bruins defnseman John Moore said prior to Game 6. “It seems like it’s not like other sports where the percentages are tilted. Its seems like it’s 50-50. Obviously, with the situation we’re in, it’s something we can kind of take solace in. But your approach is the same, your preparation is the same. Teams at this time of year, if you want to stay in a hotel on the night before at home, you can. And the whole home-cooking thing and your routines, it’s tough to wrap you’re mind around why it is that way.”

It seems that if the road team can survive the home team’s initial push, the pressure eventually shifts to the shoulders of the home team.

“Game 5 is a perfect example of that,” said Moore, whose Bruins outshot the Blues 17-8 in the first period but couldn’t put one past Jordan Binnington in that Game 5 pivotal loss. “Teams at home have their press early and if you can withstand that it’s almost a victory in and of itself. Momentum swings are such a big part of playoffs, just managing those and not getting behind 8-ball, it’s really advantageous throughout the course of the game.”

The same was even true in the B’s 7-2 blowout win here in Game 3, when the B’s had to kill an early penalty and needed several big saves from Tuukka Rask.

“And then it was a completely different atmosphere, a totally different building once we were able to establish our game and get beyond that first initial push,” said Moore.

The anticipation in St. Louis of a Blues victory and an ensuing celebration were palpable this weekend. Saturday at the Hair of the Dog, a popular downtown bar, the bartenders were trying to figure out why the crowd at their watering hole was so thin. Then it dawned on them that people were saving up their money and brain cells for the party that everyone expected was going to explode Sunday around 10 p.m. Central time.

The Blues needed to stay focused, but that was easier said than done.

“I think we just need to block out all the outside noise,” said St. Louis defenseman Vince Dunn. “We sometimes get a little too excited with our own crowd. That’s something we need to handle the right way tonight. It’s something we can use to our advantage but it’s something we don’t to get too caught up into. There are emotions everywhere right now. It’s just a matter of everyone trying to get their legs under them right at the start, play simple right from the start and being very direct and predictable to get everyone into the game.”

But while it may be true that home ice guarantees you nothing, and the numbers suggest it would be erroneous to call it an “advantage” at all, it is still a problem the Bruins were desperately trying to create for themselves in Game 6. They’d take a Game 7 at the Garden any day.

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Gunnarsson-Pietrangelo

Bruins pregame notes: Season on the line in Game 6 Bouwmeester-Parayko

Dunn-Bortuzzo

By MARISA INGEMI | PUBLISHED: June 9, 2019 at 1:36 pm | Boston Herald LOADED: 06.10.2019 UPDATED: June 9, 2019 at 4:19 PM

ST. LOUIS — For the second time this season, the Bruins backs are against the wall.

It feels like a season ago the Bruins were in this spot against the Maple Leafs, but now there’s a bit more on the line. A loss ends the season for the Bruins in the Stanley Cup, giving the Blues their first championship ever.

A win, and the Bruins can do exactly what they did against the Leafs, winning a Game 7 on home ice.

This time though, they’d raise the Cup.

That should be motivation enough for the Bruins, even after a Game 5 where they indisputably were given a hard shake when the officials didn’t call a tripping call as Noel Acciari sprawled to the ice in the third period, and the Blues scored to essentially put the game away.

The Bruins have supposedly turned the page, and now their entire focus is on trying to extend their season with a win in Game 6.

“I think just realizing you’ve got to win a game to stay alive,” said Torey Krug. “Ideally you’d love it to be the best game you’ve ever played but realize that you just need to play a good, solid hockey game an ultimately give yourself and your team a chance to win. Just try to go into it with the same routine, the same mentality and obviously raise the level of urgency and realize that every mistake at this level is magnified and just try to go play.”

There’s plenty the Bruins can do better against a Blues forecheck and overall lineup that has tested them more than any other team to date, and though they’re short-handed and banged up in places, their familiarity with being in this spot could become an advantage.

After all, they know exactly how to play it; they just have to do it against the toughest team they’ve played all season.

“I think defensively, just getting the puck out. a lot of times, we’re trying to make the extra pass,” said Patrice Bergeron. “I think straight line offensively in getting in the zone is usually what makes for good results but also that’s where I think simplifying is, that’s when we’re at our best.”

The Blues have had hot starts in nearly every game, but especially Game 3, their first home Stanley Cup contest in nearly five decades. Game 6 is sure to bring a similar energy.

If the Bruins can weather the storm — or, in their words, create it — they give themselves a fighting chance.

Game notes

After dressing seven defensemen in Game 5, the Bruins go back to their traditional six blueliners, sidelining Steven Kampfer. While Zdeno Chara stays in with his facial injury, Matt Grzelcyk still hasn’t been cleared from concussion protocol.

David Backes stays out of the lineup for the second straight game, but this time they go with a full forward lineup, so Karson Kuhlman will make his Stanley Cup debut.

About the Blues

Robert Thomas slots back into the lineup after missing every game since Game 1.

The Blues project to lineup like the following.

Schwartz-Schenn-Tarasenko

Sanford-O’Reilly-Perron

Maroon-Bozak-Thomas

Blais-Fabbri-Steen 1146457 Boston Bruins

Talking Points from the Bruins' 5-1 win in over the Blues in Game 6

By Joe Haggerty June 10, 2019 12:45 AM

Here are Joe Haggerty's Talking Points from the Bruins' 5-1 win over the Blues in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final to force a Game 7 in TD Garden.

GOLD STAR: Tuukka Rask has been excellent in the postseason, but he elevated to a different level at the biggest possible moment in Game 6. Rask was massive in the first couple of periods making 19 saves while St. Louis had a lot of time pounding the Bruins in the defensive zone, and he threw in a behind-the-back save after Charlie McAvoy had deflected a puck that looked like it was headed for the back of the net. Then Rask held strong in the third period while Jordan Binnington crumbled and allowed three goals in the third period on 11 shots to let the Bruins run away with the game headed back to Boston for a Game 7. All Rask needs to do is go out and have another epic performance in Game 7 on home ice, and the B’s netminder will have his crowning Conn Smythe and Stanley Cup moment after so many questions about his big game ability over the years.

BLACK EYE: Jordan Binnington has been just okay for most of the Stanley Cup Final series, and he finally caved in during the third period of Game 6. Or as John Tortorella famously said in the second round of the playoffs, the Bruins “dented” Binnington in a parade of goals that was led by a soft, bouncing knuckle puck off the stick of Brandon Carlo that somehow went past the Blues netminder. In all he gave up three goals on 11 shots in the third period and four goals allowed on 31 shots through the entire game while not being up to the challenge of matching Tuukka Rask. It looked like Binnington finally started playing like a rookie in a big moment in the Stanley Cup Final, and that’s an interesting trend headed into Game 7 on Wednesday night.

These Tuukka Rask stats bode well for the Bruins in Game 7

TURNING POINT: For the Bruins it was all about getting the early goal and playing the role of front-runner against the Blues. Boston got the 5- on-3 power play after a boarding penalty on Brayden Schenn and a puck over the glass from Ryan O’Reilly and they didn’t waste any time going right after the Blues penalty kill. Once Marchand scored on his blistering one-timer under the bar, the Bruins had the good start, had the lead and really were able to dictate terms to St. Louis much more than they’ve done at times during this series. The Bruins only outshot the Blues by a 12-9 margin in that opening period, but the first goal and the play of Tuukka Rask were major difference-makers.

HONORABLE MENTION: Brandon Carlo doesn’t get mentioned in this space very often, but he earned it after a strong effort in Game 6 to help keep things alive for Boston. Carlo played 20:32 of ice time and was a team-best plus-3 in the win, and scored a huge insurance goal in the third period when he bounced a knuckling wrist shot from the point that somehow skipped past Jordan Binnington for a massive insurance goal. Carlo finished with a shot on net, one hit and the goal, but also played extremely strong defense in his own zone with his partner Torey Krug. Carlo now has two goals in the playoffs for the Bruins after only managing just two during the entire regular season for the Black and Gold.

BY THE NUMBERS: .973 – the save percentage for Tuukka Rask in elimination games during these Stanley Cup playoffs to go along with the perfect 5-0 record and two shutouts. That screams out big-game-goalie.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “I saw it go off the post and off his back, and split- second reflex I just swatted at it. [Tuukka Rask] our best player and he has been all through the playoffs. We know that when he plays like that to the best of his ability, when we do our jobs and help him then he’s going to be there.” –Charlie McAvoy talking about the pivotal behind-the- back assist that he gave Rask during a big second-period play.

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These Tuukka Rask stats bode well for Bruins in Game 7

By Patrick Dunne June 09, 2019 11:29 PM

Tuukka Rask continued to come up big in what's been a remarkable Stanley Cup playoff run for the Bruins goaltender.

Rask made 28 saves in the B's 5-1 victory over the Blues in St. Louis in Game 6, helping save Boston's season and send them on to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night at TD Garden in Boston.

Tuukka Rask in elimination or close-out games in the 2018-19 playoffs

Overall

4 games - (4-0)

GAA - 0.75

Save % - .975

Shutouts - 2

On the road

3 games - (3-0)

GAA - 0.67

Save % - .977

Shutouts - 2

Wait, what?

Alrighty then, see you on Wednesday details pic.twitter.com/QI5N6bEp7H

— Boston Sports Info (@bostonsportsinf) June 9, 2019

The shutouts were in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes in a 24-save performance and in Game 6 of the second round against the Columbus Blue Jackets on a 39-save night for Rask.

If the trend continues, expect Rask and the Bruins to skate away with another Cup.

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Bruins' Zdeno Chara set Stanley Cup record in Game 6, will set another in Game 7

By Nick Goss June 09, 2019 11:18 PM

Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara made history in Game 6 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, and he'll break another record in Wednesday night's Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues.

Chara scored an empty-net goal late in the third period Sunday night to cap the Bruins' 5-1 win at the Enterprise Center. This tally made Chara the oldest defenseman to score a goal in Cup Final history at age 42.

Big Zee with the ❗️#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/giTY6k5o1P

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) June 10, 2019

The Bruins captain is poised to break another NHL record Wednesday with his 14th Game 7 appearance. He currently is tied for the most Game 7s played with Hockey Hall of Famers Scott Stevens and Patrick Roy. Chara hoisted the Stanley Cup for the B's in 2011 when they defeated the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. He has a 6- 7 record in Game 7s.

The veteran defenseman has shown tremendous toughness and character in this series against the Blues. He reportedly broke his jaw in Game 4, but returned for Game 5 and Game 6 with added protection on his helmet.

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Bruins remain undefeated in Stanley Cup Final when Brad Marchand scores

By Nick Goss June 09, 2019 11:01 PM

Brad Marchand scoring in the Stanley Cup Final is a very good omen for the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins beat the St. Louis Blues 5-1 in Game 6 of the Cup Final at Enterprise Center on Sunday night, forcing a Game 7 back in Boston on Wednesday night. Marchand got the B's on the board with a 5-on-3 power-play goal in the first period. It was his second goal of the series and first since Game 1.

That man Marchand!

The @nhlbruins open the scoring on the 5-on-3. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/rjw3gBnji9

— #StanleyCup Game 7 on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) June 10, 2019

The Bruins now are 6-0 in Cup Final games in which Marchand scores a goal. They are 2-0 against the Blues and went 4-0 versus the Vancouver Canucks in 2011. Marchand did not score against the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2013 Cup Final.

Boston also improved to 25-1 all-time in the playoffs when Marchand scores a goal.

Marchand's line, which also consists of Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak, has scored only one 5-on-5 goal this series. Game 7 would be a perfect time for the "Perfection Line" to break out of its even-strength slump and deliver another championship for the Bruins.

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Bruins and Blues to play first ever Stanley Cup Final Game 7 in Boston

By Nick Goss June 09, 2019 10:58 PM

The Boston Bruins staved off elimination with a 5-1 win over the St. Louis in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at Enterprise Center, and now history will be made Wednesday night at TD Garden.

Boston will play host to a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in the Bruins' nearly 100-year history. The Stanley Cup will be in TD Garden, where the Bruins will win their seventh Stanley Cup championship or the Blues will win their first.

The only previous time the B's have played in Game 7 of a Cup Final happened in 2011. They overcame a 3-2 series deficit and won Game 7 on the road with a 4-0 shutout of the Vancouver Canucks. Boston is hoping history repeats itself Wednesday night. The last time the B's won the Cup at home came in 1970 against the Blues after Bobby Orr's iconic flying goal.

The Blues, entering this series, had never played past Game 4 of a Cup Final after having been swept in their previous three appearances.

The Bruins have won five of the eight Game 7s played at TD Garden this decade, including a 5-1 victory over the in the first round this postseason. The Blues beat the at home in Game 7 of the second round last month.

The last Game 7 of a championship series played in Boston happened 35 years ago when the Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1984 NBA Finals.

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The Jim vs. Pam Office rivalry goes back to the 2004 World Series

By Patrick Dunne June 09, 2019 9:42 PM

As we know by now, It's been a divided Office throughout the Stanley Cup Final with Pam and Jim on opposite sides as Jenna Fischer's Blues take on John Krasinski's Bruins.

Fischer, who grew up in St. Louis, is at Game 6 as her Blues look to close out the B's, and she visited the NBC set between the first and second periods to talk about her fandom and how her rivalry with Krasinski, her TV husband on "The Office" who's from Newton, Mass., extends back to another notable St. Louis-Boston championship matchup.

The Boston/St. Louis rivalry between @jennafischer and @johnkrasinski dates back their days shooting @theofficenbc.

Jenna has a message for John: "It is MY turn!" #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/AS7r2vBKNH

— #StanleyCup on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) June 10, 2019

So, if you're keeping score, that's Fischer and Phyllis Smith, who played Phyllis on the Office and is also from St. Louis, pulling for the Cardinals. And Krasinski, Steve Carrell (boss Michael Scott), who's from Acton, Mass., and BJ Novak (Ryan Howard), who went to high school with Krasinski at Newton South, backing the Red Sox.

We all know how that turned out. And again in 2013, too.

Krasinski was quick to fire back on Twitter after seeing Fischer's intermission interview.

Soooooo... I should invite someone else to game 7? https://t.co/3vMH7qSB3w

— John Krasinski (@johnkrasinski) June 10, 2019

Pam waited for Jim all her life on The Office. It might be "my turn" as Fischer said, but we think she can wait a little while longer for the Blues to win the Stanley Cup.

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Torey Krug's playoff scoring not seen by Bruins d-man since Ray Bourque

By Nick Goss June 09, 2019 9:10 PM

Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug has provided plenty of scoring production in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, and he's even approaching levels not seen by a B's blueliner in a long time.

Krug's assist on Brad Marchand's power-play goal in Sunday night's Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the St. Louis Blues was his 18th point of the postseason. Krug has now tallied the most points by a Bruins defenseman in a single playoff run since Ray Bourque's 25 in 1991.

With an assist on the opening goal, @ToreyKrug notched his 18th point of the 2019 #StanleyCup Playoffs.

That's the most by an @NHLBruins blueliner since 1991 when Ray Bourque set the franchise record for a defenseman with 25 points. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/WdQJyIsNHf

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 10, 2019

Krug's four points in Game 3 of the Cup Final set a new Bruins record for most points in one Stanley Cup game. He has scored two goals with 16 assists in 23 games in the 2019 playoffs.

The Bruins entered Game 6 trailing 3-2 in the series.

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Jordan Binnington's stats in series-clinching games will make Blues confident in Game 6

By Nick Goss June 09, 2019 6:42 PM

St. Louis' rookie goaltender can add to his stellar record in closeout matchups Sunday night at Enterprise Center when the Blues host the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Blues have a 3-2 series lead and can win their first Stanley Cup championship in team history.

Take a look at Binnington's impressive series-clinching stats in the tweet below.

Another win for Binnington also would give him the record for the most playoff victories by a rookie goalie in a single postseason run. His 15 wins entering Game 6 are tied with four other goalies, including Patrick Roy, for this rookie record.

The fourth win is always the hardest, though, and the Bruins have shown throughout the decade that they don't go down without a tough fight. The B's also have played remarkably well on the road in the 2019 playoffs, including wins in five of their last six games away from home. Boston has beaten opponents by a combined score of 22-8 in those six road games.

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Bruins' fantastic Stanley Cup Game 6 hype video has one simple message

By Nick Goss June 09, 2019 5:23 PM

The Boston Bruins have no more room for error entering Game 6 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.

The St. Louis Blues hold a 3-2 series lead after a pivotal Game 5 win over the Bruins on Thursday night, and as a result, they have a chance to lift the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history in front of their home fans at the Enterprise Center on Sunday night.

The Bruins are not in unfamiliar territory facing a 3-2 series deficit. They found themselves in the same position against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, and the B's won Game 6 on the road before returning to Boston for a Game 7 win. Much of the Bruins' veteran core also overcame a 3-2 series deficit in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.

The Bruins will carry a simple message into Game 6, and it was the subject of their latest playoff hype video:

Believe.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/AK8RGcnAVz

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) June 9, 2019

The B's have been a very resilient team all season, and they'll need to give one of their best performances of the campaign to stave off elimination and force a deciding Game 7 on Wednesday night.

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Patrice Bergeron on do-or-die Game 6 mentality: "You go out there and give everything you've got"

By Joe Haggerty June 09, 2019 5:05 PM

ST LOUIS – The Bruins have been in this spot before, so it certainly won’t be unfamiliar territory.

They were down 3-2 in the first round series against the Maple Leafs before ripping off wins in Game 6 and Game 7 to advance past the biggest test to this point in their postseason. And in B’s past playoff history everybody remembers that the Bruins won two straight to close out the Vancouver Canucks in seven games when they won the Stanley Cup back in 2011.

The Bruins know it can be done with no more room for error against the St. Louis Blues in this Stanley Cup, and that makes Sunday night’s Game 6 against the Blues as a must-win at the Enterprise Center if they want to keep their Cup hopes alive.

“It’s a big moment in a big series, and we’re obviously going to come out with the will and desire to compete,” said Torey Krug. “They are too. It’s a big game. It’s obvious. There’s pressure on both sides. If they don’t win tonight then they have to come into our building for a Game 7 and that’s pressure. For us our season could end. We’re coming into it with the right mentality that we’re going to force a Game 7. Ultimately it comes down to will and who wants it more.”

So what’s the best mentality to have in these playoff games when it’s about survival by any means necessary?

“You go out there and leave everything that you’ve got. That’s all that you can really focus on,” said Patrice Bergeron, who has a goal and four points along with a minus-3 rating in five games vs. the Blues in the Final thus far. “You put everything on the line and be ready for a big match.

“It’s about being in the moment. We have to worry about the shift in front of us and that’s all that you can focus on. You give it everything that you’ve got. We often say that a series is a long series and it’s definitely not over, so that’s the approach that we have now. We’ve had our backs against the wall before and have to realize what we did to come out of it.”

The Bruins will certainly bank on their big game playoff experience and Stanley Cup Final games logged to be a big advantage over the Blues as it gets down to the high-pressure end of the playoff series. But it’s also going to come down to a lot of the factors that have been there all series long, and Boston’s ability to stay poised while changing the tenor of a series that’s tilted the St. Louis way more often than not thus far.

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Report: Blues already have victory celebration planned

By Jacob Camenker June 09, 2019 1:00 PM

The Boston Bruins are trying to keep their Stanley Cup hopes alive on Sunday in Game 6. They got some perfect bulletin board material to help out with that.

According to WPRI 12's Ruthie Polinsky, the St. Louis Blues may already have a victory celebration planned ahead of Sunday night's Game 6.

Heard this through the STL grapevine: the Blues have the entire top floor of a downtown bar rented out for tonight. #StanleyCup celebrations are planned.

— Ruthie Polinsky (@ruthiepolinsky) June 9, 2019

Apparently, it's not just the Blues team, either. The St. Louis Post- Dispatch also has ads prepared in the event that the Blues win tonight, and those were leaked as well in the subscriber-only version of the paper.

St. Louis already popping bottles about their Stanley Cup win down here. Wouldn't happen in a city where you win sports championships every 6 months https://t.co/8sEBUg5Meu

— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) June 9, 2019

While having confidence ahead of a game is usually a good thing, this is the type of news that could motivate the Bruins a bit extra. Hearing that the Blues are already prepared to celebrate a Cup win could fire them up and make them prove to the Blues that they won't be easy to take down.

BEAN: The refs aren't the only problem

This development has shades of the San Diego Chargers vs. New England Patriots game in 2007. During that postseason, the top-seeded Chargers took on the Patriots after discussing their potential parade route with the city of San Diego -- which got out ahead of the game. The Patriots ended up emerging with a 24-21 victory and rendered the Chargers' Super Bowl parade plans moot.

In fairness, the Chargers were much further away from a title than the Blues (they still had to win three games to get one) but the parallel is still there.

We'll see if the Bruins can spoil the Blues' plans in Game 6 and force a Wednesday night Game 7. If they can, it will mark the 12th time in franchise history that the team forces a Game 7 after trailing a series 3-2.

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Backes hopes to be back in for Game 6, knows B's need to do 'whatever it takes'

By Joe Haggerty June 09, 2019 11:44 AM

ST. LOUIS – It had to kill David Backes not to be able to play in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Not only is this probably going to be the 35-year-old’s best chance to win the Stanley Cup, but it’s against his former St. Louis Blues team with all of the emotion and energy that would go into such a situation.

After being a healthy scratch in Game 5, Backes obviously hopes he’s back in for Game 6 at the Enterprise Center with the B’s down 3-2 in the best-of-seven series and on the brink of elimination. The Bruins power forward did help shift the momentum when he was inserted into the lineup in the first round against the Maple Leafs, and did so again in the second round when he was dropped into the series against the Columbus Blue Jackets midway through.

Chara: "There are no limitations"

So a few days away from playing might have been enough for Backes to get some juice back into his skating legs and bring the power back into his game, and that could make him a positive impact player against a heavy, strong and physical Blues team that’s been Boston’s match and then some. To his credit, Backes was saying all the right things while uncertain whether or not he’s going to be playing in Sunday night’s Game 6 against St. Louis.

“Obviously [I want to be in]. That’s why you play the game,” said Backes, who had no points and five shots on net in four games against the Blues in the Cup Final. “But if we win without me then that’s just as well. We’re here to win. If my part is grabbing the pompoms again then I’ll shake those things until all the frills fall out of them. It’s all aboard, whatever it takes and let’s do it. Hopefully I’m a part of it, but not I hope whoever is in my spot, or not in my spot, will do an admirable job and we’ll be cheering them on with everything we’ve got.

“I like the feeling in the room. We need to play a great 60 minutes. Hopefully I’m wearing my skates, but if not we’ve 20 men that are ready to get a job done.”

A lot will depend on how Bruce Cassidy intends to go with his overall lineup and whether a plan with seven defensemen could again be in the offing, but there’s no doubt that a bruising, old school kind of series plays into the strengths that Backes still holds in his game. And his leadership and vocal presence on the bench is a plus as well in a big game situation where the faint of heart aren’t going to be much of a factor on the ice.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146469 Boston Bruins was heading into the net when Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy knocked it out of the air.

Rask then reached behind him and smothered the puck. With another outstanding performance, Tuukka Rask makes his own legend “It hit the post and it was bouncing (in the air) and Chucky hit it with his stick. I kind of heard it and didn’t know where it was. I figured it might be somewhere behind me, so I tried to corral it with my hand behind my By Joe McDonald Jun 9, 2019 back, and it got stuck in my pants and then it fell somewhere,” Rask explained. “Chucky made a great play to keep it out of the net originally, and it’s never a good thing for a goalie to be facing the play with your back but lucky it stayed out.” ST. LOUIS – There’s no point in comparing Tuukka Rask to any other goalie in Boston Bruins history. At this point of the season and with the Stanley Cup on the line, if a team doesn’t get solid goaltending then its chances of a championship are slim There’s no need to mention his name alongside the other masked men to none. Rask has provided it this time. Don’t compare his performance who have hoisted the Stanley Cup. Yes, his name is technically already in 2019 to 2013. Don’t compare it to another goalie’s historic run in ’11. etched into the greatest trophy in all of sports, but he was a backup on the 2011 Bruins team that won the Stanley Cup with its Game 7 victory Rask is one more solid performance away from erasing every single against the Vancouver Canucks. doubt from the minds of those who criticized him in the past. He knows it, so expect his best game on Wednesday in Boston. He then guided the Bruins back to the final in 2013, but Boston eventually lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 6 at TD Garden. Ever The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2019 since then he’s been doubted as an elite goalie. That discussion no longer has any merit.

Rask has been outstanding during the entire 2019 playoffs and now has the Bruins one win shy of hoisting the Stanley Cup, pending the outcome of the first-ever Game 7 on Boston’s ice. If the Bruins do win on Wednesday, Rask will likely win the Conn Smythe Trophy. He deserves it.

He’s always been a different type of goalie to his predecessors in net for the Bruins, including a certain goalie whom Rask backed up in 2011. He would never publicly admit that he doesn’t like comparisons, and he doesn’t enjoy discussing his own individual performance. He’s been criticized time and again for not being able to steal a game on a consistent basis during the postseason in his career, but he’s done just that numerous times this spring.

“He certainly has in this playoffs, and so has their guy, and it’s why we’re going to seven games,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We’ve got two good teams and we’ve gone toe-to-toe here, but good for Tuukka. He’s allowed us an opportunity to play in Game 7, and the whole hockey world loves a Game 7, so it should be a great night in Boston and may the best team win.”

Rask’s 28-save performance helped the Bruins stave off elimination with a 5-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues in Game 6 on Sunday night at Enterprise Center. Now it’s onto Game 7. In fact, it’s the first time since Boston’s victory in 2011 that there’s been a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup final.

“He’s been doing it all playoff run, but tonight he was definitely on and made some tremendous saves,” center Patrice Bergeron said.

It also helped that the Bruins finally supported their goalie with an offensive outburst, including the all-important first goal of the game. Boston didn’t have the best first period, and Rask made numerous timely saves to keep the game scoreless until the Bruins were able to break through. His biggest save came on St. Louis’ first power play early in the period.

“We got our saves when we needed them,” Cassidy said. “That’s playoff hockey. In these close games, you get the save at the right time, finish a play at the right time and that ends up being the difference in the game a lot.”

Rask only smiles when asked about his individual performance. He said there’s no secret to his success and quickly credits the team in front of him.

“I’ve felt good all along in the playoffs. Sometimes you just play better than other nights,” he said. “Sometimes you’re seeing the puck better just because your defense is playing better. There are chances from the outside instead of rebounds from the slot. There are a lot of moving parts, so I’ve felt good all along. It’s not that I feel any different. It’s a team effort. We win as a team and lose as a team and that’s how we operate.”

It also helped that the Bruins were also on the receiving end of plenty of puck luck in Game 6. In the second period, with Boston holding onto a 1- 0 lead, the Blues created a scramble in front of Rask and he was spinning out of position. The puck was pinballing all over the place and 1146470 Boston Bruins may have disrupted Binnington’s vision just enough that Carlo’s bouncer dribbled in for the winning goal.

“Trying to forecheck and get the puck back,” DeBrusk said. “Kuhly came The right thing to do: Why Karson Kuhlman was the spark plug for Bruins in, helped me out a little bit and braced me for contact. I just got the puck in Game 6 loose and saw the winger coming down, so I tried to get it to the point. Next thing you know, I saw it going in the net.”

By Fluto Shinzawa Jun 9, 2019 Later in the third, DeBrusk was on the dishing end again. DeBrusk’s forecheck caused Pietrangelo to cough up the puck to Krejci. The center gained the zone and dished to Kuhlman. The rookie took care of the rest with his cross-body snapper. ST. LOUIS — On Saturday, a day before his team’s season could have ended, Bruce Cassidy finalized his Game 6 lineup. Zdeno Chara, whose “He was good tonight,” DeBrusk said. “He was fast. He’s been practicing performance standard for Game 5 was unknown because of his broken hard with us for a good amount of time. I think he’s been out since the jaw, was deemed good to go for Sunday. This eliminated the need for a Columbus series. Very eager to get back in there. For a young guy like spare defenseman. that, especially it’s his first game of the finals in Game 6, it’s not easy to do. Just try to talk to him. I thought we read off each other well. He’s For Cassidy, the easy move would have been to re-activate David good on the forecheck. Obviously that was a snipe. That was a big goal Backes. The right wing was the odd forward out for Game 5 when for us at that time of the game. Happy to see him contribute.” Cassidy needed seven defensemen. Kuhlman will be in the Game 7 lineup. Unless an injury pops up, Backes Backes would have been motivated after a healthy scratch. He would will have played his final game of the season. That is a tough thing for a have had six days off for his legs to recharge. Backes would have done proud man. But Kuhlman’s influence on the second line and the Game 6 anything to prevent his old team from clinching the Stanley Cup on outcome cannot be questioned. He cannot wait for his next opportunity. Sunday. “It’s something you dream about as a little kid,” Kuhlman said of chasing Cassidy made the hard move instead. Rookie Karson Kuhlman was in. the Cup in Game 7. “If you can’t get up for that one, better check your Backes was out. pulse. It’s going to be a fun one back home.” It was the right move. The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2019 “He’s a competitive guy,” Cassidy said of Kuhlman after the 5-1 Game 6 win. “He won in college. You can’t replicate this environment, but I think he understands a bit about not getting ahead of himself, and just play. He adds a dimension to that line. He was good for us.”

Kuhlman had not played since April 30. More than a month had gone by for his legs to atrophy.

But one of the things Cassidy likes about Kuhlman is how little time he requires, both in games and between them, to rev from 0 to 60. The 23- year-old owns quick, active legs, the kind that Backes no longer has.

For the past five weeks, Kuhlman coupled his exuberance with sound practice habits and mental preparation to stay sharp for the call he wanted. It finally came.

“Just every day the last couple months, I’ve been mentally preparing just like I would be in, even if I wasn’t,” Kuhlman said. “I think tonight was a great contribution. It was nice to come out with the win.”

At 10:15 of the third period, Kuhlman fired a riser across Jordan Binnington’s body and over his blocker to give the Bruins a 3-0 lead. It gave the Bruins room to breathe.

“First off, I was just thinking take it to the net,” Kuhlman said. “I missed a few opportunities earlier in the game to net-drive. But I saw a little sliver on the far side. So I decided to put one on net.”

This had not been a good series for the No. 2 line. In Game 5, because of the 11-forward rotation, Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci had a rotating door on the right side, with David Pastrnak and Charlie Coyle sharing shifts as No. 2 right wing. DeBrusk scored the Bruins’ only goal in the 2-1 loss. It was the first 5-on-5 goal for the second line.

It is not fair nor accurate to identify Backes as the culprit in the trio’s struggles. But Backes’ style did not do DeBrusk or Krejci any favors in possessing the puck and going on the attack with speed. The line was chasing too much.

Cassidy knew that would not be an issue with Kuhlman. The former Minnesota-Duluth captain plays with pace, energy and courage, even if he is generously listed at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds. Kuhlman is a pocket rocket, willing and able to engage in the dark-alley areas and advance the puck the right way.

His linemates noticed. They shared in his energy.

In the third period, when DeBrusk tussled with Alex Pietrangelo for a puck along the right-side wall in the offensive zone, Kuhlman jumped in to reinforce the battle. With Kuhlman’s assistance, DeBrusk won the puck and bumped it out to Brandon Carlo at the right point. As Carlo wound up, Kuhlman drove to the net, taking Vince Dunn with him. The traffic 1146471 Boston Bruins Burnside: Boston’s Danton Heinen

Heinen has found the going tough in this his second playoff season with the Bruins. He is playing on a line with two of the team’s most consistent, Stanley Cup final report card – Game 6 productive players in Marcus Johansson and Charlie Coyle, but it has been a struggle for him to contribute. In Game 5 he saw just 8:18 in ice time – his lowest of the postseason – and in Game 6 he was at just 10:18 By Pierre LeBrun and Scott Burnside Jun 9, 2019 and managed just one shot on goal. He now has one point in his past eight games.

Burnside: St. Louis’ Brayden Schenn ST.LOUIS – With the St. Louis Blues unable to take advantage of home ice to earn their first Stanley Cup, this topsy-turvy final series will come to On a night that cried out for the Blues to finally win the special teams a conclusion on Wednesday with a Game 7 by virtue of the Boston battle – something they have not done in six straight games – it was a Bruins’ 5-1 victory on Sunday night. It marks the second time in this lack of discipline by Schenn that set in motion the Blues’ undoing. series that the Blues have been blown out at home against an emotional Following a long stretch of intense pressure by the Blues at even backdrop, having dropped Game 3 by a 7-2 count. strength, Schenn leveled Joakim Nordstrom in the numbers head-first into the boards. Schenn was assessed a boarding minor but it could Here’s how Pierre LeBrun and Scott Burnside saw events unfolding as easily have been a major. Moments later O’Reilly was assessed a delay an entire community – some 30,000 plus gathered in downtown St. Louis of game penalty and Marchand scored on the ensuing 5-on-3, negating a to watch the game on a hot, sunny evening in St. Louis – went home strong start for the Blues and forcing them to chase the game until finally without seeing history made. the Bruins broke things open in the third period. Players Who Impressed LeBrun: St. Louis’ Jaden Schwartz LeBrun: Boston’s Brandon Carlo The popular pick pre-series as the Blues’ Conn Smythe front-runner Well, I’d really like to pick Tuukka Rask, but we have a goalie section so continues his quiet offensive Cup final. He’s at a mere two assists in six we stick to skaters up here. Carlo and Torey Krug have been Boston’s games and, while the effort remains there, the Blues could really use him best blue line pairing all playoffs long and on this night their matchup re-discovering his goal-scoring touch. Like in Game 7. They’re too reliant minutes were important once again. Carlo’s work on the penalty kill right now on the O’Reilly line. shined brightly in a huge Game 6 victory. Carlo’s work goes under the Goalie Battle radar a bit because he’s not flashy but he reminds very much of the way Colton Parayko impacts the Blues as a shutdown guy. Burnside: This wasn’t really a goaltending battle so much as a goaltending clinic put on by Rask. Jordan Binnington might want to take Burnside: Boston’s Charlie McAvoy lessons as the rookie goaltender was not at his best, allowing four goals It’s been an up and down final for one of the Bruins’ most promising on 31 shots. The last two goals were killers, as the Bruins were nursing a young defenders. But on this night one single play by McAvoy might have 1-0 lead heading into the third period before Carlo’s long-range bouncer saved the Bruins’ season. Nursing a 1-0 lead in the second period, the eluded Binnington to make it 2-0, and then less than eight minutes later Bruins were killing a Brad Marchand tripping penalty. With the Blues Binnington could not track a hard, high Karson Kuhlman shot that sailed applying tremendous pressure, a puck struck the post to the right of over his right shoulder. The fact the Blues scored with just under eight Rask, struck the netminder in the back and then was batted to safety by minutes left in regulation to make it 3-1 highlighted the importance of McAvoy, who had to establish position on Jaden Schwartz, who was in making those routine stops for Binnington, who must now bounce back position to put the puck into an open net had McAvoy not been quick on as he has all season if the Blues are going to win on foreign soil at TD his feet and employed terrific hand-eye-coordination (or luck, if you like) Garden. Rask, on the other hand, further cemented his position as the to negate the chance. McAvoy led all Bruins in ice time at 25:22, odds-on favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP should including 2:24 shorthanded as the Bruins shut down the Blues’ power the Bruins win the Cup and even, now, if they do not. His play in keeping play on all four opportunities. the Bruins in this game in spite of a rash of penalties in the first two periods cannot be understated. He stopped 28 of 29 shots in Game 6, LeBrun: St. Louis’ Ryan O’Reilly having entered the game with an eye-popping .937 save percentage.

You wonder how differently the game might have gone had the Blues’ LeBrun: Tuukka, Tuukka, Tuukka. The Bruins were getting devoured 5- center scored on his short-handed breakaway in the first period to open on-5 again in the opening half of this game but got bailed out by a brilliant the scoring for the Blues and get the building charged up. But he was a performance from their veteran netminder. I actually wonder know if the horse again on this night at both ends of the rink, scoring his team’s lone Conn Smythe voters might just give him the playoff MVP Wednesday goal and now has a team-leading seven points in the Cup final. His line night regardless of which team wins the Cup, as long as it’s not a with David Perron and Zach Sanford enjoyed much offensive zone time, blowout. I mean, Jean-Sebastien Giguere got the Conn Smythe in a especially in the opening half of the game. If the Blues win Game 7, losing effort in 2003, as did Ron Hextall in 1987, both netminders O’Reilly will get lots of top-three Conn Smythe votes. outstanding in leading their teams to within one win the Stanley Cup. Does Rask get it now either way? Binnington did not have his best night. Burnside: St. Louis’ David Perron While I give him the benefit of the doubt on the Bruins’ second goal, a At one point in this series, a reporter asked St. Louis coach Craig Berube whacky bounce on bad ice, he’s got to stop Kuhlman’s wrist shot on the if he was considering benching Perron, a throwback to his fate in last third goal. That’s a backbreaker that ended the game. Binnington is Mr. year’s Cup final when Perron was with the Vegas Golden Knights. Bounceback so we’ll see what he has in store in Game 7. Berube scoffed and, since the subject was raised, Perron has stayed on Main Storyline Heading Into Game 7 the right side of the razor’s edge he walks nightly between agitation and detriment to his team. Perron, O’Reilly and Sanford were dominant most LeBrun: The Bruins won the Cup in 2011 at Vancouver and then blew a of the first two periods at even strength, and Perron finished with an chance in 2013 at home to force Game 7. Now they get Game 7 at home assist on O’Reilly’s lone St. Louis goal and a team-high five shots on and the roof might just blow off TD Garden if they pull it off. They still look goal. He’ll have to continue this trend if the Blues are to claim the Stanley overmatched 5-on-5 by the Blues but continue to win the special teams Cup on the road. battle and ride the Conn Smythe-worthy goaltending of Rask. It’s a recipe that can work again Wednesday. Players Who Need To Be Better This felt like the Blues’ Game 7 on this night, knowing how unappealing it LeBrun: Boston’s David Krejci would be to fly back to Boston in that intimidating atmosphere for another Paging David Krejci? I know, I know, he assisted on the Bruins’ third game. Then again, the Blues are 9-3 on the road this playoff, winning goal, but man, what a quiet series for a player I have so much respect some huge games in tough barns, three times in Winnipeg where nobody for. Just not very impactful at all. These guys are always playing through ever wins, and twice in a loud, loud rink in San Jose. So wouldn’t it be some sort of ailment at this time of year, so perhaps there’s something just like this crazy, unpredictable series if the Blues defied the odds and he’s battling through, but you’re just not used to seeing Krejci being this won Wednesday night in Boston? Getting a power-play goal would help ineffective. in that regard. Their awful power play has but one in the entire series. Burnside: The Blues have been the bounce back kids all playoff long. Do they have one more in them? Or do the Bruins, as they did in the first round when they trailed Toronto, use their vast playoff experience to leverage this win into a championship? The Blues have been magnificent on the road this spring, compiling a 9-3 road record, and they seem to play a simpler, more determined game away from the Enterprise Center. The road team in this final series has gone 4-2 so home-ice advantage is a relative thing.

“We’re a good road team, we’ve won twice up there in this series. We’re a confident group,” Berube said.

But at the end of the day, the Blues have no hope unless they can find a way to, at the very least, saw off the special teams battle. They have lost that battle in six straight games, including in Game 6 when the Blues went 0-for-4 on the power play and are now 1-for-18 with the man advantage.

“That could have won us the game tonight,” Berube said.

The thing is the power play actually looked as good as it did all playoffs but they couldn’t deliver. They’ll need to Wednesday or the Bruins, now 7-for-21 with the man advantage, will be hoisting the Cup at home.

The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146472 Boston Bruins Ahead of Game 6, the 25-year-old goalie got the loudest cheer in pregame introductions. A store on the first floor of the Enterprise Center sold shirts with small Binnington faces covering the front. When the Blues goalie Jordan Binnington stumbles in Game 6 goalie and his teammates walked off their home ice for the final time this season, chants of “Let’s go, Blues!” broke out from the crowd.

Even after Binnington’s second multi-goal loss in the Stanley Cup, the By PETER BAUGH | fanbase’s support for Binnington hasn’t wavered. As for his confidence level? June 10, 2019 at 1:47 am “Same as always,” he said.

Boston Herald LOADED: 06.10.2019 ST. LOUIS — Jordan Binnington, who has developed a reputation for rebounding after poor performances, will have to bounce back from a bad miss on a bouncing puck.

Fewer than three minutes into the third period of a one-goal game Sunday, Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo lifted a shot at Binnington. It hopped in front of the goalie and snuck under his right arm. He looked at the puck in the the net then tilted his head back in frustration.

“It obviously was tough, gave them a little jump,” forward Ryan O’Reilly said after the Blues’ 5-1 loss. “Then they start playing a little looser. … It was a tough deficit to overcome.”

Up to that point, Binnington had been solid, holding the Bruins to just one goal in the first two periods. But he struggled after the bouncing puck, allowing two more goals, one off the stick of Karson Kuhlman and one from David Pastrnak. Zdeno Chara added an empty-net goal with three minutes left in the game.

The night was a low point in a strong postseason for Binnington, a Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) finalist. Fortunately for the Blues, he has thrived after losses. Except for Game 3 in the St. Louis-Dallas series, Binnington has allowed two goals or fewer in every game following a Blues defeat these playoffs.

The Bruins’ three-goal third period broke a pattern of strong final periods for Binnington: Entering Sunday, he had let in just two third-period goals in this series. A night that could have given the Blues their first Stanley Cup ended in disappointment for the home team.

“Every game is important,” the 25-year-old said. “It was a big game tonight, and you want to do it for the fans and the city here, but unfortunately it didn’t work out, and we’ve got to pick ourselves back up and regroup and prepare the same way.”

The rough showing came after Binnington’s best game of the series. In Game 5, he allowed just one goal and boasted a .974 save percentage.

But on Sunday, Binnington’s counterpart, Tuuka Rask, won the goaltender battle. The Bruins goalie had a .966 save percentage and stopped 12 Blues power-play shots.

“Sometimes it doesn’t go your way, and sometimes it does, and things were going his way tonight,” Binnington said. “It’s going to be a challenge. We’ve faced tough goalies all playoffs, so nothing changes.”

Binnington’s even-keeled demeanor will be put to the test Wednesday in Boston. He’ll be just the second rookie since 1990 to start a Stanley Cup Final Game 7 in goal.

The Blues have played better on the road than at home this postseason. Behind Binnington, they’re 9-3 away from St. Louis. The goalie has a .939 save percentage in Boston during the Stanley Cup Final.

The road team has won four of the series’ six games.

“Of course we wanted to win,” O’Reilly said. “It didn’t happen. We have to move on, get ready for the next one. We’re confident. We’re a great road team. Maybe that’s our story. Maybe we have to get it done on the road.”

Captain Alex Pietrangelo, a defenseman, said the defense needed to be better Sunday in front of Binnington, who finished with a .871 save percentage.

“He made some saves,” defenseman Jay Bouwmeester said after Sunday’s game. “Early he kept us in it a little bit. Then the game got away. You can’t really judge anybody on that. Binner is our guy. He’ll respond and I think everyone is looking forward to the next one.”

Binnington also struggled in Game 3 at home, getting pulled from the game after allowing five goals. 1146473 Buffalo Sabres Carlo's bouncer from the right point at 2:29 to make it 2-0 and a wrist shot from Karson Kuhlman, playing his first game of the series, to make it 3-0 at 10:15.

Patrice Bergeron's words stir Bruins to Game 6 win Ryan O'Reilly got his fourth goal in three games for the Blues at 12:01 to make it 3-1, but David Pastrnak scored at 14:06 and Zdeno Chara added an empty netter. By Mike Harrington|Published Mon, Jun 10, 2019|Updated Mon, Jun 10, 2019 O'Reilly had a great chance to open the scoring with a short-handed goal early in the first period, but as he broke on Rask, he lost the puck off his stick.

ST. LOUIS -- Something about this town makes Boston sports icons While killing a penalty a short time later, O'Reilly accidentally jacked the speak up and have their teammates listen. puck over the glass on the backhand. Delay of game. Two-man advantage for Boston. It was nearly six years ago, midway through Game 5 of the World Series, when David Ortiz gathered the Red Sox in the Busch Stadium dugout -- The Bruins capitalized with Marchand one-timing home a Pastrnak pass. in full view of fans and television cameras -- and urged them to settle down and play their game. "Bad play by myself there to take the penalty there to take it to 5-on-3," O'Reilly said. "It took the wind out of our sails and it took too long for us The message got through. The Sox won that night and clinched the title to climb back in." two days later in Fenway Park. There was a nervous energy in the city all day. Social media was not in a Sunday night, just a couple of hours before alarming reports surfaced good mood, however, after the subscription portion of the St. Louis Post- about the shooting of Ortiz in the Dominican Republic, there was another Dispatch's electronic paper mistakenly printed ads celebrating the Blues' speech like that one in the shadows of the Gateway Arch. It came from first Stanley Cup, including a letter to fans from owner Tom Stillman that center Patrice Bergeron, the key forward of this era that has seen the talked about how much he was looking forward to the victory parade on Bruins make three appearances in the Stanley Cup final. Market Street this week.

And it made a difference. The Bruins rolled in Game 6 with a four-goal Word also spread that the Blues had booked the entire rooftop of a third period and 28 saves from Tuukka Rask that led the way in a 5-1 win downtown party for a post-arena celebration. over the St. Louis Blues. It's back to Boston for Game 7 Wednesday night. If you believe in that kind of thing, that's some super negative karma right there. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy gave it up postgame, admitting he was shaken by his team's plight in the series. Bergeron gave the Bruins But this one isn't over for the Blues. The fans chanted "We want the Cup" instant backbone. in the final minute and again after the game. And the road team has now won four of the six games, with St. Louis already owning two wins at the "Patrice stepped up big-time tonight," McAvoy said. "It's within us but it Garden in this series and a 9-3 road mark in these playoffs. was exactly what we needed. It was an element of what the dream is. Growing up, every one of us shares the same dream. ... We were all a We'll see if Bergeron's words keep resonating like those of Ortiz. little kid once and we all wanted this spot. It was an element of savoring Buffalo News LOADED: 06.10.2019 this moment and not letting it end tonight. It was exactly what we needed. When he talks, you listen."

Reporters who talked to Bergeron didn't know he had done anything so dramatic, and he only fessed up when pressed on the issue by French reporters who heard what McAvoy had said.

After the morning skate, however, Bergeron had talked about weathering the storm like his team did in the 2011 final vs. Vancouver and again this year in the first round against Toronto. Both of those series saw Boston wipe out 3-2 deficits to win, with this year's comeback starting with a Game 6 win on the road as well.

"We often say these series are long series and it's definitely not over," Bergeron said in words that proved prophetic. "I think we have a lot to learn from that series (against Toronto). We came in, just played our game. We were just ourselves, played the right way and came out on top."

McAvoy said he was moved by Bergeron's words.

"There was such an element of honesty to it, about being in this position and knowing if we just do our jobs, we're a family and we believe in each other," he said. "We all love each other. Just the thought of it being over tonight was terrifying. We've come all this way. We come together when it matters and tonight is a good example. We're thankful to have a chance to play in Game 7."

Ah, Game 7. We finally have one again in the NHL eight years after the Bruins' 4-0 win in Vancouver.

"You've got two good teams that have gone toe to toe here," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. "The whole hockey world loves a Game 7. May the best team win."

The Bruins took a first-period lead on a Brad Marchand goal at 8:40 while the Blues were two men short. Rask made it stand up for the next 34 minutes, making 12 saves on four St. Louis power plays to keep the Blues at bay.

The Bruins entered the third period 12-0 in the postseason when leading after two periods and it was easy to see why. They scored four goals in the final 17 1/2 minutes to end the suspense. It started with Brandon 1146474 Buffalo Sabres In May 2013, it was time to follow Ryan Miller to his one playoff run with the Blues. The beginning of the end was a Game 5 overtime loss here on a Jonathan Toews breakaway. That was followed by a Game 6 blowout Potential Cup clincher is latest marquee event to hit St. Louis in Chicago, sending Miller into free agency and off to Vancouver. That October, the Red Sox won another World Series here in the "Boston Strong" year, a six-gamer best remembered for David Ortiz's dugout exhorting of his struggling teammates that helped turn Game 5. By Mike Harrington|Published Sun, Jun 9, 2019|Updated Sun, Jun 9, 2019 There were tornado warnings during the pregame warmup of the Sabres' 2014 visit here, with scoreboard messages urging people away from the

glass portions of the concourse and press box ushers telling us which ST. LOUIS – It's just random chance landings I've had here over the stairwell to shelter in if the need arose. Yikes. years. Add another one to the list of a wild run at the mouth of the Lots of wild memories. Which brings us to this season. When the Sabres Mississippi. visited here two days after Christmas, do you remember they were 15 The Stanley Cup was in town Sunday night with the St. Louis Blues trying points ahead of the Blues in the NHL standings? to raise it for the first time in their 52-year history with a win over the From that date to the end of the season, the Blues outpointed Buffalo by Boston Bruins in Game 6 of the Cup final. 38. Then moved through the playoffs to get to the precipice of their first And for all the talk of Boston's cavalcade of championships in multiple Cup. The building was full, of course, with the entire city hopeful of a sports, there probably isn't a midsized city in the country that has more of clincher that was generations in the making. And outside on Market a run of great events than this town has had in recent years. Street, around 40,000 fans were watching on big screens.

Now, there's been lots more heartbreak in that span than folks in Boston Another big event in the shadow of the Gateway Arch. There's been a ton have experienced. And remember that the Red Sox and Patriots were of them over the last 15 years. directly responsible for doling some of that out in recent years. Buffalo News LOADED: 06.10.2019 The new Busch Stadium, opened in 2006, is adjacent to a vast retail and residential development called Ballpark Village, which is across the street and located on the site of the old Busch. When its 29-story residential tower is completed next year, the total cost to the project will be $360 million.

Somewhere in the array of restaurants and construction is the spot of first base at old Busch. That's where Boston first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz took the flip from pitcher Keith Foulke to seal the first Red Sox World Series title in 86 years. The four-game sweep of the 105-win Cardinals in 2004 seemed like a done deal after the Sox came back on the Yankees to win the final four games of the historic '04 ALCS.

But if you want a window to St. Louis, I'll give you this tale. Back in the pre-Twitter and pre-morning newspaper days, I left the press box after the eighth inning to get a closer look at the historic ninth and get a head start to the Red Sox clubhouse. Fans were streaming out with the Cardinals losing, so I moved into a 100-level seat behind home plate.

As the Boston half of the ninth moved on, it was striking how many Red Sox fans filled in the same seats. Ostensibly, they had moved from the upper environs of the some to get that same close look at history and they reveled in the sights of the long-awaited Boston celebration.

A couple of days later as Boston fans returned home and started to spread the word, the Midwest hospitality they received began to filter out. Many Sox fans came to St. Louis without tickets, just to be around the stadium if their team finally won it all. At the end of the eighth inning, Cardinals officials green-lighted security staff to allow them inside to watch the last inning. Quite a gesture indeed.

It was back to St. Louis in 2005 for the Final Four at the Edward Jones Dome, then home of the Rams. North Carolina beat top-ranked Illinois in an entertaining final as Sean May earned Most Outstanding Player honors 29 years after his father, Scott, led Indiana to its perfect season.

A third straight trip in 2006 saw big things happen again as the Cardinals christened new Busch's first year with a five-game World Series triumph over Detroit, made most memorable by the five errors committed by Tigers' pitchers. The next spring, manager Jim Leyland made sure to convene pitchers' fielding practice on the first day of camp.

The scene after the clinching Game 5 was a wild party outside with cars honking their horns and random fans hugging and high-fiving in the streets. There was none of the random madness and destruction that punctuated downtown Philadelphia two years later.

The 2011 World Series was a seven-game Cardinals win over Texas. Game 7 was a 6-2 victory that was anticlimactic after St. Louis' incredible 10-9, 11-inning victory in Game 6. That was the game the Rangers were one strike away from a title with a two-run lead in both the ninth and 10th innings – and blew the lead both times. St. Louis won it on a David Freese home run leading off the 11th. It was a deadline-busting story that was probably rewritten five times. Not the best night of one's career. 1146475 Buffalo Sabres "I did for a bit, and then I woke up," O'Reilly said. "It took me a while to get back down. Obviously, there’s a lot of excitement. We know what’s at stake. But again, I'm just trying tonight to take it one shift at a time."

Stanley Cup final: Blues go for the clincher in Game 6 5. Pregame moment to WATCH: NBC will show it, so be sure to be watching ahead of the opening faceoff when 64-year-old Charles Glenn, the Blues' beloved anthem singer, performs for the final time. Glenn By Mike Harrington|Published Sun, Jun 9, 2019|Updated Sun, Jun 9, announced earlier this season he was retiring due to multiple sclerosis 2019 symptoms. A video of Glenn singing the 1982 pop hit "Gloria" in lullaby form to newborn babies at a St. Louis hospital was released Saturday

and has already gone viral. The song has become the city's anthem, ST. LOUIS — One more win for the St. Louis Blues to win the first played in the arena each time the team wins a game and played non- Stanley Cup in their 52-year history. One win for the Boston Bruins to get stop around the city and on radio. the series back home for the ultimate showdown Wednesday night. Our favorite lullaby! @StLouisBlues #StanleyCup That's what will be at stake Sunday night in Enterprise Center as the #MoBapBabyBlueNotes #LGB pic.twitter.com/oHlhrKNxSm Blues and Bruins play Game 6 of the Cup final. St. Louis has won two — Missouri Baptist (@MissouriBaptist) June 8, 2019 straight to take a 3-2 lead in the series. The game faces off shortly after 8 p.m. ET on NBC and CBC. Buffalo News LOADED: 06.10.2019 The Blues have closed out their three previous series this season at home — and are 7-1 in this postseason after Game 5.

"I don’t think anyone can not think about it, first of all," Blues coach Craig Berube said today when asked about holding the Cup. "But I think it’s important that you don’t get ahead of yourself. That’s one thing we’ve talked about the last couple of days, and today is just focusing on the first period and going out and playing."

"There’s pressure on both sides," Boston defenseman Torey Krug said. "If they don’t win tonight, then they have to come into a Game 7 in our building and that’s pressure for them, I’m sure. For us, our season could end, but we’re coming into it with the right mentality that we’re going to force a Game 7. Ultimately, it comes down to will and who wants it more.”

Here are Five Things to Know about tonight's potential Cup clincher:

1. Lineup moves: Rookie winger Robert Thomas (wrist) will return to the St. Louis lineup for the first time since Game 1 to replace the suspended Ivan Barbashev, who earned a one-game ban from the NHL for a hit on Boston's Marcus Johansson in Game 5.

"It's the hardest thing to watch your teammates go out there in this position," said Thomas. "So I'm happy to be able to get back in."

Berube again insisted the thunderous hit Thomas absorbed from Torey Krug in Game 1 was no factor in Thomas' absence.

The Bruins will give a series debut to winger Karson Kuhlman, who hasn't played since Game 3 of the second round against Columbus. He'll play on the second line with slumping David Krejci, who has no points in the series. Steven Kampfer will sit as Boston goes back to the standard 12- forward/six-defensemen format.

2. Down 3-2 is nothing new: The Bruins were in this same spot in the 2011 Final against Vancouver, and they won Game 6 at home and Game 7 on the road to take the Cup. In the first round this year, they won Game 6 in Toronto and returned home for a 5-1 blowout in Game 7.

"We often say these series are long series and it's definitely not over," center Patrice Bergeron said today. "I think we have a lot to learn from that series (against Toronto). We came in, just played our game. We were just ourselves, played the right way and came out on top."

3. In the nets: St. Louis' Jordan Binnington can become the first rookie goalie in history to win 16 games in a playoff year with a victory tonight. A strong performance, combined with his 38 saves in Game 5, probably puts Binnington a notch ahead of Ryan O'Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz in balloting for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. He has a 2.46 goals-against average and .913 save percentage for the playoffs (2.85/.908 in the final)

Boston's Tuukka Rask, who gave up just one goal over the final two games of the East final against Carolina, is at 1.97/.937 in the postseason and 2.38/.917 in this series.

4. Life of O'Reilly: The former Sabres center has three goals in the last two games and 20 points in the postseason, one shy of tying the Blues' franchise mark for a single postseason of 21 set by Brett Hull (1990), Bernie Federko (1986) and Doug Gilmour (1986).

With a Stanley Cup in play, O'Reilly said he had a restless night of sleep last night. The Blues sequestered themselves in a local hotel to limit distractions. 1146476 Buffalo Sabres

Williamsville's Andrew Poturalski named AHL playoffs MVP

By Staff|Published Sun, Jun 9, 2019|Updated Sun, Jun 9, 2019

Williamsville native Andrew Poturalski was named the most valuable player of the playoffs as he led the Charlotte Checkers to the Calder Cup.

The Checkers clinched the Cup with a 5-3 win against the on Saturday night to win the series four games to one.

Poturalski scored two goals in the win and finished the postseason with 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) and a plus-15 rating in 18 games and was held off the score sheet in only three games.

The playoff MVP wins the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy.

The Checkers, the AHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, won their first championship in nine seasons in the league to cap a 51-win regular season.

"It’s just unbelievable," Poturalski told the team website. "Being here for three years and building this culture and having fun, we just expect to win and we went out and did it. I couldn’t be more proud of the guys in the room.

"We just kept finding a way to win. When new guys come in and they see that and see that we do whatever it takes to win, it’s pretty contagious. Everyone just buys in. We love each other in that room and it’s fun."

He had a career-best regular season with 23 goals and 47 assists for 70 points in 70 games in his third season with the Checkers.

Poturalski spent two seasons in the United States Hockey League and another two at New Hampshire. Following his freshman year in 2015, he attended the Sabres’ development camp.

He signed with Carolina after scoring 22 goals and 52 points in 37 games in 2015-16 with UNH and played in 16 games at the end of the season.

He then signed his entry-level contract and has become a consistent scorer since for the Checkers.

"Every period he’s got both feet in a bucket with a broken foot," coach Mike Vellucci said. "A special kid. An unsung hero and I don’t think he gets the accolades that he deserves. I can’t say enough about him. He’s a special kid and we have a great relationship off the ice. I’m very happy for him – he deserves it."

Yes, a broken foot. He played through the injury throughout the postseason.

"I feel unbelievable right now but it’s definitely been a grind," he said. "Everyone has bumps and bruises and I’m no different. You’ve just got to battle through and the guys next to you and that’s what playoff hockey is all about."

Buffalo News LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146477 Carolina Hurricanes Morgan Geekie, Charlotte: Geekie, the AHL’s leading rookie scorer in the playoffs, added a goal and an assist to his postseason total.

WORTH MENTIONING Running on fumes, Calder Cup champs: Checkers capture hockey title not a day too soon ▪ The Checkers became the fifth team in the AHL’s 82 seasons to win the finals after losing the opening game at home. The last to do so was Hershey in 2011.

BY STEVE LYTTLE CORRESPONDENT ▪ Just for the record … the Calder Cup is named for Frank Calder, who JUNE 09, 2019 05:32 PM was the NHL’s first president (1917-1940) and is credited for helping launch the AHL. The cup is 24 inches tall and weighs 25 pounds.

▪ While the Checkers had never won the Calder Cup, they won the Something basic drove the Charlotte Checkers to their Calder Cup- Eastern Hockey League playoffs in 1957, 1971 and 1972; the Southern clinching 5-3 victory Saturday night over the Chicago Wolves: Hockey League in 1975 and 1976; and the ECHL in 1996. The Charlotte Knights won the Class AAA baseball’s International League in 1993 and The Checkers were ready for the season to be over. 1999, and the city also had champions at lower minor league levels in “We had no intention of going back home and going to practice on baseball and soccer. Monday or Tuesday, whatever it would have been,” Charlotte goaltender THEY SAID IT Alex Nedeljkovic said after his team captured the American Hockey League’s top prize in Rosemont, Ill. ”I love every one of these guys. Everybody says that, but I mean it. It was very emotional.” – Checkers coach Mike Vellucci. “We’re exhausted,” coach Mike Vellucci added. “We didn’t want to play any more games.” News Observer LOADED: 06.10.2019 The Checkers accomplished two goals – winning the franchise’s first AHL championship and starting summer vacation – by playing solid defense for 57 minutes, and then outlasting the Wolves in a wild finish.

After spotting Chicago a one-game lead in the best-of-7 series, Charlotte won four straight — including three on the road — capping a 15-4 record through four rounds of playoffs.

The Checkers knew that losing Saturday would have meant a return to Charlotte and several more days of practice before Game 6 at Bojangles’ Coliseum on Thursday.

Instead, the team will host a public celebration 7 p.m. Monday at the coliseum.

“Hockey-wise, it’s a grind,” Vellucci said. “It’s June whatever it is. I don’t know if it’s a weekend or a weekday. I’m tired, the players are tired.

“Our guys wanted it really bad. I was a little nervous that we wanted it too much, but we came out and played the right way, and they (Wolves) played great too.”

Andrew Poturalski scored just 1:31 into the game, giving Charlotte a 1-0 lead, and Morgan Geekie’s goal at the 8:25 mark of the second period made it 2-0.

The Wolves battled back, cutting Charlotte’s lead to 2-1 on a Brooks Macek goal with 25 seconds left in the second. Trevor Carrick’s slap-shot goal about six minutes into the third period put the Checkers up 3-1, and that’s how it stayed until the wild finish.

Chicago pulled goaltender Oscar Dansk for an extra skater with 3:20 left, and the Wolves scored 14 seconds later on a Gage Quinney goal.

Fending off the swarming Wolves, Poturalski stole the puck near center ice and scored an empty net goal for a 4-2 lead with 1:44 to play.

The Wolves weren’t finished. They made it 4-3 on a Cody Glass goal with 38 seconds left. The Checkers responded with a Zach Nastasiuk empty- net score with 15 seconds to play.

Then the Checkers won control of the puck, and seconds later, Nedeljkovic began leaping at one end of the Allstate Arena rink, and his teammates were flinging sticks into the air and celebrating at center ice.

“To get the first championship in Checkers history and do it for (team owner) Michael Kahn and the city of Charlotte and all the guys in the room, we truly deserved it,” said Poturalski, who led the AHL in postseason scoring and was named the playoffs’ most valuable player.

“We worked our a---- off for that all year.”

THREE WHO MATTERED

Andrew Poturalski, Charlotte: His two goals gave him 12 for the playoffs, and he was named the postseason most valuable player.

Alex Nedeljkovic, Charlotte: The AHL’s goaltender of the year turned away 26 shots and made several spectacular saves in the second and third periods. 1146478 Chicago Blackhawks Or he could give Darling another chance.

One thing's for sure -- all options are on the table. And that includes buying Darling out of the last two years of his contract. Can former Blackhawks goalie Darling rebound from a season of injury and tragedy? "People have asked me about it," Waddell said. "You talk about everything during the year, there's no doubt. … We have until the end of June before we have to make that decision.

John Dietz "Let's see where we're at with the hockey club. I talked about it today with Updated 6/9/2019 5:15 PM my coach and my owner, and (Darling is still) definitely an option."

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 06.10.2019

Now that the Charlotte Checkers have captured the Calder Cup by triumphing over the Chicago Wolves 4 games to 1, Carolina Hurricanes GM Don Waddell can focus on a pressing issue that will greatly affect the future of both franchises.

And that's what to do with his goalie situation.

The Hurricanes thought they'd found their NHL goaltender of the future when they signed former Blackhawks netminder Scott Darling to a four- year, $16.6 million deal in 2017.

But Darling struggled mightily in his first season in Carolina and eventually lost his starting job to veteran Cam Ward.

Last off-season, Darling refocused and set his sights on reclaiming the No. 1 job, only to tweak a hamstring during the Hurricanes' final preseason game.

It was the beginning of a long, painful -- and sad -- season for Darling, whose father drowned in May in Lakeland, Tennessee. Scott Darling Sr. was 56 years old.

"I talked to him the day after I heard because he was going to come back before to Raleigh," Waddell said last week at the Allstate Arena. "I said, 'You come back when you're able to come back.'"

A Hurricanes public relations official preferred not to ask a still-grieving Darling for an interview.

Darling played just eight games for Carolina this season, going 2-4-2 with a 3.34 goals-against average. One of those wins came when he made 35 saves against the Blackhawks at the United Center on Nov. 8.

"He had some really good games and some really bad games," Waddell said. "There was no in-between."

Carolina placed Darling on waivers on Nov. 29 and assigned him to the Checkers the next day. He did play in one more game for the Hurricanes -- allowing 5 goals in a shootout loss to Washington on Dec. 14 -- but spent the next two months playing in the AHL.

Waddell then granted Darling a personal leave of absence on Feb. 10, and the Lemont native never played in another game the rest of the season.

"He had some issues going on in his life -- just to be honest," Waddell said. "Every place I've been -- I was the GM for 11 years in Atlanta -- personal life comes way before hockey. … He came back from that great -- ready to roll."

Unfortunately, Darling severely sprained his ankle during a practice in early April. He's been rehabbing at home in Raleigh since.

"He's been through a lot," Waddell said. "I feel bad for him because last summer he did everything possible to put himself into shape and be ready for camp. …

"His life is something that he's got some challenges with. For the most part this year, he had it all together. But between all the injuries, losing the starting job in Raleigh -- that's why we made a decision and said, 'Let's refocus. Go home. Get healthy. Stay in touch with our doctors as you need to.'

"That's basically where we're at."

Now, the question is, what does Waddell do next season? The talented Hurricanes reached the Eastern Conference Final and used 36-year-old Curtis McElhinney and 27-year-old Petr Mrazek in net. They are both unrestricted free agents, so Waddell could sign either or both of them.

But he could also turn to Alex Nedeljkovic, the AHL Goaltender of the Year who just helped eliminate the Wolves. 1146479 Columbus Blue Jackets

Scott Harrington happily proves his worth

Brian Hedger

SundayJun 9, 2019 at 5:30 AM

It was bound to happen.

After three straight years of watching more hockey than playing, Scott Harrington, 26, came into this past season with something to prove — more to himself than anybody else.

The defenseman had played in just 54 regular-season games with the Blue Jackets, split between two seasons, and had logged a total of 79 games in his NHL career, including 15 for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015-16 and 10 in 2014-15 for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who selected him in the second round of the 2011 draft (54th overall).

“It was frustrating not being able to play, so this year was a lot different for me in getting a chance to feel like a hockey player again,” said Harrington, who played a career-high 73 games and all 10 playoff games. “I had a blast. It goes without saying that it was the most fun I’ve had in a hockey season so far.”

It was also his most productive season.

Harrington matched his career high in goals, scoring twice, and set career bests in assists (15), points (17) and rating (plus-6). Playing an average of 13:03 per game in the regular season and 13:36 in the playoffs, he became a lineup regular, reaping the reward for showing a lot of patience.

“For a guy who wasn’t really playing much, he just came to work every day with a positive attitude and worked on his game,” said Jeff Jackson, who represents Harrington through the Wasserman/Orr Hockey agency. “I think the Columbus management (has) a very high opinion of him for his character, his leadership and his ability to kind of go through the muck a little bit and not get destroyed by it — which happens to a lot of guys.

"He just has a belief in himself. It’s not arrogance. It’s just a belief. And that’s why he ended up having a good year.”

Harrington spent time at both points, skating with multiple defense partners, and he even got a brief run on the top pairing with Seth Jones. He also got a jolt of self-assurance.

“As a player, deep down you always know what you can do, but whenever you sit out for that many games at a time or you play consecutive seasons at under 35 games … it’s definitely something you think about in the back of your mind,” said Harrington, who was a highly regarded defenseman in junior hockey with the and twice played for Canada in the world junior championships — once with the captain’s “C” on his jersey. “You sometimes wonder, ‘Can I still do what I used to be able to do?’ So, this year was a good chance for me to prove to myself that, you know, ‘All the work you’ve been putting in … it’s paying off.’ ”

It will likely pay off from a contractual standpoint, too.

Harrington is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility, and his salary-cap charge of $625,000 the past two years could potentially double based on deals signed by comparable players under similar circumstances.

Neither side is in a rush to get something done, since the Jackets have a lot on their plate, so Harrington is approaching the offseason as usual — with one exception. He has added motivation and confidence this time.

“I’ve got that year under my belt now,” Harrington said. “I’m used to the pace of play, I’m used to playing the big games, and I know how I stack up in the league, I guess you could say. It’s definitely a different mindset this summer.”

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146480 Detroit Red Wings

Matt Patricia, Darren McCarty enjoy NASCAR experience at MIS

Chris Nelsen, Special to the Detroit Free Press Published 7:10 p.m. ET June 9, 2019

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia hopes to build a winning legacy in the Motor City.

Former Red Wing Darren McCarty already has one.

Before Sunday’s postponed FireKeepers Casino 400, Patricia, the grand marshal, and McCarty, the honorary pace car driver, spoke to reporters at Michigan International Speedway.

After nearly a three-hour rain delay, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race was rescheduled for 5 p.m. Monday at MIS. Team Penske’s Joey Logano will start from the pole.

Earlier in the afternoon, Patricia expressed a passion for auto racing — pointing to his engineering background.

Later, McCarty was asked about his Game 4 goal to clinch the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals, an unforgettable moment in Detroit sports history.

Twenty-two years ago on June 7, McCarty got past defenseman Janne Niinimaa with a highlight-reel move, scoring with 6:58 left in the second period, giving the Red Wings a 2-0 lead.

The Flyers’ Eric Lindros scored late in the third period, making McCarty’s goal the clincher. The Red Wings swept Philadelphia, 4-0, claiming their first Stanley Cup title since 1955.

“I beat one guy one-on-one my whole career, and it was all timing,” McCarty recalled Sunday. “Twenty-two years later, you can take a Goodyear blimp-look at the whole situation and go, ‘Wow.’

“It’s more of an appreciation and something we did together. We keep the history, the culture, going on. I’m so proud. I get to do things like (drive the pace car) because of that goal.”

In a lighter moment, McCarty poked fun at himself for a lack of auto- racing knowledge.

“I’m one of those guys, not like Matt (Patricia) — no engineering degree — I know where the gas tank is and that’s about it,” he said, drawing a laugh from the assembled media. “I don’t want to go fast; pace-car speed is perfect for me. This is bucket-list.”

Sunday also was a special occasion for Patricia, who proudly accepted the role of grand marshal. When the race went green following an hour- plus weather delay, the Lions’ coach told drivers: “START YOUR ENGINES!”

,@Lions head coach Matt Patricia gives the command to fire engines in Michigan! pic.twitter.com/BExgHs8pCK

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 9, 2019

Not long after, however, it started raining again and the FireKeepers Casino 400 was postponed.

“I fell in love with many aspects of (auto racing),” Patricia said. “With my engineering background, the aerodynamics and horsepower — all the engineering that goes behind a car — I find fascinating. It’s truly interesting.”

As for the football field, Patricia said the Lions’ minicamp last week was productive, and he’s looking forward to training camp starting in July.

“We’re excited, happy to be out there, get another week under our belt,” he said. “We’ll be back for training camp and we’ll be rolling.”

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146481 Detroit Red Wings Assessment: Looks promising.

D Kasper Kotkansalo

Detroit Red Wings 2017 NHL draft review: Some quality choices amid Drafted: 71st. quantity Draft year: 1 goal, 11 assists in 47 games for Sioux Falls (United States Hockey League).

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Published 6:00 a.m. ET June 9, Scouting report: Good skater with good hockey sense. 2019 Post draft: Had 11 assists in 38 games in his sophomore season for Boston University, almost doubling the six points he had in 40 games as a freshman. The 6-3, 205-pound left-handed shot showed improvement The Detroit Red Wings had quantity on their side at the 2017 entry draft, in his own end, especially at making outlet passes. making 11 selections over seven rounds. Assessment: Has potential as a shut-down pairing guy. As for quality, the selections yielded one of the top defense prospects in the organization and a big forward who could develop into a net-front Cole Caufield explains why NHL teams will regret it if they don't draft him. goalscorer. Filmed June 1, 2019 in Buffalo, N.Y. Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press The Wings had six selections through the first three rounds. Four of them were in the third round, thanks to trades involving Thomas Vanek, F Lane Zablocki Brendan Smith and Tomas Jurco, as well as compensation from Toronto for hiring Mike Babcock. Drafted: 79th.

This is the fourth in a series examining the Wings’ last five drafts leading Draft year: 26 goals, 26 assists in 64 games split between Regina and up to the 2019 event June 21-22 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Red Deer (WHL).

F Michael Rasmussen Scouting report: Can factor with production and physicality.

Drafted: Ninth. Post draft: Split 2018-19 between Kelowna, WHL (12 points in 22 games) and Vernon, BCHL (12 points in 11 games). No longer a prospect. Draft year: 32 goals, 23 assists in 50 games for Tri-City Americans (Western Hockey League). Assessment: A miss.

Scouting report: Big competitive guy with a knack for scoring around the F Zachary Gallant net. Drafted: 83rd.

Post draft: Wrapped up his junior career by posting 33 points in 14 Draft year: 21 goals, 26 assists in 60 games for Peterborough Petes playoff games with Tri-City in the spring of 2018. ().

Wingspan: Made the team out of training camp in the fall of 2018. If the Scouting report: Good two-way player, good on faceoffs. Wings had not kept him in Detroit, they would have had to send him back to Tri-City because Rasmussen had year left of junior eligibility. Had a Post draft: 13 goals and 12 assists in 30 games for Peterborough and 5 good first half with six goals among 13 points the first 41 games. Was goals and 6 assists in 18 playoff games for Toledo (ECHL). Will re-enter able to use his 6-foot-6 body to go to the net even as he adjusted to draft. playing against men instead of fellow teenagers. Assessment: A miss. More: Why Michael Rasmussen is such a menace G Keith Petruzzelli Rasmussen missed most of January because of a hamstring injury and Drafted: 88th. spent three games with Grand Rapids on a conditioning stint, scoring twice. Had a hard time during the second half, struggling to establish Draft year: 21-10-1, 2.41 goals-against average, .917 save percentage himself as a scoring threat in front of the net or anywhere else. Had just with Muskegon (USHL). five points the last 21 games, and was injured again the last two weeks of the season. Scouting report: Athletic 6-foot-5 goalie with a butterfly style.

Rasmussen, 20, needs to come to camp ready to compete for a job or Post draft: Had 12 starts and 14 appearances his sophomore year he’ll start the season in Grand Rapids. The latter scenario probably playing at Quinnipiac, finishing 8-3-3 with a 2.42 goals-against average would be best for him, as he could play in a go-to role and regain and .904 save percentage. confidence. Assessment: Ranks maybe third on goalie depth chart. Assessment: Has potential to be a net-front force. Dylan Cozens is a top prospect who the Detroit Red Wings interviewed at D Gustav Lindstrom the combine. Filmed June 1, 2019 in Buffalo, N.Y. Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Drafted: 38th. D Malte Setkov Draft year: 2 goals, 7 assists in 48 games for Almtuna AS (Allsvenska). Drafted: 100th. Scouting report: Good with the puck and finding open players with his first pass. Draft year: 2 goals, 10 assists in 38 games with Malmo J20 (SuperElit).

Post draft: Had a good appearance at the 2018 World Junior Scouting report: Smart defender who moves the puck well. Championship, where he played seven games en route to helping his Post draft: Played 13 games for the Malmo Redhawks in the top-tier native Sweden win silver. Spent the 2018-19 season with Frolunda HC Swedish Hockey League in 2018-19, otherwise splitting time between (Swedish Hockey League), a club known for developing players. Had Malmo’s junior club (highest-level junior hockey) and IK Pantern (second- three goals and three assists in 40 games, averaged 18 minutes per highest hockey league). Represented his native Denmark at the World game, including a power play role. Thrives under pressure, likes to play Junior Championship, where he had two points in six games. Slated to physical. Has good size at 62, and shoots right. Turns 21 in October. play next season with Malmo (SHL). Needs to add strength to his 6-7, More: This Wings defense prospect looks like 'complete package' 205-pound frame.

Wingspan: Slated to make his North American debut next season with Assessment: Has some upside. the Grand Rapids Griffins. He’s one of the top prospects in the D Cole Fraser organization. Drafted: 131st.

Draft year: 6 goals, 13 assists in 61 games for Peterborough Petes.

Scouting report: Loves to throw his body around.

Post draft: 5 goals and 16 assists in 60 games games with Peterborough last season. No longer a prospect.

Assessment: A miss

F John (Jack) Adams

Drafted: 162nd.

Draft year: 37 goals, 23 assists in 56 games with Fargo (USHL).

Scouting report: Has size and skill, could be dark horse if skating improves.

Post draft: Had 10 goals among 22 points in 38 games with Union College, earning a bigger role in his sophomore season and more than doubling his goal output.

Assessment: Showing progress.

Mads Søgaard explains how he can help an NHL team. Filmed June 1, 2019 in Buffalo, N.Y. Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press

D Reilly Webb

Drafted: 164th.

Draft year: 1 assist in 12 games for Hamilton (OHL).

Scouting report: Good skater, competitive, can move the puck.

Post draft: One goal and 14 assists in 62 games with Saginaw (OHL) last season. Was not signed by June 1 deadline.

Assessment: A miss.

F Brady Gilmour

Drafted: 193rd.

Draft year: 26 goals, 21 assists in 65 games with Saginaw.

Scouting report: Character player.

Post draft: 15 goals and 24 assists in 64 games with the Spirit last season. Was not signed by June 1 deadline.

Assessment: A miss.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146482 Detroit Red Wings

2019 Stanley Cup Final: Bruins vs. Blues, Game 6 live chat

Posted Jun 9, 6:01 PM

By Ansar Khan

The St. Louis Blues can win the first Stanley Cup in the franchise’s 52- year history tonight when they face the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of the Final at Enterprise Center (8 p.m., NBC).

It would be one of the most remarkable championships in NHL history. The Blues were last overall on Jan. 2 before rallying the second half of the season. St. Louis hadn’t reached the Cup Final since 1970.

The Blues, behind the stellar goaltending of rookie Jordan Binnington, lead the series 3-2 following victories in Games 4 and 5. The Bruins scored only three goals in those two games, after winning 7-2 in Game 3.

St. Louis will be without forward Ivan Barbashev, who was suspended one game for an illegal check on Marcus Johansson in Game 5. Rookie Robert Thomas might return from his wrist injury.

The Bruins’ top forwards have struggled in this series. Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak have just one goal each while David Krejci has no points.

Boston also was in a 3-2 hole in the 2011 Cup Final against Vancouver, coming back to win the series.

Bruins vs. Blues

* What: Stanley Cup Final, Game 6

* Where: Enterprise Center in St. Louis

* When: 8 p.m. tonight

* TV: NBC

Michigan Live LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146483 Edmonton Oilers Pierre Lebrun (via Darren Dreger) wrote an item for The Athletic this week that referenced a trade of Lucic to Vancouver, saying “the most obvious trade fit is Loui Eriksson going the other way, two unwanted Trading for Loui Eriksson: What makes sense for the Oilers? contracts exchanging hands.” Lebrun mentioned that both have no-trade deals, so we’re a long way from the transaction at this time.

Is a trade of Lucic for Eriksson straight-up reasonable for both sides? By Allan Mitchell Jun 9, 2019 Both contracts are noxious; Eriksson’s ends one year sooner. Lucic brings an enforcer’s mindset and good possession to Edmonton’s fourth

line. What would Eriksson bring? Let’s have a look. Milan Lucic arrived in the days after the Taylor Hall trade and changed Eriksson vs. Lucic the team fundamentally. At the time, I wrote: “The Oilers are a far different team than they were a year ago, but are they better? The team Loui Eriksson (33) 2018-19 Milan Lucic (30) has more balance — and that is a good thing — but suggesting this team is closer to the playoffs is a tricky case to make. I like Lucic and Adam 81, 8-14-22 5-on-5 boxcars 79, 4-11-15 Larsson, but the Oilers lost Taylor Hall and $4 million in cap room to 11:23 5-on-5 TOI/game 11:41 make this happen. What’s more, the team now has just one forward who can push the river. Put another way, the thing that always made the 1.43 5-on-5 pts/60 0.97 Chicago Blackhawks special — Patrick Kane on one line and Marian Hossa on another — no longer applies in our city. It is a real concern.” 3.19 5-on-5 ind. HD SC 2.99

Peter Chiarelli saw the Oilers as a team with plenty of talent but little 40.9 % of 5-on-5 TOI vs. elites 26.0 snarl. He made the team in the image of his own Boston Bruins, in the 377 Total 5-on-5 TOI vs. elites 240 image of the Cup winners earlier in the decade. He saw the trade of Hall for Lucic (two transactions, but the connection was 44.50 DFF% 5-on-5 45.60 obvious) as being a positive: Skill, speed and turnovers at the blue line 2.70 DFF% 5-on-5 RC 2.20 out; rugged play and an enforcer who could play on the skill lines in. Horvat, Motte, Beagle Most common linemates Hall vs. Lucic Kassian, Brodziak, Nugent-Hopkins In the year before the transactions occurred, Hall and Lucic posted solid This time, Eriksson is the older player (by three years), but I would argue seasons across the board. Hall posted 48 5-on-5 points, played 43 that the game Lucic plays has hurried erosion, so the difference in age is percent of his time against elites and won the possession battle. The less a factor than normal. Eriksson was a more productive player 5-on-5, biggest flaw in Hall’s game came in his splits — 48 points in 50 games but neither man can brag about the numbers in this discipline. before the All-Star Game, 17 points in 32 games after the break — and I do believe that slump contributed to his being dealt. Using Natural Stat One area where Eriksson’s usage is different from Lucic’s is time on ice Trick and Puck IQ, we can look back on 2015-16 and adopt a new insight against elites. Vancouver entrusted Eriksson with substantial time into the seasons posted by Hall and Lucic. DFF is a 5-on-5 possession against the best opposition available, and he performed better than his stat with the added value of measuring shot distance, location and type teammates in this area (DFF% 5-on-5 RC). The only Oilers forwards who of shot to give each shot a “danger” value. Puck IQ breaks out played more against elites in 2018-19 were McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and opponents, and we’re discussing elites in the table below. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. That’s a good arrow for Eriksson.

Taylor Hall (23) 2015-16 Milan Lucic (27) Penalty kill

82, 18-30-48 5-on-5 boxcars 81, 16-25-41 Ken Holland needs penalty killers, and Eriksson’s numbers in this area are solid to excellent. In the past three seasons, Eriksson has been used 15:22 5-on-5 TOI/game 14:33 as a regular part of the rotation. 2.28 5-on-5 pts/60 2.09 2016-17: 1:25 per game, 52.49 shots-against per 60 (No. 95 among NHL 4.85 5-on-5 ind. HD SC 3.05 forwards)

43 % of 5-on-5 TOI vs. elites 39.6 2017-18: 2:19 per game, 43.09 shots-against per 60 (No. 11 among NHL forwards) 541 Total 5-on-5 TOI vs. elites 456 2018-19: 1:12 per game, 35.96 shots-against per 60 (No. 5 among NHL 50.20 DFF% 5-on-5 55.10 forwards)

6.20 DFF% 5-on-5 RC 5.80 I know the penalty kill isn’t sexy, but Edmonton is very poor in the Draisaitl, Purcell, Nugent-Hopkins Most common linemates discipline, and at least part of that comes as a result of not having proven Toffoli, Kopitar, J. Carter veteran options. Don’t look past the PK work of Eriksson, especially compared with Lucic (who played less than five minutes in three seasons The most important number here is age. Edmonton gave up four prime with the Oilers). years in the deal. Hall could also push the river, reflected in the individual HD scoring changes per 60 and fantastic possession numbers. Lucic Power play played the 2015-16 season in Los Angeles and enjoyed playing with Lucic was no power-play savant in Boston; I watched him post mediocre- veteran Anze Kopitar as his centre, but credit to him, those were solid to-good totals for ages. His first Edmonton season was incredible, as he numbers. He was 27 and had a lot of miles on him but was absolutely the delivered 7.06 per 60 (and 25 points!) at 5-on-4. Predictably, the Lucic fans had come to know as a unique combination of skilled winger numbers have faded (2.48 and 2.45) to previous levels in the seasons and nuclear deterrent. You can see in these numbers what Chiarelli was following. buying. However, because he didn’t belong to the “Kane-Hossa-Hall” family of wingers, Chiarelli gave up enormous control over results when Eriksson has posted pedestrian numbers at 5-on-4 save for one season Connor McDavid was off the ice. in Dallas and another in Boston, and his Vancouver totals didn’t move the needle. Since 2016 Compensation The first Edmonton season for Lucic saw boxcars that would be considered in the range with his career numbers (82, 23-27-50), but his A lot of the early online discussion about a possible Lucic-for-Eriksson 2017-18 campaign (82, 10-24-34) was alarming. This past season, Lucic trade revolves around Edmonton giving a little more to make it work. delivered just six goals and 20 points in 79 games and Chiarelli was fired, Reasons given include Eriksson’s contract length (it expires in the and there has been consistent talk about Lucic heading to the left coast summer of 2022) and buyout ease (it remains ghastly). The Lucic deal over the early portion of the 2019 offseason. expires in 2023 and, as CapFriendly shows, buying it out is official hell.

Loui Eriksson? This trade would move one unhappy situation for another and wouldn’t result in a buyout, so on the face of it, paying extra runs counter to logic and reason. The reasons Eriksson is attractive to Edmonton as a trade option (penalty kill, speed, usage inside the top-nine forwards, his contract ends one year earlier) make it worth pondering, but giving substantial extra assets is a difficult case to make.

For me, the PK numbers are real positives, and I like the idea of Eriksson having been trusted with substantial 5-on-5 time on ice against elites. Still, his actual value is miles below his actual cost; the Oilers can duplicate that scenario by standing pat. It comes down to “Lucic the Policeman” versus “Eriksson the Savvy Two-Way Veteran,” and adding real talent to make it happen would be unwise.

Among the items Vancouver might ask for are a prospect, a pick or even a flip of first-round picks in 2019. If Vancouver asks for the rights to John Marino, that’s a conversation that could be had, especially considering Marino is unsigned entering his senior collegiate season. Anything more, hang up the phone.

Trading No. 8 and Lucic for No. 10 and Eriksson would, in my opinion, continue a fairly long string of trades in which Edmonton overpays for the right to downgrade the roster. If that is the conversation, Holland should not proceed, as the trade would have fatal flaws.

The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146484 Minnesota Wild Marcus Foligno ($2.875M) ($4M) J.T. Brown ($687.5K)

Vying for spots: Nico Sturm (RFA), Gerald Mayhew ($700K), Brown, Kyle Ahead of a huge offseason, here’s a look at the current 2019-20 Wild Rau ($700K), Mason Shaw ($792K+)*, Ivan Lodnia ($747.5K), Sam Anas depth chart ($675K), Mike Liambas ($675K), Dmitry Sokolov ($765K), Colton Beck ($675K), Brandon Duhaime ($925K), Alex Khovanov ($842.5K), Connor Dewar ($825+K), Will Bitten ($805K), Dante Salituro (RFA), Chase Lang By Michael Russo Jun 9, 2019 (RFA).

Unrestricted free agents: Eric Fehr, Cal O’Reilly, Matt Read, Landon Ferraro It should be a busy, very important offseason for the Wild, particularly this month when we’ll all get a better idea of how they plan to react to missing Restricted free agent possibly not retained: Pontus Aberg the playoffs in 2018-19 for the first time in seven years. Defensemen That’s why it’s time for one of my favorite offseason exercises — the constantly updating 2019-20 depth chart, which you’ll find below. I will Left defense Right defense update it for your perusal with most every move the Wild make this Ryan Suter ($7.538M+) Matt Dumba ($6M) summer. Jonas Brodin ($4.166M+) Jared Spurgeon ($5.187M+) June is the most active and crucial month of any offseason because it’s when teams set the table for the upcoming season and beyond. Nick Seeler ($725K) Greg Pateryn ($2.25M)

This is when trades happen, when players are drafted, bought out or not Vying for spots: Carson Soucy (RFA), Louie Belpedio (RFA), Brennan tendered qualifying offers. This is when free agents are talked to in order Menell ($716K+), Fedor Gordeev ($791K+), Gustav Bouramman to prepare for the market opening July 1. ($720K), Hunter Warner (RFA), Michael Kapla (RFA), Stepan Falkovsky ($698K+) One can assume that general manager Paul Fenton has been aggressively talking trades with his colleagues. As we saw last summer, Unrestricted free agents: Brad Hunt, Anthony Bitetto, Nate Prosser, Matt once Fenton was unable to make a trade by the end of the draft, like Bartkowski most teams, it became almost impossible to make a swap by the start of the season. Fenton then switched gears and focused on free agency and Goalies re-signing restricted free agents Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba. Devan Dubnyk ($4.33M)

So Fenton will be a busy man in advance of the June 20-21 draft in Alex Stalock ($785K) Vancouver. Out of town much of the past month between his place in Florida, the World Championship in Europe and the draft combine in In the system: Mat Robson ($925K), Kaapo Kahkonen ($767K+), Dereck Buffalo, N.Y., Fenton arrives back in town Monday for a week before Baribeau ($733K+) heading to the draft. Unrestricted free agent: Andrew Hammond He’ll have a series of meetings with his staff to finalize a plan heading Dead money: Tyler Ennis ($1.216M+ buyout) into draft weekend and free agency. Salary-cap hit: $63,395,255 Even after eventually re-signing restricted free agents Kevin Fiala, Ryan Donato and Joel Eriksson Ek, the Wild have a good amount of salary-cap Projected salary cap: $83 million space to work with this offseason. But if they plan to be active in free agency and maybe pursue an Anders Lee or a Mats Zuccarello or a Joe Salary-cap space before re-signing restricted free agents**: $19,604,745 Pavelski, they will have to create some roster spots. * Shaw is rehabbing from major knee surgery. The maximum roster size is 23 players, meaning 13 forwards, eight ** Available cap space will be eaten up by roster hopefuls making the defensemen and two goalies or 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two team, re-signings and outside signings. The Wild, like all teams, will try to goalies. save some cap space for call-ups and flexibility to make in-season As you can see below, the Wild, especially up front, have too many adjustments (i.e. trades, waiver additions). players with guaranteed contracts committed to actually make a buzz this The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2019 offseason unless Fenton is able to swing a trade or two in advance of free agency, dumps a player via buyout, cuts loose a restricted free agent (Pontus Aberg?) or plans to bury a player in the minors (J.T. Brown?) to start next season.

That’s one reason Zucker’s name continues to fly through the rumor mill at a dizzying rate. Fenton is clearly trying to address the top six and create a roster spot to fill via that trade or free agency.

Starting this week, several articles are on the horizon regarding potential landing spots for Zucker, other potential offseason scenarios and players the Wild are starting to zero in on at No. 12 overall with their first-round pick.

So buckle up for a lot of content and news the rest of the month.

But for now, to get us started, here’s a refresher on the Wild’s current roster heading into this ever-important offseason:

Forwards

Left wing Center Right wing

Zach Parise ($7.538M+) Eric Staal ($3.25M) Kevin Fiala (RFA)

Jason Zucker ($5.5M) Mikko Koivu ($5.5M) Ryan Donato (RFA)

Jordan Greenway ($916K+) Joel Eriksson Ek (RFA) Luke Kunin ($925K) 1146485 NHL Over the course of 50 years, father and son have seen fashion styles and body types evolve. The league has gone from valuing broad-shouldered, bigger players to emphasizing smaller, speedier types. The Vaccas have Suiting Up Hockey’s Stars, One Stitch At a Time noticed the evolution.

“Players today want more slim fit, tight fit,” Giovanni said. “From the big suits, now we have the short suits.” By Salim Valji “Today, guys really know what they want,” Domenico said. “Go back 20 June 10, 2019 years, they were asking my opinion. Nobody had a clear view. Today they still ask for my opinion, but they have a clear view of what they

want.” MONTREAL — It’s a ritual broadcast widely every year during the N.H.L. Like the art of suit making, the art of relationship building is a delicate playoffs: powerful hockey players in their power suits entering the arena. one that is taken seriously. And for decades, one bantam-sized tailor has outfitted more than his So after five decades outfitting home run kings and goal scoring share of hulking hockey stars. Giovanni Vacca, 86, stands about 5-foot-5 champions, not to mention RCMP officers and corporate executives, and sports a black suit, V-neck sweater and dress shirt. He plies his what’s been the secret to keeping those relationships? trade in the heart of Montreal’s Little Italy, where he has stitched suits for hundreds of professional hockey players and executives — including “A guy who comes in and buys one suit, he gets treated the same as the members of this year’s Stanley Cup finalists, like Boston Bruins General guy comes in and buys 10 suits,” Giovanni said. “Everybody’s equal.” Manager Don Sweeney and St. Louis Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo. “It’s a story. What can I tell you?” Vacca’s client list reads like a page out of the N.H.L. record books. From the 1990s and early 2000s: Wayne Gretzky, Rob Blake, Kevin Stevens, New York Times LOADED: 06.10.2019 Theo Fleury, Brian Leetch and Mark Recchi. His roster includes the likes of , Shea Weber, Joe Thornton and Brent Burns.

Vacca came to Montreal from San Pietro Infine, a small town about 90 miles from Rome, in 1948 at the age of 15. He always had a sartorial instinct and apprenticed shops around Montreal before creating Giovanni Clothes in 1965.

“I wanted to advance, so I decided to go on my own,” he said. “I had a lot of cooperation with suppliers and a good name. People started to come. One tells the other.”

Despite being known for his hockey clientele, it was a baseball team, the Expos, that first made the trek up Boulevard St. Laurent to see Vacca.

“One of the first guys that came in was Rusty Staub,” he said, referring to one of the team’s first stars.

“Word got out that players needed to look good at a low cost,” said Warren Cromartie, an outfielder for nine seasons for the Expos. “They spent time with you to make you happy about the suit you are buying.”

The Vacca name spread within the Major League Baseball community and soon visiting teams would stop by the three-story shop. According to Cromartie, Vacca outfitted former home run king Sammy Sosa with his first suit.

“Andre Dawson told him to go to Giovanni,” Cromartie said. “Sammy got two suits, even though Andre told him to just get one!”

Count a New York Yankee great as another satisfied client.

“Joe Torre would come in,” Vacca said. “He was a nice man. We’d go have dinner afterward.”

Vacca also outfitted several members of the 1994 Stanley Cup champion Rangers, including Neil Smith, who assembled the team.

“He cares very much about his customers and his suits are of magnificent quality,” said Smith, the former Rangers general manager.

As professional sports morphed from the mom-and-pop types of operations in the 1960s to the billion-dollar businesses that exist today, Vacca altered his approach. No longer do players trek from their downtown hotels to Little Italy. Now his son, Domenico, goes on the road and outfits teams at their home rinks.

“The guys were always in our office, for years and years,” said Domenico during an interview in Nashville, where he had measured the Predators earlier in the day. “After the mid-80s, then curfews started and they weren’t allowed out late. It was Kevin Stevens who said, ‘Dom, why don’t you come see us on the road.’ Before I knew it, I was going everywhere.”

That player-centric approach is how Canadiens winger Jonathan Drouin, who grew up 62 miles from Giovanni Clothes, became a client. The two met a couple of years ago while Domenico was outfitting Drouin’s former team, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“Some of the guys told me to see him,” Drouin said. “I like the suits he makes, the fits, the brands. I always like going back to Domenico.” 1146486 NHL aggressiveness as the rules allow, but Brayden Schenn’s boarding call on Joakim Nordstrom — followed by Ryan O’Reilly’s delay-of-game penalty — awarded the Bruins’ lethal power play 58 seconds of five-on- Stanley Cup Finals Headed to Game 7 After Bruins Wallop Blues three time.

It took just 21 seconds for the Bruins to convert, with Marchand one- timing David Pastrnak’s cross-ice pass into the open side of the net at By Ben Shpigel 8:40 for his first goal since the empty-netter that clinched Game 1.

June 9, 2019 The Bruins confronted elimination once before in these playoffs, in the first round, when they defeated the Maple Leafs in Toronto before

capturing Game 7 at home. ST. LOUIS — The final thing the Boston Bruins saw before leaving their “I just remember the mentality, the kind of ‘screw it, let’s just go out and locker room at Enterprise Center was a keepsake from eight years ago. play hockey,’ ” defenseman Torey Krug said. A framed photograph hanging above the exit showed Patrice Bergeron clutching a bottle of Champagne, his mouth open in delight, as Brad Krug’s thrust — that they play with purpose, unencumbered by the stage Marchand, standing to his right, held the Stanley Cup aloft. or the moment — was more difficult early for Boston to adopt live. The Blues’ larger forwards still overpowered Boston in its defensive zone, and The memento, subtle as a cannon blast, reminded the Bruins not only of the Bruins struggled at the face-off circle, losing 37 of 63 over all. the predicament they faced on Sunday, but also that they had conquered it before. The last time the Bruins secured the Cup, they erased a three- Still, they maintained their 1-0 lead and had an excellent opportunity to games-to-two deficit in the finals against a team that had never won a double their advantage early in the second, when Danton Heinen, sprung title. by a stretch pass from McAvoy, skated in alone on Binnington but fanned on the shot. They earned an opportunity to do it again after forcing a Game 7 Wednesday in Boston by way of a 5-1 victory against the Blues, silencing As St. Louis surged, the Bruins’ composure lapsed, giving the Blues two a frothing St. Louis crowd anticipating the team’s first championship in its power plays — and nearly the tying goal. If not for McAvoy, who swatted 52-year history. The Bruins are seeking their seventh, and first since the puck out of midair after Alex Pietrangelo’s backhander crackled the 2011, when Marchand and Bergeron, same as now, were part of a post and sneaked behind Rask, Jaden Schwartz would have been fearsome core that overwhelmed Vancouver. positioned to jam it in.

Marchand scored the Bruins’ first goal on Sunday, on a five-on-three Both of the Bruins’ second-period penalties were for tripping, which they power play. Another member of that nucleus, David Krejci, assisted on fervently believed should have been whistled on Tyler Bozak in the third the laser by Karson Kuhlman — in the lineup for the first time since April period of Game 5, a noncall that produced the Blues’ decisive goal. 30 — that soared past Jordan Binnington to extend the Bruins’ lead to 3- Coach Bruce Cassidy said he thought it would be easier for the Bruins to 0. Zdeno Chara, the Bruins’ captain since 2006, added an empty-netter. regroup because they, at least, had a chance to tie the score — unlike in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, which the Blues lost after a The best player on the ice — as proffered by defenseman Charlie hand pass led to San Jose’s overtime winner. McAvoy, with the conviction of a prosecuting attorney — was Rask, who didn’t play a minute of the 2011 playoffs but, after losing in the 2013 The Blues’ resilience, cultivated all season, guided them to three straight finals, has spent the intervening years demonstrating why he is one of wins against the Sharks — and three more in this series. The fourth the league’s best goalies. Coming within eight minutes of his third remains tantalizingly close. shutout of these playoffs, Rask stopped 28 of 29 shots — including 12 across four Blues power plays — to deflate St. Louis, the team and the “Listen,” said Blues Coach Craig Berube, “if you told me four months ago city. Facing elimination this postseason, he is 3-0 with a .953 save we were going to be in the Finals in Game 7, I think I’d take it.” percentage. They have won twice at TD Garden this series, but now they must go “He’s allowed us an opportunity to play in a Game 7,” Coach Bruce there and solve Rask and a team loaded with experience in these Cassidy said of Rask. “I think the whole hockey world loves a Game 7, so situations. After all, the last Game 7 in the Cup finals came eight years it should be a great night in Boston and may the best team win.” ago, and as the photograph shows, the Bruins knew how to win then, and they surely know how to win now. Back on the morning of Jan. 3, when the Blues ranked last in the 31- team N.H.L., there seemed a better chance of 20 wombats reaching the New York Times LOADED: 06.10.2019 Stanley Cup finals than of that best team potentially being the Blues — let alone Enterprise Center hosting the home team’s potential clincher.

The day dawned bright and warm, and blue-clad fans tottered around downtown until those final few hours before face-off, when they clogged nearby streets. Clutching beers in glasses shaped like the Cup, they wore snappy T-shirts — “Stanley, we’d like you to meet Gloria,” a reference to the Blues’ peppy victory anthem — and toasted their good, and foreign, fortune of watching hockey in June.

The Blues observed the mayhem from the safety of their bus, escorted by police, en route to the arena from their hotel. They heard the honking and the “Let’s Go Blues!” chants. As they prepared for the biggest game in franchise history, the Bruins, loaded with players who have played many of those, gathered in their locker room. Bergeron, a Bruin since 2003, had something he wanted to say.

“It was exactly what we needed — it was,” McAvoy said. “It was an element of what the dream is. Growing up, every one of us shares the same dream and kind of just bringing us all to a point where we can all be on the same field. We were all a little kid once and we all wanted this bad. And I think it was just an element of savoring this moment and not letting it end tonight. It was exactly what we needed. He stepped up. When he talks, you listen.”

By the time they skated onto the ice, the arena — already buzzing from the final rendition by the longtime national anthem singer Charles Glenn, who is ceding duties to focus more on his multiple sclerosis — pulsated with every hit. All series the Blues have tried imposing as much 1146487 Pittsburgh Penguins batteries thrown at him from the Three Rivers Stadium stands. I remember Pat McAfee getting them after he missed two field goals in West Virginia’s stunning 13-9 loss to Pitt in 2007. McAfee also had his Fan behavior reaches more lows, and even creeps into front office car vandalized. I remember when Tommy Maddox had garbage thrown on his lawn after he had a poor game for the Steelers against Jacksonville in 2005.

Ron Cook: Who says people take the games too seriously?

I love sports, but sometimes the creeps take all the fun out of it.

Bruins fans wailed away at each other in the TD Garden stands in Boston Post-Gazette LOADED: 06.10.2019 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final. A minority owner of the Golden State Warriors pushed Toronto’s Kyle Lowry at courtside in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Social media trolls put out death threats on a minor league baseball player who broke up a no-hitter with a bunt single.

I’m sure sports fans have had a worse week, but I can’t think of one at the moment.

The brawl in Boston Thursday night was odd because it appeared to be Bruins fans against Bruins fans. You don’t usually see that abhorrent behavior at NHL games. NFL games, yes. But hockey games, no. I’m sure alcohol was involved. Isn’t it always? Or maybe the Boston fans just aren’t used to losing. They haven’t had much practice lately.

Just as despicable that same night in Boston was the fans’ reaction to a blown tripping non-call that led to the second St. Louis goal in the Blues’ 2-1 win. The fans responded with obscene jeers and threw trash on the ice to the point the PA announcer had to ask them to stop.

Classy, Boston. Real classy.

But I guess the fans were just following the lead of Bruins president Cam Neely, who hurled a water bottle against a wall in his private box after the St. Louis goal. Boston coach Bruce Cassidy added to the disgraceful night by blasting the officiating after the game, sounding very much like a big whiner. It was stunning the NHL didn’t fine Cassidy for his outburst. He deserved every bit of a heavy fine.

It was such a bad look for Neely and Cassidy. Aren’t executives and coaches supposed to be held to a higher standard?

Which brings us to Golden State minority owner Mark Stevens.

Stevens pushed Lowry and directed obscene language at him after Lowry landed in the stands going after a loose ball Wednesday night. I give Lowry all the credit in the world for keeping his cool. He had every right to go back at Stevens, who almost immediately was suspended for a year by the NBA and fined $500,000. There have been reports Stevens will be forced to sell his share of the Warriors.

The punishment hardly seems like enough.

NBA games can be a dangerous place for the players because the fans are so close to the action. There was an ugly incident in March when a Utah Jazz fan taunted Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook — allegedly with racial language — and Westbrook went back at him verbally. And, of course, there was the Malice at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich., in 2004 when Indiana’s Ron Artest went into the stands after a fan threw a drink on him.

The last thing the NBA needs is for a team official to be encouraging such violence.

But the low point of the week came after a game between Class AA affiliates Trenton and Hartford after Trenton’s Matt Lipka put down a bunt to break up a combined no-hitter by Hartford with one out in the ninth inning. Lipka did nothing wrong. His team was trailing, 3-0, and looking for baserunners. Who knows? A walk or a bloop hit and a home run and the score is tied. That nonsense about baseball’s unwritten rules is just that, nonsense.

There was a near-brawl on the field when the game ended. The Hartford team overreacted badly. Things quickly got worse for Lipka, who was subjected to death threats. Are people sick or what?

Actually, I’m not even sure those haters are sports fans. More likely they’re just jerks who are looking for an excuse to act boorishly. Sports gives them a reason. Those who send the threats do it because they know they have the anonymity of social media. None would think about accosting Lipka face-to-face. They are so gutless.

Sadly, this is nothing new. Death threats have been around sports for years. I remember Dave Parker getting them when he wasn’t dodging 1146488 San Jose Sharks I have no idea, but it would be costly to Hasso Platner’s pocketbook. Certain underachieving and expensive players would have to be jettisoned, either through trade or even just giving them away through A Marleau return would set up an epic farewell tour for Mr. Shark, Jumbo waivers.

Eyebrows would certainly be raised, as every team in the NHL is attempting to get younger and faster. Marleau is slowing down, but his By Garrett Wroblewski/PUBLISHED: June 9, 2019 at 7:00 am | Hall-of-Fame hockey sense and pure goal-scoring ability are second-to- UPDATED: June 9, 2019 at 2:48 PM none. He is another Swiss Army-knife type of player, as adept at playing center as he is wing. Playing for a shot at the Cup in front of the fans who

over time became his friends, family, and community would be a shot in Sharks general manager Doug Wilson has a heavy summer to-do list the arm for the player after two years playing dad to the youngsters in ahead of him, a Brent-Burns-butt-check of a summer to-do list. Toronto.

His top priority will be signing soon-to-be-free-agent Erik Karlsson, an Sharks fans are a unique breed. The thought of Marleau playing possibly offensive wizard whose uneven debut season in San Jose showed his final season in Kings purple or Coyotes red makes us a bit queasy. flashes of brilliance. The thought of a Burns breakout sauce pass to Thornton for an impossible cross-ice seam pass to Patrick Marleau, who fires a wrister Busy time ahead for Doug Wilson: “I know I have to get to work” into the back of the net for a Game 7 overtime Stanley-Cup-winning goal is something that fans have dreamed about through years and years of Captain Joe Pavelski has no contract, and Wilson should feel gratitude abject playoff disappointments. that Pavelski never made his lame-duck status with the team affect his play or leadership in the locker room. Restricted free agent Timo Meier is In 2016 the Sharks finally made it to the Final with Marleau and Thornton coming off a 30-goal season, and Wilson needs him locked up in some before bowing out to the superior Pittsburgh Penguins. I want Wilson to kind of cap-friendly bridge contract. have the Sharks loaded for bear to finally reach the promised land of a Stanley Cup victory in 2020. Shouldn’t Mr. Shark be there for the parade That’s not even addressing perhaps the Sharks most glaring regular- down Santa Clara Street? season problem, the NHL’s worst save percentage and arguably league- worst goaltending tandem. This isn’t a big ask. It is a HUGE ask and perhaps an unfair test of Wilson’s largely impressive performance over the years, especially the However, to quote the late great classic rocker Freddy Mercury, I want it last few. He has a shot at bringing back the franchise’s most popular all, I want it all, I want it all and I want it now. Sharks fans are a different player for a farewell season that means something. breed. The Bay Area hockey afficionados are a combination that is rabid for the Cup, yet respectful of the players and their privacy. Is it a long shot? Sure, but anything is in this parity era of the NHL. Why not shoot for the Gordie Howe Hat Trick of happy endings? Sharks fans This is one reason why the Sharks have such a remarkable track record want it all and they want it now. when it comes to retaining their world-class talent over the years. Sharks fans LOVE their Sharks. San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 06.10.2019 So …

There is talk of Patrick Marleau being traded by the Toronto Maple Leafs to a Pacific Division team, either to mentor the upstart Desert Dogs of Arizona or to Los Angeles and a reunion with former Sharks coach Todd McClellan.

May I be the first one to say: Absolutely. Not. Over Gritty’s dead body should Patrick Marleau play his final season(s?) with either of those clubs.

Patrick Marleau is synonymous with the San Jose Sharks as Jimi Hendrix is with the electric guitar, as Shakespeare is with the stage. He didn’t earn the title of Mr. Shark for nothing.

Wilson has the opportunity to give Sharks fans one last shot at the ending they have been craving since 2005: Joe Thornton raising the Cup over his head before passing to Patrick Marleau as the Sharks crowd blows the roof off SAP Center.

Any Sharks fan worth his or her salt gets a little choked up at the thought. Which is why I implore Wilson and Toronto GM Kyle Dubas to make Mr. Shark a Shark again.

This would be the ultimate nostalgia trip back to the future, and it would be a risky one. Marleau was finally in a season of decline last year, scoring a mere 16 goals and 21 assists. He is due $4.25 million next season. The Sharks are already going to be stretched to the max with their cap. This is arguably a fan wanting to have his cake and eat it too.

However, the short-term benefits could vastly outweigh the long-term costs to the franchise. The Sharks’ attendance problems would be over, at least temporarily, as even casual fans would flock to a goodbye season from the franchise’s two most popular players. If you thought Sharks players rallied behind winning the Cup for Joe, winning it for Patty AND Joe would be the rallying cry of the entire NHL.

Those two greybeards (both will be age 40 at the start of training camp) love each other and the Sharks franchise. I would be shocked if Thornton chose not to lace up the skates for one last Cup-Or-Bust season with his future Hall-of-Fame former teammate.

Those two are well-known for their conditioning, and if any duo could put up numbers together at age 40 it would be No. 12 and No. 19.

How would this even work, cap-wise? 1146489 San Jose Sharks

Sharks' Logan Couture could finish as NHL playoffs' top goal scorer

By Ali Thanawalla June 09, 2019 8:20 PM

While the Stanley Cup Final between the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins is headed for a Game 7 on Wednesday night, the San Jose Sharks haven't played a game in nearly three weeks.

Yet, with only one game remaining in the NHL season, Sharks center Logan Couture still leads all players with 14 Stanley Cup playoff goals.

No one on St. Louis or Boston has caught up to Couture over the first six games of the series.

The Blues have two players close to Couture. Jaden Schwartz has 12 goals, and Vladimir Tarasenko has 11. If either equals or passes Couture on Wednesday night, it likely means St. Louis will hoist Lord Stanley's Cup for the first time in franchise history.

Boston's top two goal scorers this postseason are Patrice Bergeron and Charlie Coyle, who have nine goals apiece. Neither will match Couture's 14, barring a historic performance.

Couture's teammate, Tomas Hertl, isn't too far behind him with 10 goals. So, if Bergeron and Coyle don't score in Game 7, but the Bruins still win, the Sharks could have TWO players finish with more goals than any player on the team that won the Stanley Cup.

It's still kind of remarkable that the Sharks aren't alive based on how well they played on offense. As expected, the Bruins and Blues have scored the most goals this postseason, with 73 and 70, respectively. But the Sharks lit the lamp 58 times in 20 games. The next closest after that? The Carolina Hurricanes, who scored 39 times in 15 games. The problem for the Sharks? They allowed an NHL playoff-high 66 goals.

Anyway, Sharks fans, since Couture isn't an option, who are you rooting for in Game 7? The team you lost to in the Western Conference final, or a team from Boston? Tough choice.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146490 St Louis Blues "I think it just gets the guys together," O"Reilly said. "I think everyone’s got a ton of family in town and friends. So it’s just kind of nice to get away from that and stay focused and be around the guys."

Thomas back in for Game 6 as Blues look for first Stanley Cup BRUINS NEWS

Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, out since being hit by Sundqvist in Game 2, By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch 13 hrs ago still has not been cleared from the concussion protocol to play.

Coach Bruce Cassidy said he would go with six defensemen, with Steven Kampfer coming out. Karson Kuhlman will go in at forward and David After missing four games of the Stanley Cup Final, forward Robert Backes, who was a healthy scratch in Game 5, will be out of the lineup Thomas will be back in the lineup for Game 6 on Sunday night, just in again. time for a chance for the Blues to win the first championship in franchise history. JUST ANOTHER DAY, PART II

"I'm good to go," Thomas said. "I'm ready. It feels great to be back out While the Blues are trying to normalize the day, while knowing they will there with the guys and I'm good to go for tonight. be facing a charged up Boston team, the Bruins are approaching it as a game where they have to do everything right. "It's the hardest thing to watch your teammates go out there and they put us in a great position. I'm happy to be able to get out there and hopefully "I think just realizing you’ve got to win a game to stay alive," Krug said. help them out." "Ideally you’d love it to be the best game you’ve ever played but realize that you just need to play a good, solid hockey game an ultimately give "He said he could play," coach Craig Berube said. "He was ready to play, yourself and your team a chance to win. Just try to go into it with the so he feels good enough to play and we need a player." same routine, the same mentality and obviously raise the level of urgency and realize that every mistake at this level is magnified and just The Blues have an opening in their lineup because Ivan Barbashev has try to go play.” to sit out the game with a suspension for his hit on Marcus Johansson in Game 5. Thomas will return to his spot alongside Tyler Bozak and Pat "I think defensively, just getting the puck out," center Patrice Bergeron Maroon, while Sammy Blais, who had been in that spot, moves down to said. "A lot of times, we’re trying to make the extra pass. I think straight the fourth line in Barbashev's spot. line offensively in getting in the zone is usually what makes for good results but also that’s where I think simplifying is, that’s when we’re at our Thomas had been nursing a wrist injury for several weeks, then got best." leveled by Torey Krug in Game 1. Thomas didn't return to that game and hadn't played since. WHISTLES

"I was always pretty optimistic that I had a chance to get back and that's Gord Dwyer and Chris Rooney, who worked Games 2 and 4, will be the what I've been working hard to do," Thomas said. "It feels really good." referees tonight. Kelly Sutherland is the backup.

His linemates have been eager to get him back. LINES

"It's been a constant," he said. "I've always been talking with them. The Blues had an optional morning skate on Sunday, but almost They're pretty excited and so am I. I just want to get back out there and everyone was out there. Only Jay Bouwmeester, Colton Parayko and contribute." Carl Gunnarsson weren't on the ice. Alex Pietrangelo made a brief appearance. Those four figure to get the most minutes tonight. Robert Berube reiterated Sunday that Thomas' injury had nothing to do with Bortuzzo played just 7:23 in Game 5. Krug's hit, and Thomas gave the Boston defenseman a pass on it. Blues forwards: "I mean, there's no penalty, there's no call," he said. "I'm fine with the hit." Schwartz-Schenn-Tarasenko After watching four games from the press box, Thomas has a different view of the series. Sanford-O'Reilly-Perron

"You just have a different feel from being on the ice," he said, "being Maroon-Bozak-Thomas around the city, being around the fans." Blais-Sundqvist-Steen BLAIS ON THE MOVE Blues defensemen: Sammy Blais has played on the fourth line before and his physical nature makes him an easy fit for Ivan Barbashev's spot on the fourth line. Gunnarsson-Pietrangelo

"I played with them before," Blais said. "I know what to do with them, so Bouwmeester-Parayko it'll be easy. Bortuzzo-Dunn

"We're just coming into the game tonight like another game. We have it in Blues stats, roster and schedule our mind but stay focused and that's the only thing we can control right now. ... They're gonna come hard, so we gotta match their intensity, so Bruins stats, roster and schedule that's what we're gonna try to do." Join the discussion in our Blues Talk forum JUST ANOTHER DAY Blues goalie: You couldn't blame the players for being nervous. No player on the team has played in a Stanley Cup clinching game. Oskar Sundqvist was on the Binnington Penguins when they won twice, but didn't get into any games in the final. Bruins forwards:

"I (slept) for a bit, and then i woke up," center Ryan O'Reilly said. "It took Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak me a while to get back down. Obviously there’s a lot of excitement. We know what’s at stake. But again, I’m just trying tonight to take it one shift DeBrusk-Krejci-Kuhlman at a time." Johansson-Coyle-Heinen The Blues are trying to take the day the same as any other game, though Nordstrom-Kuraly-Acciari there was one difference. The team stayed at a hotel last night rather than at their own homes. They did that only one other time this Bruins defensemen: postseason, when they had a Sunday afternoon game against Dallas. Chara-McAvoy

Krug-Carlo Moore-Clifton

Bruins goalie:

Rask

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146491 St Louis Blues By the time the Blues returned home from Boston on Friday, Berube already had talked about it with the team.

“And we’ll talk again (Saturday) about it,” Berube said after the team got On the cusp of the Cup: Can the Blues shut out all the noise for Game 6? off the plane Friday. “I think our guys, they went through it already once, and I think they’ll be more prepared this time.”

By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch 10 hrs ago Or as Oskar Sundqvist put it: “I don’t think we’re going to do the same mistake twice.”

For some players blocking out the noise means staying off of social Throughout these playoffs, the Blues’ mantra has been shut out the media. noise. Don’t worry about outside distractions or anything on the periphery of the game. “I think a lot of guys in this locker room, (they) don’t look at social media because everywhere you look there’s articles or pictures, or this or that,” Focus on the task at hand, stay in the moment, stay with the same Brayden Schenn said. “The more you think about it on a non-game day, preparation process that takes you from game to game and series to the more energy you’re burning and it’s almost useless thinking about it, series. right?”

From the Winnipeg “Whiteout” to the wall that was Dallas goalie Ben Others simply ignore text messages or phone calls. They can make Bishop, to all of that San Jose offensive firepower, that approach has amends later, and most friends and family members understand what’s been successful time after time. at stake. To further avoid distraction, the Blues have been staying at a local hotel on game days during the playoffs. But then came Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against Boston — the first home game in a Cup Final since 1970. The town was crazy with “It’s one of those things, when it’s time to focus on hockey, you gotta anticipation. You sensed it, felt it, heard it all over. The Blues themselves make sure you focus on hockey,” Parayko said. “And when it’s a time may have gotten a little too caught up in the moment. In the noise of all when you just want to relax, just relax.” that Cup Fever. And if that means shutting off the phone for a couple days, so be it. They were almost too amped up at the start of that game, and by the end, Boston had a 7-2 victory. “If you want to win, you want to win,” Parayko said. “So whatever it takes to have your best game Sunday. There’s no extremes here I don’t think.” “I know the first home game here in the Final was a tough one for us, emotionally,” coach Craig Berube said Saturday. “I think that maybe a It’s about having the right frame of mind, taking an even-keel approach to little bit too much emotion at times in that game. the potential Cup-clincher. A state of mind where you’re not too high, or too low entering Sunday’s game. It’s worked for the Blues so far, and “Going into tomorrow night’s game it’s important you keep your emotions they’re trying to make it work one more time. in check. Discipline is huge. It’s hard, but you gotta find a way to do it.” As they head into the most important hockey game of their careers, the Because the first Stanley Cup Final home game in 49 years was a big last thing they want to do is let the moment get the best of them. And moment last week. But now comes an even bigger one — the chance to suddenly look up at the scoreboard and find themselves trailing 4-0, as claim the first NHL championship in franchise history with a win in Game was the case early in the second period of Game 3. 6 Sunday night at Enterprise Center. Because moments like this don’t come around every day. In St. Louis, “It’s incredible how many amazing teams that have been here and this moment has been more than a half-century in the making. haven’t won,” Ryan O’Reilly said. “And looking at it now, having that opportunity, seeing this group in here, seeing the city behind it. It’s St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 06.10.2019 amazing.

“It’s tough to put into words just running into random people around the city and how excited they are. Season ticket-holders for 30-plus years, just their excitement. It’s so much more beyond these guys in this room.”

The puck rack in the Blues’ locker room contained only seven pucks at Thanksgiving — one for each victory. Back then, it almost mocked the players, reminding them every day of their struggles.

Now it’s full. Six rows, 10 pucks per row — 60 pucks. Just enough to accommodate 45 regular-season wins and 15 postseason triumphs.

But wait.

“There’s one more spot,” captain Alex Pietrangelo said. “Just look closer.”

Sure enough, at the top of the rack above the words “St. Louis Blues,” there is room for one more puck. One more win for the Stanley Cup.

“This is the prize that everyone dreams of,” Colton Parayko said. “We’re so close. This is gonna be the toughest one to win.”

So close, but in a sense so far away.

“We haven’t really done much yet,” Pat Maroon said. “We just gotta continue to focus. Like I tell everybody else, it’s not over until it’s over.

Haven’t done much?

“No,” Maroon said. “It’s not over. Lot of hockey to be played.”

Well, at least one more game of hockey to be played. The Blues surely don’t want to play two more times, which would entail going back to Boston for Game 7 if they lose Sunday.

Which is one more reason why Berube wants the Blues to do a better job of handling the emotion of the moment than they did in Game 3 — that first Cup home game in 49 years. 1146492 St Louis Blues He will be more disciplined tomorrow. I don’t need to discuss if I’ll take him out of the lineup.”

For those keeping track, this was another correct call by Berube. BenFred: Perron quiets critics, mentors teammates during underappreciated postseason “People can question certain things,” Perron said after Saturday morning’s practice. “That’s a subject for another day. I’m just excited our line has stepped up the last couple of games. O’Reilly is the leader in 13 hrs ago that. When he drives the team, he drives our line, and everyone follows, jumps on board.” Ben Frederickson Berube backed his veteran.

Look what happened next. No one in the Blues’ dressing room can possibly know what one more win would mean. The Blues’ second line has been splendid since. Zach Sanford’s return to it added play-making ability behind the net. O’Reilly has scored three You can’t describe the surface of the moon until you touch it. times in the last two games. Perron scored the second goal of the Blues’ Game 5 win, hustling the puck toward the net while both Blues and There is one, however, who knows how two more losses would sting. Bruins alike paused to see if officials would hit Tyler Bozak for a tripping That pain, still lingering, would somehow make the accomplishment of penalty against Noel Acciari. winning a Stanley Cup even sweeter for David Perron. In the biggest moment of the game, Perron did the opposite of lose his A team with a movie’s worth of story lines has an important but cool. complicated one on its resurgent second line. He seemed to be the only player on the ice who had his head in the The veteran forward who has continued to return to the Blues despite game. departures via trade and an expansion draft is credited by teammates as He’s also taken just one penalty in the last two games. a critical component in the Blues’ march toward history. Perron’s critics are scrambling now. He is a plus-2 player this The Bruins entered this series with seven players with Stanley Cup Final postseason. He ranks third among Blues in postseason goals (seven) experience. The Blues had just one who had played on that stage. and fifth in assists (seven). No teammate has more than his two game- “No one really understands how hard it is to get here,” Blues legend and winning goals. broadcaster Bernie Federko said in Boston before Game 1, reminding Not that Perron is paying attention to it, but the noise about him is that this Stanley Cup Final was just the second he had attended in his beginning to change its tune. Hall of Fame lifetime. He went as a prospect the year he was drafted. He’s along for this ride now. But his 14-season playing career never St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 06.10.2019 brought him here.

Every Blues player but one arrived with that same sense of awe. Perron’s experience had to become his team’s.

Perron’s Vegas Knights went one-and-done against Washington in last season’s Stanley Cup Final before he reunited with the Blues this past offseason. The pain of that loss and the lessons learned from it followed him home to St. Louis for his third stint here. Captain Alex Pietrangelo and Perron’s linemate Ryan O’Reilly have both praised Perron as the player in the dressing room who worked to disconnect the Blues from the noise beyond the doors, a role that has become more important and more challenging as the Blues inch closer to dissolving their Stanley Cup curse.

“He’s been a great voice for us,” O’Reilly said.

“His leadership has been there this whole playoffs,” added Pietrangelo. “We leaned on him. He knew what it took.”

Perron’s critics will scoff at this description of a calm, collected leader. It does not fit their preferred definition of the player. Perron’s play plateaued late last season. He was scratched from one of the Knights’ Stanley Cup Final games against the Capitals. This tough-to-swallow moment was added to the evidence used to argue that Perron tends to fizzle in big moments. Entering this postseason, he was a minus-2 player in his 57 postseason games. Too many needless trips to the penalty box put him in a box. He was a player who lost his cool when the spotlight got hot.

Perron’s stiff-arm of this label did not stop the topic from stirring again in this series. He didn’t score a point against the Bruins through the first three games. He was, however, whistled for tripping, interference and roughing as the Blues tried (and failed) to cut back on costly penalties. Perron’s agitation of Torey Krug led to Krug’s massive Game 1 hit on Robert Thomas. Perron was caught on camera backing Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask toward the boards after a whistle, saying things that likely could not be printed here. Was he coming undone?

Blues coach Craig Berube cut off that conversation immediately.

Asked after Game 3 if he would consider benching Perron, Berube bristled.

“In what way hasn’t he been effective for you?” Berube countered. “We have talked about penalties and playing between the whistles and stuff. 1146493 St Louis Blues treat it any different than a normal game – we’re going to play the game that we need to play.”

For Plager, for Pietrangelo, for Patty Maroon, for the people – Stanley Hochman: A Blues win Sunday would start the party of parties in St. awaits. Louis For the 19-year-old Robert Thomas, he can win the Stanley Cup before he can legally drink out of it. For the 35-year-old Jay Bouwmeester, he’s 13 hrs ago skated innumerable miles on ice to finally get this shot.

Benjamin Hochman It will take all ages for a win for the ages.

It will take all of the St. Louis Blues to win this thing.

The same name evokes the very best of our sports town, Stan Musial, It will be for all of St. Louis if they do. and the worst, Stan Kroenke. “It’s a really nice place to live – and we have great fans,” Bouwmeester The sports fans of St. Louis have experienced a lifetime of heart racing said. “But outside the rink, you’re just (treated) like a normal guy.” and tugging, ache and break. But there is one emotion that is foreign, Well, wait ‘til you win the Stanley Cup. one that St. Louisans could finally feel on Sunday, thanks to a new Stanley in their lives. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 06.10.2019

The St. Louis Blues have never won the Stanley Cup.

If the Blues beat the Bruins in St. Louis, they win the Stanley Cup.

“For St. Louis fans, it’s been a long time coming,” said Philip Pritchard, the Hockey Hall of Fame’s “Keeper of the Cup,” who traveled with Stanley to town on Saturday. “Let’s see what happens.”

On Saturday, Bobby Plager stood in the drab bowels of Enterprise Center, a glean from the brightly lit rink sneaking through. He was asked about the Cup being in the building on Sunday.

“I hope it goes from in here to out on the ice,” said the 76-year-old Plager, an original Blue and fixture of the franchise for more than 50 years. “Until it happens, you think about it right now and I get goosebumps just hoping. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but it’s something you dream about for myself, my family and for this city here.

“The party down here will be good, but all the big partiers are upstairs – (late Blues) Barclay Plager and Noel Picard and Doug Harvey. Whatever party we have down here, they’re going to have up there.”

Which is fitting, because the party down here would feel heavenly.

Sunday is Game 6, of course, and not Game 7, which means that if the Blues happen to lose, there is still another chance to hoist the Cup. But that means flying to Boston to beat Boston. That, one would suggest, would be less than ideal. The Blues need to play like they really are done with jets – after beating the Jets, Stars and Sharks, the stars have aligned to snatch up the Cup in St. Louis.

It will take a masterpiece. Hard to think the Blues can steal a sloppy win again, like they did in Game 5 at TD Garden. It will take the uplifting final chapter of hockey’s greatest storybook.

“I think we need to take this opportunity and run with it,” said Patrick Maroon, the St. Louis native and St. Louis Blue. “We’re on home ice, we’ve got to come out and play really good hockey. Focus on what we need to do to win the game. Last game was OK. We had some good looks, but we didn’t shoot enough, we didn’t throw enough pucks at the net. We’ve got to take this moment.”

At this point, the captain looks like a captain – Alex Pietrangelo’s beard conjuring Images of some old pirate or some old Penguin (or Red Wing or Blackhawk). Pietrangelo always has some scruff, but this is a playoff beard, sprouting until hockey stops. At his locker Saturday, Pietrangelo said his beard has never been this thick.

“My kids love it,” said the father of triplets born last July. “They use it as leverage to stand up.”

With the Blues faltering on ice last fall, the father of infants had his on-ice abilities and leadership abilities questioned. It was a rough time. He was in the minus on ice. He learned so much about himself this year. And he persevered. Still wearing the “C,” he has been one of the Blues’ best players for months.

“What we went through during the year, that was the hardest adversity we were going to go through,” Pietrangelo said Saturday. “I guess it was a good preparation for what we’d have to deal with in the playoffs. …

“We know what’s got us here, we know what’s at stake. Our group is pretty level-headed. We know what tomorrow is, but we’re not going to 1146494 St Louis Blues expected to play had come in. He said everything was fine, but since he hadn’t skated on Friday, he wanted to get in some extra work. … Forward Marcus Johansson skated with the first power-play unit for the Blues notebook: Vladi's a daddy once again Bruins on Saturday and looks to be taking the place of Jake DeBrusk. Cassidy said one of the problems for the Bruins as they’ve gone 0 for five on the power play the past two games was zone entries, and that’s an area where Johansson excels. … Coming into this postseason, the Blues By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch 20 hrs ago had lost eight straight Game 6s, with their most recent win coming in 2001. This year, they’re 3-0. With a chance to go 4-0.

As if there wasn’t enough going on his life right now, Blues forward St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 06.10.2019 Vladimir Tarasenko because a father again on Friday night.

His wife, Yana, gave birth to a son, yet unnamed, who weighed 7.4 pounds and was 20.5 inches long. “I don’t have words to describe it,” Tarasenko told the team’s website. “Just happiness and love everywhere around there.”

Yana posted a picture on her Instagram account on Friday of Vladimir, in a hospital gown, holding the baby. The couple have two other sons, Mark and Aleksandr.

“It’s always family first, right?” said captain Alex Pietrangelo, who became the father of triplets last offseason. “That’s how I live my life, having seen those things. I know what it’s like to go through that, and so does he. Always special for someone to go through that.”

“It’s great,” said forward Pat Maroon, who signed with the Blues in part so he could spend more time with his 10-year-old son, Anthony. “Obviously, she held on until he got back, so Yana did a good job of holding on and making sure Vladimir was there. We’re all happy for him. It’s awesome, another boy for him, so we’re all excited for the Tarasenkos and that everyone’s healthy and doing well. It’s good to see that.”

If there was any pressure on Tarasenko surrounding the impending birth of a child, it didn’t show up in his game. He has a point in eight of his past 10 playoff games.

“He’s done a real good job of handling the situation,” Maroon said, “and Yana’s done a really good job. Good communication, I guess.”

CHARA SPEAKS

Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara spoke with the media on Saturday. Tight-lipped would be an apt description.

Chara, with a clump of stitches visible underneath the right side of his lower lip, barely opened his mouth as he spoke with reporters. He wouldn’t confirm that he has a broken jaw, as has been widely reported.

“I feel fine playing,” he said. “Obviously, it was a quick turnaround after last game here, but I felt fine.”

Asked if there were any limitations in what he could do on the ice, he said, “I think there is no limitations. I’m still able to play.”

And asked if he was eating food, he said, “Yeah. I’m trying to always eat as much as I can and keep my nutrition up and fluids up.”

Chara skated in practice on Saturday and is expected to be in the lineup for Game 6.

“He’s our leader,” goalie Tuukka Rask said. “He’s the toughest guy out there. He doesn’t take any games off unless it’s impossible to play. So, it’s an emotional lift to all of us. He’s the backbone of the defense, so it’s a great help for us to have him back there.”

Matt Grzelcyk is still in the concussion protocol and wore a red no- contact jersey in practice. Forward Chris Wagner, who hurt his arm in the Carolina series, skated in practice. Coach Bruce Cassidy said he was doubtful for Game 6, but would have a chance if the series went seven games.

FOR THE TEAM

The Bruins went with seven defenseman for Game 5, and the forward who came out was David Backes. It’s uncertain if he’ll be back in for Game 6.

“We’re here to win,” he said. “If my part’s grabbing the pom-pons again, I’ll shake those things ‘til all the frills fall out of them.”

NOTES

Blues defenseman Vince Dunn stayed out longer than usual at practice on Saturday, continuing to work long after most of the other players 1146495 St Louis Blues it up again. I mean, it’s silver. It looks beautiful all the time. But when it’s shiny and you walk out on the red carpet with it, it’s amazing. …

We will get to the building on Sunday prior to both teams arriving. The Hochman: Q-&-A with the 'Keeper of the Stanley Cup,' who is in St. Louis great thing about hockey is there’s a lot of superstition. Even though the for Game 6 players know (the Cup is in the building), they don’t want to know.

We have it locked away. Downstairs, ice level, waiting to go. So as the 14 hrs ago game goes on, if St. Louis is winning, we’re getting prepared to do the red carpet walk in front of the hometown fans. If Boston is winning, we’re Benjamin Hochman prepared to be the first people out of the rink.

The Cup has the mystique aura about it. I’m biased here, but it’s the greatest trophy in all of sport. It’s 127 years old, 36 inches high and it’s Philip Pritchard’s first trip with the Stanley Cup was in 1988 — “And it almost 37 pounds. Pure silver. And it’s got a lifetime of history behind it. was in Newmarket, Ontario — which coincidentally is near where Jordan Binnington is from,” Pritchard said. “But he wasn’t born yet.” If it could talk, it would be a best-seller.

Since then, Pritchard said, the Stanley Cup has been “mountain climbing So what’s the story about the white gloves you’re always wearing in in the Bavarian mountains in Germany. We’ve had caviar out of it in photos with the Cup? Moscow. Been lobster fishing in Eastern Canada. Been to sauna parties in Northern Finland.” It’s amazing, the whole white-glove aura, because working in a museum, all curators wear white gloves. It doesn’t matter if you’re the hockey Pritchard took flight Saturday to St. Louis. As the “Keeper of the Cup,” he museum, rock museum, art museum, whatever — everyone wears white travels with Lord Stanley’s most-famous chalice. gloves. Years ago, the made the whole Stanley Cup presentation part of the television ceremony with the red carpet, “It’s basically looking after everything the Stanley Cup does and goes,” which started in ’94. That was New York and Vancouver. Before that, we Pritchard said, “from a travel point of view, a promotional point of view, a used to push the cup out on a table during a TV timeout, and then the TV historian point of view, you name it. It’s my traveling companion.” would come back — and then they do the presentation. Commissioner Pritchard agreed to an interview with The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, as the (Gary) Bettman and everybody wanted to make it part of the whole event, Blues — hosting Game 6 on Sunday and up 3-2 — are on the cusp of the which it should be. Cup. So in ’94, the TV stations were told to not go to a commercial after the How does the travel work, from Toronto to St. Louis? game. They didn’t know why. They didn’t know what was going to happen. But we did this red carpet and we had matching Hall of Fame We’re flying (Saturday) with the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe, and suits on. And I remember during the (planning) conference call, we were it’s pretty special going through the airports. If we back up, prior to 9/11, talking about having matching ties and walking it out. And we said we there were times we could bring it on the plane. Now, after it goes could wear the white gloves, and Commissioner Bettman said, ‘What do through TSA, it goes in special services. The airline rep will take it from you mean white gloves?’ We said that we wear white gloves with all of TSA, they will check it on to the plane, and then they’ll come and find our artifacts. And he said, ‘That would look amazing!’ either (Hockey Hall of Fame’s) Craig Campbell or myself and say, ‘Hey, it’s on the plane. Enjoy the flight.’ And then when we get to the other end, They’re cotton gloves, designed to keep your fingerprints off the artifacts. someone will get it there and bring it out to us. They have our Hall of Fame logo on them. For fans, when they see me without my white gloves, they sometimes freak out — ‘Where are your Checking in at the airport, it’s really special at this time of the year. And in gloves?’ Apparently I’m supposed to wear them all the time. Canada, when they ask you what you’re checking in, and you say, ‘I have three bags, and one is the Stanley Cup,’ it’s pretty neat to see the Once a team wins the Stanley Cup, what happens to the Stanley Cup? reaction. The team gets up to 100 days with it as part of their championship tour. So for our purposes, we usually get to the airport a lot earlier than the And in doing that, they have their parade and their team photo and the average passenger, because there’s going be photo ops and all that kind partner obligations and season ticket holder obligations and all of that. of stuff. And I think that’s what makes hockey great. It adds to the whole And then, each member of the team, the players, coaching staff, training excitement. And obviously, social media plays a big part of that. Because staff and all that, get to spend the day with it. people will see us as it’s pushed to the airport, and they’ll be taking And it’s pretty amazing, because they understand that the team is much photos and you know, that kind of stuff. more than the guys on the ice. It’s mom and dad that used to drive TSA enjoyed our luggage today. They looked after as well. Enroute to hockey practice in the morning, then the school teacher that help them Game 6 #StanleyCup @nhl @NHLBruins @StLouisBlues get their education so they play hockey. When the guys take it home, @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/FRMzrQ1Ryg their day is so special and so powerful because they do a lot of thank yous and remembering and giving back to the community. — Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) June 8, 2019 It’s around the world. It’s wherever the guys are from. Canada, US, Where does the 'Keeper of the Cup' keep the Cup before the game? Sweden, Russia, Finland — we’ve been to 28 or 29 countries. So there’s Craig, myself, Howie (Barrow of the HHOF). And a couple of other guys When (Craig Campbell and myself) arrive to St. Louis, we have a car who spend the next hundred days traveling around not only the winning rented, a hotel in town and we’ll kind of hang around and stay close by city, but around the globe, promoting this great game of hockey — and the room, by the trophies, because we’re looking after them. And we celebrating with the players. have a conference call all set up for (Saturday) afternoon with NHL security and everybody, to how we’re going to get in Sunday afternoon We will sit down with the team and kind of go through the summer and get it all squared away. months, then calendars, geographically start trying to figure out how it can all work. A lot of teams go by seniority or the captain gets to decide We have separate hotel rooms that are adjoining. And we lock one from first, or the coach or the owner. So geography plays a big role, airline the inside, so there’s really only one way to get in and out. I mean, travel schedules and whether we’re driving or taking a boat, or a train or basically, we stay with the trophy. We never leave it in the vehicle or car, or you know, whatever it might be to get to some guy’s house, will do anything. all that. Do you go out to dinner? What is the experience like when you are with the Cup and the Cup Probably take-out. I hear Pappy’s is supposed to be good. winners?

What happens on gameday? We stay with it the whole day, the whole time, basically for the summer we become kind of part of their team. We’re at all their events, team Sunday morning, we’ll get ’em all cleaned up, ready to go. And then, parties, player parties, player fundraisers, whatever they might have, depending on Sunday, if it’s going to be presented post-game, will clean there’s always one extra guy (myself, Campbell, Borrow or someone else from the HHOF). It’s pretty unique. You arrive in the morning, and then by midday, you’re kind of almost part of the family. And by night time, as excited as they were to see it arrive in the morning, they’re just as excited to see us go — because they know we’re going to another teammate (to get the same experience). It’s really special. And, really, I think satisfying for them — they say goodbye to it at night, and they often clean it for the next guy and let them know it’s on its way. It’s really neat. That’s what makes team atmosphere really shine.

For you, what are the coolest experiences?

It’s every time we go to a new city that it hasn’t gone to before, or a new culture or something.

A lot of guys are small-town guys in small countries, and they have barn parties or stuff like that. So you really get to know the family, the community. And to me, every Stanley Cup party is unique — every one — because it means so much to that winner, regardless whether he’s a backup goalie or the captain, or the assistant trainer — they’re bringing it home to thank everybody to express their gratitude.

When we show up, there’s always a smile on their face. To have a job that brings a smile to everyone’s face, it’s pretty satisfying. And there’s some emotional days out there when guys take it the cemeteries for passed loved ones, which is pretty powerful stuff, when they’re sitting there and it’s all quiet.

And there are times they take it to City Hall in their community, because they want to raise money for a new hockey rink, or whatever it might be. Trying to give back as well.

And for Game 6, you’ll be at Enterprise Center — a pretty amazing turn- of-events.

For St. Louis fans, it’s been a long time coming. Let’s see what happens.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146496 St Louis Blues they’re usually the ones carrying it a lot. Krug sometimes. But this will give us a different look."

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 06.10.2019 Thomas skates in practice, could be back for Blues in Game 6

By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch Jun 8, 2019

Robert Thomas, last seen being sent flying by Boston's Torey Krug in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, was back on the ice at practice on Saturday at Enterprise Center, and he could be back for Game 6 on Sunday.

"He was out there today and we’ll see tomorrow, for sure," coach Craig Berube said. "It’s a game-time decision. Obviously, he’s been a very good player for us for a long time, and we’ll see."

Thomas skated in his usual spot on a line with Tyler Bozak and Pat Maroon. Thomas has been skating with a sore wrist for a while, and stopped taking part in practices before Game 4 of the San Jose series. Thomas hasn't played since Krug's hit in Game 1, though Berube said his absence wasn't related to the hit.

Getting Thomas back might not have the same impact for the Blues as the Bruins got from Zdeno Chara playing Game 5 with a possible broken jaw, but it would still be a welcome addition.

"It was good," Maroon said. "He’s been working hard to get back in the lineup. We’ll see tomorrow if he plays. Obviously it’s always good to see the kid out there skating around and he’s been just itching to get back out there with the guys, so it’s good to see him out there.

"Oh, it’d be awesome. He has a lot of skill, he has speed, he brings a different element to the game and I think with him on our line, it makes our line a lot better. He drives the engine with his fresh legs and his young talent. It helps us go."

Sammy Blais had been in that spot, but it looked on Saturday as if he would move into the spot opened up by Ivan Barbashev's suspension on the fourth line. Jordan Nolan, who has been skating separately with the Black Aces, the San Antonio callups, skated with the full team on Saturday and took the spot of , who Berube said sat out practice for maintenance reasons. Also not skating was Vladimir Tarasenko, who became a father again on Friday with the birth of a son. Robby Fabbri skated in Tarasenko's spot in practice, which would point to him not being the player coming in.

Otherwise, the offensive lines and defensive pairings were the same, with Vince Dunn, Carl Gunnarsson and Robert Bortuzzo in and Joel Edmundson out.

BRUINS NEWS

On the Boston side, the injured Matt Grzelcyk skated again in a red non- contact jersey. He's awaiting medical clearance to be able to return from the league's concussion protocol. Coach Bruce Cassidy said he still doesn't have it.

Forward Chris Wagner, who injured his right arm in the Eastern final and hasn't played in the Final, took the ice at the end of practice. Cassidy said he was doubtful for Game 6, but could play if there was a Game 7.

Zdeno Chara came into the interview room and said he was fine, though he barely opened his mouth when saying that. He had a small clump of stitches under the right side of his bottom lip. He didn't directly answer a question about whether he has a broken jaw. "There is no limitations," he said. It's hard to believe he's eating solid food considering how little he can open his mouth, though Chara said, "“Yeah. I’m trying to always eat as much as I can and keep my nutrition up and fluids up.”

It looks like the Bruins are going to move Marcus Johansson to the first power play unit. The team has gone 0 for 5 on the power play since going 4 for 4 in Game 3. Cassidy said one of the problems was the team's entries into the zone.

"He’s a little more of a distributor than Jake (DeBrusk)," Cassidy said. "Jake’s more of a net-front presence, they both recover pucks well. Marcus is good on entries, he’s used to having it through the neutral zone. We had a few issues there the other day, so hopefully he gives us another option. We’ve used (Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak), 1146497 St Louis Blues “It’s tough to lose a guy like Barbie here,” defenseman Carl Gunnarsson said. “Same thing with Sunny when he was out. But we got a ton of guys on the sideline just waiting to step up and we show that time and time Rookie Thomas may return to action for Blues in Game 6 again. Last time Sanford came in and played a great game, Fabbri’s been in too. ... We feel bad for Barbie. He’s obviously a big part of the team. Someone else is going to have to step up tomorrow.”

By Tom Timmermann St. Louis Post-Dispatch Jun 8, 2019 Neither Steen nor Vladimir Tarasenko skated in practice on Saturday. Berube said it was maintenance for both. Tarasenko had the added

complication of his wife having a baby on Friday night. Jordan Nolan, Some of the changes have been mandated by the league because of another certified hard-hitter, skated in Steen’s spot and would be another suspensions. Some have been because of injuries, or the recovery from candidate to come in for Barbashev, though he hasn’t played since the injuries. Others because of how players have played. middle of April.

But for whatever the reason, the Blues lineup has been in steady flux St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 06.10.2019 throughout the Stanley Cup Final and will have yet another new look for Game 6 on Sunday.

This time, Ivan Barbashev will be out because of a suspension; in to the lineup, it appeared on Saturday, will be forward Robert Thomas, who has been out since he got clobbered by Torey Krug in Game 1 of the series.

Blues coach Craig Berube said Thomas’ absence was not related to the hit – he’s been nursing a sore wrist for a while – and he said Thomas’ return to the lineup would be – you guessed it – a gametime decision. But all signs pointed to his return. Thomas skated with his longtime linemates Tyler Bozak and Pat Maroon in practice on Saturday, with Sammy Blais, who had been filling in on that line, moving down to Barbashev’s spot on the fourth line.

The return to the lineup of Thomas, who missed four games, may not have the dramatic effect of Boston’s Zdeno Chara playing with what is thought to be a broken jaw, but the Blues are excited about it.

“Oh, it’d be awesome,” said Maroon. “He has a lot of skill, he has speed, he brings a different element to the game and I think with him on our line, it makes our line a lot better. He drives the engine with his fresh legs and his young talent. It helps us go.

“He’s been working hard to get back in the lineup. We’ll see tomorrow if he plays. Obviously it’s always good to see the kid out there skating around and he’s been just itching to get back out there with the guys, so it’s good to see him out there.”

“He’s an outstanding player,” center Ryan O’Reilly said. “He’s one of the guys that got us here with the way he performed and what he’s done. To see him out there skating, it’s obviously exciting. And if he gets a chance to get in the lineup, I think it’s a big spark for us. He’s an outstanding player that always impacts the game.”

“He was out there today and we’ll see tomorrow, for sure,” Berube said. “It’s a game-time decision. Obviously, he’s been a very good player for us for a long time, and we’ll see.”

This will be the Blues’ sixth game in the Final and their sixth lineup of 20 players. For Game 2, Thomas came out and was replaced by Robby Fabbri. After Game 2, Oskar Sundqvist was suspended and Zach Sanford went in for Game 3. For Game 4, Sundqvist came back, Sanford stayed in, Fabbri came out, Vince Dunn went back in and Robert Bortuzzo came out. For Game 5, Bortuzzo went back in and Joel Edmundson came out. Now, for Game 6, Barbashev will be out and Thomas will likely go back in. (The Bruins, meanwhile, have used three different rosters in their first five games.)

“We have good depth,” Berube said, “which is very important on the back end and up front. A guy like Sanford coming in and doing a good job for us after being out for some time, and Sammy Blais, just different guys. It’s really important.”

If Blais moves down to the fourth line, as it looked on Saturday, he’s a perfect fit to replace Barbashev. Barbashev’s 80 hits are the second most in the postseason while Blais’ average of 4.9 hits per game is the 10th most in the postseason and the most for anyone still playing. If the goal of the fourth line is to have an aggressive forecheck, Blais is cut out for that job.

“Not too much (difference without Barbashev), I think,” fourth-line center Sundqvist said. “A new guy’s going to come in. Me and (Alexander Steen) need to talk a lot and help who’s going to play with us out. Obviously we’re going to miss Barbie but we need to do the best we can to help whoever is coming in.” 1146498 St Louis Blues

Outmatched: Bruins force Stanley Cup Game 7 with 5-1 win over Blues

ASSOCIATED PRESS

JUNE 09, 2019 10:20 PM

Facing elimination in a hostile environment, Brad Marchand and Tuukka Rask stepped up for the Boston Bruins once again.

The Stanley Cup Final is heading to Game 7 because two of Boston’s biggest stars love the biggest moments.

Rask made 28 saves, Marchand had a goal and an assist, and the Bruins beat the St. Louis Blues 5-1 on Sunday night to even the bruising, physical final at three games apiece.

David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist as Boston became the 17th team to go on the road and force a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup. The Bruins also were the last franchise to accomplish the feat, coming all the way back to win the championship against Vancouver in 2011.

Rask was a reserve goaltender on that team eight years ago, while Marchand was a key performer. They will go for another championship Wednesday night in Boston after losing to Chicago in the 2013 final.

Ryan O’Reilly scored in the third period for St. Louis, which is looking for the franchise’s first Stanley Cup title. Rookie Jordan Binnington finished with 27 stops.

Backed by an electric Enterprise Center crowd that included actors Jon Hamm and Jenna Fischer and Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, wearing a No. 49 Blues jersey in honor of suspended forward Ivan Barbashev, St. Louis looked a step off for most of the game. Prime scoring opportunities were derailed by misplaced passes or ever-so-slight timing issues.

Of course, the unflappable Rask can have that effect on a team. And whenever the Blues threatened, the 6-foot-3 Finnish star was there.

Rask was at his best while Boston killed off four power plays, dropping St. Louis to 1 for 18 with the man advantage for the series. He smothered a big Colton Parayko slap shot with Zdeno Chara in the box near the end of the first period, and made a fancy glove stop on an even-strength try for Brayden Schenn 7:42 in the second.

He got some help after Marchand was whistled for tripping Alex Pietrangelo midway through the second. With the Blues applying heavy pressure in search of the tying goal, Pietrangelo had a backhand go off the left post and Rask’s back before Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy knocked the puck out of the way out of midair.

While St. Louis came up empty on the power play, Boston used a 5-on-3 advantage to jump in front in the first. With Schenn and O’Reilly in the box, Marchand beat Binnington with a sharp-angled shot from the right circle at 8:40.

It was Marchand’s first goal since he got an empty-netter in Boston’s 4-2 victory in Game 1. The Bruins improved to 25-1 when the pesky veteran scores in the postseason.

Belleville News-Democrat LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146499 St Louis Blues “I don’t really worry about points or some other stuff,” Tarasenko said. “I just want us to win. That’s all that matters. And I think you recognize it when it goes deep in the playoffs. The deeper you go the more you The evolution of Vladimir Tarasenko as a leader for the Blues understand the other stuff around you is just noise. You can score a couple of goals and lose a game and you just feel worse than in your life. But then don’t score but play well, don’t give up defensively, team wins, makes you happy.” By Scott Burnside Jun 9, 2019 Sometimes it’s just about getting older and figuring out things. The

unfortunate part is that the outside world sometimes doesn’t follow along, ST. LOUIS – The first time Moscow native Ivan Barbashev met his new preferring to assume that a player remains who he was as opposed to teammate Vladimir Tarasenko it got a bit awkward. recognizing what he’s become.

Tarasenko came up to Barbashev at his first NHL training camp after the “I think, in our time we live in right now, it’s pretty easy to create some St. Louis Blues drafted him in 2014. situations about one player,” Tarasenko said. “If he scores a lot from the left circle, you can say, ‘Oh, he can only do this.’ But it’s not true. People “I was really shy. I’m still shy but the first time I saw him, I was like I don’t pay attention to the small stuff. And I think the guys who really couldn’t believe it at first and he comes to say hi to me and I am going to understand hockey and look a little bit deeper, they can find more things answer ‘hi’ but then I get so quiet, I just couldn’t talk to him,” Barbashev he’s doing to make the team successful.” said laughing at the memory. Like Ovechkin did for example? “But it’s changed a little. No, it’s changed a lot. But the first time I saw him I was nervous.” “It was a big lesson for all of us,” said Tarasenko, who played on a line with Ovechkin at the and whose wife is close No team gets to the narrow end of the Stanley Cup path, with the St. with Ovechkin’s wife. “Yeah, just follow the same plan.” Louis Blues one win from the franchise’s first championship, without going through change. Longtime NHL netminder and analyst Darren Pang als0 sees the parallels in terms of the path forged by Ovechkin and now Tarasenko. And the change that Barbashev and others have seen in Tarasenko, changes in how he plays and how he carries himself around his “For years we’ve said that Ovechkin was a one-trick pony, it was the teammates, started before this postseason run. slapshot, it was the one-timer, and now we’ve seen Ovechkin, he does a lot of really good things. And I think we’re seeing the evolution of Vladdy When the team was floundering early this season – dead last in the Tarasenko right now,” Pang said. “There’s more to his game than just his standings in January, as everyone knows now – Tarasenko was among shot, and now we’re seeing him on the forecheck, I’ve seen him finish the leaders who addressed the team at various points, trying to find ways checks, I’ve seen him drive to the net. And he’s getting the space to out of their malaise. make plays. He passes the puck hard. If you’re on the ice with him, you’d better have two hands on your stick and be firm.” “He’s been great around the locker room. He talks to everyone,” Barbashev said. “He’s been great all the way around. On and off the ice, Ovechkin bought into what was needed in the playoffs, longtime St. Louis the leadership.” defenseman Barret Jackman observed, “and I think Vladdy is doing the same thing. Sometimes it’s the small things that resonate long after the act. “It’s the little things,” Jackman added. Being on the right side of opposing Like inviting Barbashev to the Tarasenko home when both were in St. players defensively so you can block shots and create turnovers, Louis in the offseason. By then Barbashev was no longer a tongue-tied backchecking, hunting down pucks in the corners. rookie but a teammate and colleague who could enjoy Tarasenko’s growing young family. “He’s become an all-around player right now,” Jackman said.

“They’re really funny, a lot of energy too,” Barbashev said. Tarasenko’s parents split up when he was young and his father was busy with his own hockey career, first as a skilled player whom Tarasenko On the ice, an evolution, too. wanted to emulate and later as a coach. Andrei Tarasenko still coaches “I think his game has changed a lot from my first year, and even I’m in the KHL, coaching in Novosibirsk for parts of the past three years, going to say from last year when we didn’t make the playoffs,” Barbashev where Tarasenko played before coming to the NHL after the 2012 said. “He’s been great defensively. It’s a big change, especially for him. lockout. Not a lot of guys can do that. Communication with his father was mostly hockey-related, teammates “It’s pretty impressive. It’s just because he cares. He cares about the and team officials past and present said of Vladimir Tarasenko. team. He’s been something else.” But it was his grandfather who had the most defining impact on a young You think of Steve Yzerman’s evolution from pure point-producer in Tarasenko. Detroit to Hall of Fame 200-foot player. Or Dave Andreychuk at the end One former teammate recalled how Tarasenko talked regularly with his of his career in Tampa. grandfather and hoped that his play with the Blues would impress him. If Or, and you knew this was coming, Alex Ovechkin a year ago hoisting his he had an off-game early in his career, he worried that his grandfather first Stanley Cup after years of disappointment, turning the long-standing would be disappointed. narrative that he was a one-dimensional player unable to change when it “He wanted to make him proud,” the former teammate said. “That’s what mattered most. it really came down to. He came to the NHL because he wanted to make You don’t have to talk to too many people about Tarasenko to see they his grandfather proud and his dad proud.” believe there is a real parallel. Although Tarasenko’s grandfather didn’t speak much English when he It doesn’t take much for the lessons learned by Ovechkin to come up in came for visits, it was clearly important to Tarasenko. conversation with Tarasenko, either. “Vladdy had this energy when his grandfather came to visit. We all knew “I think the biggest example is last year, to know the things that Ovi does how much it means to Vladdy,” the former teammate said. to sacrifice himself to win the Cup,” Tarasenko said. “Just to recognize It is clear in talking to Tarasenko the lessons learned in his own home that it’s maybe not going to be a nice one, it’s not going to make the are the same ones he will pass on to his family, which includes 12-year- highlights, but it will help your team win. We have a lot of talks with the old stepson Mark, 3-year-old son Aleksandr and a third son born on coach. A lot of talk with our guys. We just decided to put whatever on the Friday. line to win the game.” “My dad and my grandpa, when they were raising me, I take a lot from Tarasenko sidestepped questions about whether he’s a different player that time how to make your kid interested in things, teach him how to win, and how observers are impressed with his personal emergence this how to be the man,” Tarasenko said. “So that’s really helped me right spring. now.” He is now in a position to share a rare moment with his own family, “I think he understands now what kind of effect he has on the team with especially Mark. his attitude,” he said. “He’s grown as that type of player.”

“It’s obviously great when you can share these moments with your family, Jackman recalled the half-grin and the formal handshake of the shy with your oldest ones, and I’ve tried to invite Mark more into the locker Russian kid with little English at his disposal. room and some things where he can go,” Tarasenko said. “And I think when I was his age if I had a chance to do this, I would do this for sure. Jackman said at the end of Tarasenko’s first season, the players were It’s pretty special for me.” writing checks for the training staff, as is custom for most NHL teams.

Tarasenko congratulates Barbashev after he scored in the Western “He came up to me with his checkbook and he said, ‘Can you help me?’” Conference final. (Jeff Curry / USA Today) Jackman said.

Players who knew Tarasenko in the early days said he was a little He said he’d be happy to help but that Tarasenko was capable himself; guarded, although the language barrier might have been a factor in that, by the time Tarasenko returned for training camp the next fall, his but he gradually emerged as a loyal and supportive teammate. command of the language and confidence in using had gone up exponentially. “I think he’s a person who really values trust,” one former teammate said. “He’s just a very caring guy, just an awesome guy,” Jackman said. It didn’t take long for teammates to understand what Tarasenko represented as an NHL talent. In his first NHL game, he scored his first This season? two goals on his first two shots on goal against the Red Wings’ Jimmy “I think he’s really blossomed this year. Sometimes his Russian Howard on Jan. 19, 2013. tendencies of being really hard on himself kind of would get in the way, “We were on the bench going, ‘Holy crap, this kid is going to be a star,’” but he wants to win more than anybody I’ve seen. He’s got a lot of one former Blue said. “I think we realized he was going to be the face of pressure this time of year,” Jackman said. “He’s become an all-around the franchise for a long time.” player.”

“He was like a kid in a candy store,” another former member of the Blues “I think he feels he’s got a bigger role in the leadership,” another former said of Tarasenko’s early days. “He was in amazement about how much team member said. “He’s always had that hunger to score. From the blue fun he was having in the National Hockey League. He wasn’t intimidated line in, the man gets his eyes set. It’s not Rocket Richard, but he’s got at all.” those Rocket Richard kind of eyes.”

Corey Hirsch was the goaltending coach when Tarasenko first arrived in At the 2015 NHL All-Star Game in Columbus, I asked Kevin Shattenkirk St. Louis. At the 2010 NHL Draft, there were these rumors that to interview his teammate and fellow All-Star Tarasenko for a video Tarasenko didn’t want to or wouldn’t come to North America and that he assignment. But Tarasenko interceded and took the microphone, had the proverbial “bad attitude.” peppering Shattenkirk with a host of questions, including which teammate he disliked the most. By the end, all three of us were in “When he first came to St. Louis, it was completely the opposite,” Hirsch stitches. said. “A lot of NHL scouts got it wrong.” Another former teammate recalled that Tarasenko was an emotive sort But not the Blues. once he got to know you. In a game in Colorado after he’d been concussed there earlier in the season, he skated near where he’d taken What Hirsch recalls of Tarasenko was his willingness to work and the fact the damaging hit, he looked at his colleague. that his shot was so unique. “Oh no, this is not a good place for me,” he said earnestly. “His natural ability to score is obviously off the charts,” Hirsch said. “He’s got a Joe Sakic-type shot. He doesn’t take a slapshot.” Tarasenko playing with Ovechkin at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. (Nick Turchiaro / USA Today) Hirsch recalls being on the ice one day suggesting they work on some one-timers, but Tarasenko grimaced. That the Blues are just one win from making history is the result of many, many factors from the arrival of Craig Berube in November to the “He’s like, ‘Ugh, I can’t take a slapshot,’” Hirsch said. “He still can’t. But emergence of rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington. Captain Alex he doesn’t need to.” Pietrangelo, Ryan O’Reilly and Jaden Schwartz have all had moments of Like Sakic, the velocity and accuracy of the snap or wrist shot is just as elite play in the postseason. effective for Tarasenko – maybe more so. But there hasn’t been a player as consistent and as dangerous this One thing Hirsch learned was to never question what Tarasenko’s spring, especially in critical situations, as Tarasenko. motivation was. He has 16 points in 24 games and two game-winning goals. At one point “Never question his will to win,” Hirsch said. “He’s a good person. He’s through the Western Conference final and into the Cup final, Tarasenko got a huge heart. Look at what he’s done for that community.” had points in eight straight games, and he currently has points in nine of his past 11 games. When Hirsch was looking for volunteers to help work with the , he never had to look further than Tarasenko. Were it just the goals and the points, Tarasenko’s performance on this stage would be noteworthy, but what has been shown this spring is “Other guys don’t want to do that,” Hirsch said. “He always wanted to revelatory on other levels. come out and shoot on the goalies.” “Tarasenko has been outstanding,” one longtime scout and executive While Tarasenko’s a different player than Ovechkin, Hirsch does see the said prior to Game 5. “What’s impressed me the most with him has been same drive. his physicality, which I haven’t seen to this level.”

“In a quieter way, Vladdy’s got that ‘score at all costs’ mentality, just Pang has seen every one of Tarasenko’s 68 postseason games since St. loves to score,” he said. Louis selected him with the 16th pick in 2010.

Over time, Tarasenko learned how he impacted his teammates and the It has, to be charitable, not always gone as clockwork for the skilled opposing team. He learned, for instance, that being angry on the bench marksman. or looking dejected was going to be seen by television cameras and opposing players. Back in the 2016 playoffs when the Blues advanced to the Western Conference final, Tarasenko simply didn’t get it done. Teammates suggested that remaining positive was going to be important, that his body language mattered to his teammates, and as he got older, “For whatever reason, he didn’t lead by example then,” Pang said. “And Tarasenko has become a much more visible leader on the bench, in a time in which they needed him to. So I’ve seen the evolution of a hugging teammates and passing along encouragement or helpful tips. player learning from his past experiences.”

“The only important thing to him was winning,” one former teammate Tarasenko has always produced in the playoffs with 48 postseason said. But he needed to turn that passion into positive energy. points in 68 games. Just not consistently and not at critical times. But during the latter half of the season and throughout the playoffs, classic example of a team that hit rock bottom, had to look in the mirror Tarasenko has shown something different, something more complete in after being humiliated and embarrassed by their play and wake up and his approach to the game. smell the coffee, and they did just that. They did it. He deserves a lot of credit. He’s played like a real, he’s played like a strong bull, a strong bull He muscles opposing players off pucks. He digs pucks out of corners with good hands.” and freezes opponents with a fake of his dangerous shot only to make superlative passes. VIEW THIS POST ON INSTAGRAM

Pang believes much of that comes from Berube’s insistence that OUR LITTLE BOY ❤️ WELCOME TO THE WORLD 07.06.2019 Tarasenko can be one of the fastest players in the league. A POST SHARED BY YANA TARASENKO (@TARASENKO.YANA) ON “I know that Craig Berube’s tough on players but he’s good on players,” JUN 7, 2019 AT 9:06PM PDT Pang said. “I’ve never heard any coach say that to Vladdy. I’ve heard them say shoot the puck more, I’ve heard them say try not to pass it Last summer the Stanley Cup made an unscheduled trip to the Siberian through feet. I’ve heard all that. But when Craig Berube, who’s got just a city of Novosibirsk. The treasured chalice was en route to Washington great mind for this stuff, starts selling a player on something and he Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov and his hometown of Novokuznetsk convinces you.” but travel issues conspired to reroute the Cup, delaying Orlov’s celebration by most of the day. Like a golfer with the yips, if someone tells that golfer over and over he’s the best putter in the world, at some point he believes it. Even now it’s a bit painful for Orlov to recount how he arrived at the airport around 6 a.m., along with friends and family, only to discover it “It changes your mental state and I think Craig has given him so much would be hours before he would actually get the Cup. confidence in that area to skate and drop his shoulder and go hard to the net, and if you only do it two or three times in a game, that’s all you need In fact, Orlov was only to be reunited with the Stanley Cup after a friend because you’re going to back them off and then you’re going to have helped commandeer a helicopter, which met the Cup in Novosibirsk and time and space to shoot the puck, which he’s as lethal as anybody in the transported it to Orlov’s home. league at doing,” Pang said. Right now, the Blues are one win away from ensuring that the Cup Did Ovechkin suddenly care more about the game or how he played it to returns to Novosibirsk, this time a scheduled stop, because it just so take the Caps from bridesmaids to Stanley Cup champions? happens to be Tarasenko’s home.

Was there still some of the xenophobic notion that European players in Orlov and Tarasenko are best friends, practically brothers. Orlov is general and Russian players specifically don’t get the Stanley Cup? godfather to Tarasenko’s son, Aleksandr.

Only the simple believe that to be the case. They have known each other through hockey since they were young and then played together internationally before becoming NHLers, at one But maybe it’s the understanding that to keep doing things the same way, point rooming together. stay in your comfort zone even if it doesn’t improve the entire picture, is at the heart of the transformation for all elite players as they move toward When they play each other, it creates some interesting dynamics, like the being a champion – Ovechkin and Tarasenko included. time Tarasenko told reporters before a Blues-Caps game that there were no friends on the ice. Maybe it’s not the will to win but understanding the mechanics of what it takes to win. Orlov saw the comments and gave his good pal a pretty good shot late in the game. Tarasenko’s value system has changed, one NHL coach said. “After the game, he didn’t like that too much,” Orlov said this week with a “He really values 200 feet of ice, it’s made him a very complete player,” laugh. said the coach who agrees there are strong parallels between what Tarasenko is achieving this postseason and watching Ovechkin run But there were few happier for Orlov when the Capitals won the Stanley roughshod over opponents last spring. Cup than Tarasenko.

Patrick Sharp, a three-time Stanley Cup winner with Chicago, always felt “It was meaning a lot for me as a friend,” Tarasenko said. “Although we that Tarasenko was a player who could be counted on in critical play on for different teams, I have a surgery last year so I have some situations. time to watch some Washington games. It was only one team I was following in the playoffs. I watched the games, watched the final series a “I’ve seen it before against the Hawks. I know he wants to win and it little bit, it’s been really emotional for him and I was really happy for him. shows in his play,” Sharp said on the eve of Game 5. “Competes hard and plays in the tough areas. Goal scorers have a lot of pressure to “I think one thing humans are supposed to know how to do is be happy score this time of year, and it’s hard to do. Even if he doesn’t snipe one, for other guys. Our family was really excited for him.” he’s still finishing checks, playing hard, competing.” With the Capitals knocked out in the first round by Carolina, Orlov made (Winslow Townson / USA Today) it clear that he would like nothing more than for Tarasenko to share his experiences of last June (minus the travel issues for the Cup). With the Stanley Cup on the immediate horizon for either the Blues or the Bruins, it’s mind-boggling to think about what might have been. “We have a talk a few times during the playoffs, not much, but he wished me luck and I know he’s happy for me too,” Tarasenko said. At one point this season, even after the coaching change, it looked like GM Doug Armstrong was going to have to take a blunt instrument to his It’s the narrow end of the telescope now. Much has been accomplished lineup. but not quite enough, not yet if you are Tarasenko and the Blues.

He began calling around gauging interest in some of his top players. Orlov, for one, hopes Tarasenko isn’t done. Brayden Schenn was nearly dealt. Multiple sources confirmed “I hope he’s going to score a few more goals and they’re going to get the Tarasenko’s name was out there, although one veteran scout job done,” Orlov said. “I’m going to be really happy for him. He’s gone hypothesized that might have been about shocking a talented but through a lot of things in his career.” underachieving team into a reality check more so than truly looking at moving a critical piece like Tarasenko. One thing is pretty much certain, Orlov is ready for another full-on Cup celebration in Novosibirsk. No matter the motivation, there was a definite understanding that the status quo wasn’t going to cut it. “I hope he’s going to win and maybe he’ll invite me,” he said with a laugh.

“Rock bottom hit this team,” a longtime scout and NHL executive said. For his part, Tarasenko said people are still joking about Orlov’s unusual “The Blues are a team that you never hear rumors about and next thing day with the Cup, and he’d like to give them another viewing of the you know there are many several top player’s names, including Vladdy’s trophy. name out there. I think it was upsetting for the players, upsetting for him. He just moved into a new home. Roots, really loves it in St. Louis, wants “We’re pretty close to it right now so we will try to make it happen,” to win a championship, wears a letter on his sweater, so I think this is a Tarasenko said. The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146500 Tampa Bay Lightning up in the playoffs). The full no-move clause also guarantees his protection.

Brayden Point: Point established himself as a top-10 center in the game How summer moves could impact Lightning’s expansion protection list this season, and he will likely end up getting paid like one. Point, due a for Seattle hefty extension as a restricted free agent, is the Lightning’s top priority this offseason, and will probably end up with a contract in the $7 million- $8.5 million AAV range, depending on the term. Point is the Lightning’s By Joe Smith Jun 9, 2019 No. 1 center and, many nights, their best player — the kind of guy you build around.

Anthony Cirelli: Cirelli finished his first full NHL season but has quickly The Lightning are entering a fascinating summer, one where they have to made himself a Lightning core player, on the ice for most meaningful navigate a salary cap crunch and remake their blueline. late-game situations. He took an interesting path, from an undrafted Whether it’s trying to land the big fish on the free-agent market — Erik walk-on in junior to hero to making Team Canada’s World Karlsson — or attempting a trade for the likes of , there Championship roster last month. Cirelli, who will get a nice raise next could be some roster shuffling. summer as a RFA, will no doubt be protected.

And that promises to add another wrinkle to the Lightning’s potential Yanni Gourde: Gourde’s six-year extension kicks in next season, and expansion protection list for the Seattle franchise in the summer of 2021. with all the middle-six forwards the Lightning have making that kind of money, it would seem likely that he’s kept around. As GM Julien Yes, it’s way too early. And plenty can change, especially by July 1. BriseBois said upon signing Gourde, “He personifies our identity.”

But this will be a challenging exercise, either way, with a strong argument Mathieu Joseph: Joseph burst on then scene as a rookie with 13 goals, to go with the eight skaters/one goalie format. and will likely blossom in the next couple years.

We tried to project the Lightning’s expansion protection list back in Alex Volkov: Volkov, coming off back-to-back 23-goal seasons with AHL December, going with a seven-forward, three-defenseman and one- Syracuse, has not played in the NHL yet, so it may seem curious to put goalie format. him on here. But we’re betting that Volkov, or another young prospect (such as Alex Barre-Boulet), emerges in the next couple years (much like Forwards: Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli and Joseph have the last two), that would warrant protection. Cirelli, Yanni Gourde, Tyler Johnson, Mathieu Joseph. This would mean Tyler Johnson, J.T. Miller, Ondrej Palat and Alex Killorn Defensemen: Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Mikhail Sergachev. would be left unprotected. All are valuable players. But they’ll also be two Goalie: Andrei Vasilevsky. years older, and Seattle plucking one of them (such as Spokane native in Johnson) could give Tampa Bay some needed cap relief. But look what’s happened since then. Erik Cernak continued his emergence as a shutdown pair fixture, making him someone the Victor Hedman: The Norris Trophy winner isn’t going anywhere, and is Lightning would protect. If Tampa Bay adds another defenseman this automatically protected with his no-move clause. summer, at least one they’d sign for more than two years, that’d be Erik Cernak: For reasons stated above, Cernak would likely be re-signed another one they’d consider keeping from Seattle. as an RFA next summer and protected. He has given the Lightning a Here’s a reminder of the expansion draft rules, which will be the same for right-shot defenseman for their shutdown pair that they haven’t had in Seattle as they were for Vegas. years.

— Teams have the option of protecting seven forwards, three Mikhail Sergachev: Sergachev still has the top-four caliber potential the defensemen and one goalie, or eight skaters and one goalie. Lightning envisioned when they acquired him in the Jonathan Drouin blockbuster with Montreal a few years ago. A lot can happen in the next — Players with no-movement clauses have to be protected. First- and couple years, including acquiring another defenseman that further second-year pros along with unsigned draft picks are exempt from the pushes Sergachev down (eventually leading him to be too expensive to expansion draft. keep); that defenseman might replace Sergachev on that list. But for now, he’d be one we’d keep. — Teams must make a defenseman and two forwards available who played 40 games the previous season or 70 combined in the previous Why no Ryan McDonagh? It’s not that McDonagh isn’t worthy (I had him two seasons. on my Norris ballot this year). But by that point, McDonagh will be 32 with five more years on his contract ($6.75 million AAV), which would seem — One goalie must be made available. unlikely for Seattle to want to pick up. In this situation, 2017 first-round I gave it a shot with both the 7-3-1 format and the eight skaters approach pick Cal Foote would also be available. to determine which one was better. Eight skaters format The Lightning’s way-too-early protected list 2.0 Steven Stamkos 7-3-1 Nikita Kucherov Steven Stamkos: The captain and face of the franchise has a full no- Brayden Point move clause, so he has to be protected. Stamkos was quiet in the playoffs until coming through in Game 4. But the fact Stamkos, 29, is Anthony Cirelli coming off one of the best seasons of his career has to be encouraging for the Lightning considering he still has five years left on his eight-year Victor Hedman deal ($8.5 million AAV). Stamkos set a career high in points (98), scored Erik Cernak 45 goals (topping 40 for the first time since 2014-15) and broke the franchise record for goals. There were times he was playing arguably the Ryan McDonagh most complete hockey of his career. Mikhail Sergachev Nikita Kucherov: Kucherov’s playoffs left much to be desired, including letting his frustration take him out of a must-win Game 3 by getting Andrei Vasilevskiy suspended for a boarding hit on a defenseless player at the end of Game If you had to pick just four forwards to protect, Nikita Kucherov, Steven 2. But there’s a reason Kucherov is the heavy favorite to win the Hart Stamkos, Brayden Point would be guarantees, and I think Anthony Cirelli Trophy as league MVP, as the 25-year-old winger set a record for most is a keeper, too. This would mean leaving off players like Mathieu points by a Russian player in a single season (128). Kucherov’s eight- Joseph, Johnson, Miller, etc. But Seattle can take only one player, so as year extension (at $9.5 million AAV) kicks in next year, with the contract tough as that would be, this would protect the Lightning’s coveted likely looking like a bargain if he continues to produce like that (and step defensemen. Of course, the Lightning could make a side deal with Seattle much like they did with Vegas a couple of years ago when they gave up Russian prospect Nikita Gusev, a second-round pick and a fourth-rounder so they would take defenseman Jason Garrison. The point is, this is going to be a challenge for the Lightning, with the expansion draft something they’ll have to consider in roster decisions in the next couple years.

If the Lightning acquire a defenseman this summer or next, it could change whether McDonagh is protected. It could determine whether Sergachev is there to be protected because if it’s a big name like Trouba or Karlsson, he may be expendable to acquire a forward. All that could influence whether Tampa Bay got with 7-3-1 or 4-4-1.

If the Lightning had to choose today, it would seem as though they’d go with 7-3-1.

Thankfully for them, they don’t have to.

The Athletic LOADED: 06.10.2019

1146501 Washington Capitals

Caps goalie Braden Holtby honored to be back at Capital Pride Parade

By Brian McNally June 09, 2019 12:44 PM

Capitals goalie Braden Holtby marched in the annual Capital Pride Parade on Saturday, the third time in four years he has taken part in the event along with his wife, Brandi.

The couple has long demonstrated their commitment to supporting LGBTQ+ rights. They rode on Monumental Sports and Entertainment’s float, tossing beads and t-shirts into the cheering crowd lining every step of the 1.5-mile route between P Street around Dupont Circle and up 14th street.

“It’s been something that we’ve been able to do for a few years,” Holtby said. “From the first year we were able to do it you can tell just the joy and the change that it can bring. We just want to show our part. The thing I’m most proud of is our team and Monumental are here beside us showing support and trying to teach the younger generation about what we believe in.”

The Holtbys had fun with it. They road a float adorned with a basketball hoop, which Braden Holtby at one point used to dunk a t-shirt tossed to him as he played to the crowd. At various points along the route fans chanted “Holtby!” and “C-A-P-S Caps, Caps, Caps.” They also jumped off the float multiple times to take pictures and shake hands.

Brandi Holtby has participated in the event the past four years. But Braden Holtby wasn’t able to make it to last year’s parade on June 9, 2018, as the Capitals had their team celebration after winning the Stanley Cup two days earlier. Holtby for a time during last year’s city-wide weekend party even sported a Pride hat given to him by an attendee.

In a perfect world, of course, Holtby wouldn’t be able to make it every single year. That would mean the Capitals are in the Stanley Cup Finals. That didn’t happen this year after Washington lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the playoffs. But in that case, he and Brandi were happy to lend their support again at an event they’ve come to love.

“You won’t find a place that’s this happy or a crowd that’s enjoying each other’s company more,” Holtby said. “If you’re here there’s no way you can’t have fun.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146502 Vancouver Canucks That view in shared in the NHL scouting community.

“Every play matters to him,” noted one scout. “With certain kids, not every play does matter and in the NHL, every play matters. You need Canucks don't expect surgery to drop Peyton Krebs' draft stock players who already have that mentality ingrained in them and don’t have to work that into them.

Ben Kuzma “Krebs has high level hockey sense and puck skills and a great work ethic. A very good skater who reminds me of Justin Williams, but he Published:June 9, 2019 (Krebs) is a better skater.”

Updated:June 9, 2019 9:05 PM PDT The only debate with any No. 10 pick is you’re usually looking for one dynamic element. Krebs does a lot of things well, but is he exceptional at

one? Debatable. Then again, he doesn’t have an obvious flaw. The level of draft interest the Vancouver Canucks have in versatile PEYTON KREBS forward Peyton Krebs, who checks a lot of competitive and leadership boxes for the NHL club, was revealed Sunday. (C/LW, KOOTENAY, WHL, 5-foot-11, 182 lbs.)

When word spread that the driven centre/left winger had suffered an The stats: GP: 64, G: 19, A: 49, PTS: 68 Achilles injury — a skate blade sliced through a cut-proof sock and partially severed his tendon — and had surgery Friday, the Canucks The skinny: A very good player on a very bad team who will attract a lot went searching for more medical information. of draft attention with his ability to excel at centre as prime playmaker and finisher on the wing. The tendon can heal in two to three weeks or as many as six. That’s followed by physical therapy and strength work to ensure a return to Scout says: “He really didn’t have anybody to play with and the kid drove normal activity in four to six months. the bus. He had to produce against the top D-men and when top lines were against him.” The Canucks were already sold on the ability of Krebs to be very good, as captain he propped up a very bad Kootenay Ice team. It had the Vancouver Province: LOADED: 06.10.2019 second-worst WHL record this season, won but 13 of 68 games and has relocated to Winnipeg. Krebs was also captain of Canada’s entry in the 2019 world under-18 championship and had 10 points (6-4).

Krebs is in the mix as one of several considerations to be selected 10th overall by the Canucks on June 21 at Rogers Arena.

However, a lot depends where other targeted players land, or if a coveted prospect slides to the Canucks. U.S. National Team Development Program forwards Trevor Zegras and Matthew Boldy are also on the wish-list along with Swedish defencemen Victor Soderstrom and Philip Broberg.

Zegras will interview with the Canucks again here before the draft after impressing at the recent Scouting Combine in Buffalo.

As for Krebs, medical concern can be tempered by the fact he’ll return to the Ice next season and then likely need at least two more seasons to be NHL ready.

“I have to find out the full extent of the injury, but I don’t think that’s going to affect what spot he gets picked,” said Benning. “We’re getting the medical records and our doctor will go through them. We’ll see the procedure that was done and talk about it to see if it’s going to affect him going forward or not.

“We’re in the exploratory stage of getting all the information.”

Aside from the surgery, Benning doesn’t need to know much more about the 5-foot-11, 182 pound Calgary native, who will interview again with the Canucks here before the draft while sporting a walking boot.

Of course, there are always uncomfortable optics of hosting the draft and watching your first-round pick hobble to the draft stage. J.J. Daigneault did that in 1984 when the defenceman sported a cast on his leg as the Canucks’ 10th overall selection. Still, that shouldn’t be the measure of a player, or a franchise, who know that any prospect usually needs years to develop.

In that respect, Krebs may have a leg up on some of his draft competition.

Dragging your team into the fight night after night, especially with a slim chance of victory, gets noticed as much as Krebs managing 68 points (19-49) in 64 games. When you unselfishly look to set up linemates after seamlessly transitioning the neutral zone — and also have a defensive diligence — you’re going to attract attention.

And don’t get fooled by his size. Krebs is aggressive and smart and will get to the dirty areas to make plays.

“First of all, he’s a character guy and a two-way player and his attention to detail is good,” added Benning. “He was a leader and played through it in not being on a very good team. And he has been a captain on a Canadian team so there’s a lot to like.” 1146503 Vancouver Canucks

Tanner Pearson

Canucks Under The Microscope: Bo Horvat Josh Leivo

Tyler Motte

Ben Kuzma Olli Juolevi

Published:June 9, 2019 Markus Granlund

Updated:June 9, 2019 3:52 PM PDT Luke Schenn

Sven Baertschi

With the Sedins’ departure, Horvat instantly became the go-to guy for Brandon Sutter post-game media scrums — especially after tough losses — and was comfortable in glare of the spotlight and repetitive questions. Travis Green

Name: Bo Horvat Alex Biega

Age: 24 Jake Virtanen

Position: Centre Quinn Hughes

Career stats: GP: 377 G: 98, A: 124, Pts: 222 Nikolay Goldobin

Contract status: Four more seasons on a six-year, US$33 million Jim Benning extension with the Canucks signed Sept. 8, 2017. Carries annual salary Chris Tanev cap hit of US$5.5 million, doesn’t include no-trade or modified no-trade clauses. Alex Edler

How 2018-19 went: Good in the room, great on the ice. Purposely Troy Stecher groomed by the retired Henrik and to carry on the culture of Ben Hutton being productive, accountable and amiable while embracing a demanding leadership role in the locker-room and in the charitable What is seen is reason for genuine optimism in Calder Trophy favourite community, Horvat did it the old-fashioned way. The centre let his play do Elias Pettersson, a stronger stretch-drive presence by a healthy Brock the talking. Boeser and the tease of playmaking wizardry of Quinn Hughes. Those meaningful games in March disappeared amid injuries and indifferent With the Sedins’ departure, Horvat instantly became the go-to guy for play as veteran-laded teams imposed their will in a push toward the post-game media scrums — especially after tough losses — and was playoffs. comfortable in glare of the spotlight and repetitive questions. As an old- school player in a new-age game, he also became the centre of attention On Feb, 2, the Canucks iced a rare healthy roster in Denver and for being the only Canuck to appear in all 82 regular-season games while registered a convincing 5-1 win to hold a Western Conference playoff shouldering considerable adversity. position. Then Sven Baertschi, Alex Edler, Thatcher Demko, Sutter and Chris Tanev were injured and the Canucks would struggle in the final Horvat not only set career records for goals (27), assists (34) and points month, but they did beat playoff-bound Toronto, Dallas and San Jose. (61), injuries to Jay Beagle and Brandon Sutter meant he would take the most draws in the NHL and finish with a 53.7 per cent efficiency — You find out a lot about your team when the roster is depleted and the second on the club to Beagle at 56.2. He also led Canuck forwards in playoffs are a mirage. The slow slog to an early summer was mentally average ice time (20:50), exceeded 24 minutes on nine occasions and draining. logged a season-high 25:46 on Feb. 27 at Denver. “It was a big learning curve for the young guys to to play in those games,” Horvat did all that with a stiff upper lip. He endured a dozen different said Horvat, who didn’t score in the last eight games. “We had lulls and wingers and three dozen different line combinations before finding late- we want to find consistency and go on a 10-game win streak. To change season chemistry with Tanner Pearson that provides hope. It also placed that for next season, we can’t accept losing or win some and lose some.” more pressure on management to keep its promise to find a right winger for the club’s future captain. After all, he had every right to complain. How the future looks: Bright. If other centres stay healthy and Horvat isn’t And, of course, he didn’t. weighed down by defensive-zone faceoffs or shutdown roles — and gets additional help on right wing — it’s not a stretch to suggest he has 30-35 “It was crazy this year,” admitted Horvat. “I got to play with everybody goal potential. Especially when you consider how a high-octane first and it developed my game. Me complaining about it isn’t going to do power play unit can be deployed. anything for the team. It’s not going to help my case or anybody’s case to see me pouting.” That’s why Horvat talks about being more mature than his age, about being more confident that the Canucks aren’t as far away from the UNDER THE MICROSCOPE playoffs as many suggest.

It has been nearly two months since the Vancouver Canucks began their “You do see older guys and experienced guys winning in the playoffs and summer holidays, nine points shy of a wild-card berth into the NHL we do have a lot of young guys, but I don’t feel young,” he said. “I’ve playoffs. Today we continue our microscopic examination of the team’s been in the league (five seasons) and feel like an older guy. And our roster with a look at Bo Horvat: young guys have really matured with a mature style of play and can handle the long runs and playoffs. Next: Brock Boeser “We have a team that can do it.” Antoine Roussel However, to close the playoff gap, Horvat has to be better in all three Adam Gaudette zones. When he plays below the puck and makes sure it gets out, he Jay Beagle creates. When he pushes to score, he isn’t as effective overall.

Loui Eriksson “My best hockey is to come, said Horvat. “I can keep improving my two- way game and be a guy you can rely on for a big faceoff, in a key Tim Schaller situation and play against top lines. I want to be that player. That will help Thatcher Demko us win.”

Jacob Markstrom Greatest strengths: Faceoffs. Strength. Drive. Leadership. Greatest weakness: Thinking offence before defence to help the transition.

Is he trade bait? Next question. A key part of younger core continuing to play key transitional role.

The big question: Can he improve shooting percentage? It dropped from 13.9 per cent to 11.9 this season.

Vancouver Province: LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146504 Websites started setting a tone that will continue to be important until puck drop on Wednesday night.

"We’re going to have to live a bit what St. Louis did today," said Cassidy. Sportsnet.ca / Bergeron's pre-game speech motivates Bruins to push "Now you’re going home, the Stanley Cup’s in the building, someone’s Final to Game 7 winning it and you’ve got a lot of new friends all of a sudden. Or old ones are coming out of the woodwork.

Chris Johnston | June 10, 2019, 2:14 AM "I think the message, they’ve been good at that: ‘Stay in your bubble, take care of your immediate family, but catch up with your friends on Thursday type of thing."’

ST. LOUIS — If the Boston Bruins go on to lift the Stanley Cup later this This Bruins’ core is constructed of serial winners. week, Patrice’s speech will live in lore alongside Tuukka’s dominance and Zdeno Chara’s return from a broken jaw. They have helped bring along the young players who now have the team in position to win another title. Credit Bergeron with a primary assist for This playoff run was in danger of ending right here. There were more helping them put the celebration on hold in St. Louis and force a Game 7. than 100,000 people gathered outside Enterprise Center in anticipation of the St. Louis Blues closing out their first ever championship on Sunday, "I’ve been dreaming of this moment for my whole life — to win this and with the heat turned up to 100 before Game 6 it was Patrice trophy," said McAvoy. "That’s really all it is, is just a dream, and then all Bergeron that adjusted the emotional thermostat in the visiting room. of a sudden you’re here. It’s gone by fast. We’re already here in Game 7.

Bergeron is a conqueror of two Olympic finals and a Stanley Cup Final, "I’ll be damned if I blink. There’s no time to be worried or to be nervous and is not the type to waste his words. The ones he spoke with Boston’s about this situation. There’s guys who never get a chance to play here season on the line struck a chord that helped set the stage for Game 7 and I’ll be damned if I spend a second just not being grateful and just back in the friendly confines of TD Garden. playing the best that I can."

"It was exactly what we needed," said 21-year-old defenceman Charlie Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 06.10.2019 McAvoy, Boston’s ice time leader in these playoffs and a self-proclaimed emotional wreck before the game.

"It was an element of what the dream is: Growing up, every one of us shares the same dream and kind of just bringing us all to a point where we can all be on the same field. We were all a little kid once and we all wanted this bad. And I think it was just an element of savouring this moment and not letting it end tonight."

Bergeron backed it up, too.

He was one of the few Boston skaters who kept the puck moving in the right direction during a tense first period. It is basically an open secret at this point that he’s playing at well less than 100 per cent, but that didn’t keep him from firing three shots on goal during the key opening 20.

"He’s a legend," said 22-year-old Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk. "To see him kind of set the tone that way made us want to run through a wall."

Now, the game wasn’t won with a speech.

It took another 28 saves from Tuukka Rask — the Conn Smythe favourite who has allowed four goals in five elimination games this spring — and a well-executed 5-on-3 power play in the first period that was finished off by a Brad Marchand snipe.

That calmed some nerves on the Bruins bench after a furious early surge by the Blues. It was 1-0 at the first intermission, but St. Louis was winning board battles and bringing a heavy forecheck.

"Even though we came out with the lead, I thought we got stuck there a lot," said Boston coach Bruce Cassidy. "If that trend continued, I thought it was going to be tough for us tonight — we’re really relying on our goaltender."

The Bruins started to take back some territory in the second period and caught a break when Brandon Carlo’s point shot took a wicked hop and slipped through Jordan Binnington less than three minutes into the third.

An avalanche of goals followed in what became a 5-1 Boston victory.

"I thought it was an even game, really," said Blues coach Craig Berube. "Two periods, it’s tight hockey. There’s not a lot of room out there. I’ll credit Boston. They played well. They checked well. They didn’t give us a ton of room out there."

They played like a team that had been there before, in part, because a few of them had. Bergeron, Marchand, Chara, Rask and David Krejci were each part of the last Game 7 played in a Stanley Cup Final — and celebratory pictures from their 2011 victory in Vancouver once again were brought to St. Louis and hung up in the dressing room.

It didn’t go unnoticed among the Boston players that a couple celebratory ads were accidentally released by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Sunday morning either. Call it a little more fuel for the fire.

While the St. Louis players had to deal with family and friends travelling in for a potential celebration, Bergeron and the other Bruins veterans 1146505 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Coach's Corner: Small plays what makes Blues' Pietrangelo a 'winner'

Sportsnet Staff June 9, 2019, 9:59 PM

A lot of players have starred on the St. Louis Blues’ run to the Stanley Cup Final, but during Coach’s Corner on Sunday Don Cherry called special attention to Alex Pietrangelo.

“Little things add up,” Cherry said while showing a highlight of Pietrangelo clearing the defensive zone in Game 5. “He knows he’s going to get creamed, (but) he makes the play. That’s the little things that (make) a winner with a guy like Pietrangelo.”

Pietrangelo, the Blues’ captain, has been a steady presence on the blue line throughout the playoffs. His 25:43 of ice time per game leads all players in the Final, and his 16 points are tied for third most on the Blues.

If St. Louis wins the first Stanley Cup in franchise history, the 29-year-old would certainly be a candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146506 Websites performance for which he was rewarded. At 35 years old, Smith is unlikely to suddenly get better and a five-game stretch of absolute dominance in the high danger area is more of a blip than a signal of Sportsnet.ca / Three UFA risks to be wary of overpaying this summer what’s to come.

On a short-term deal worth a middling amount of money, Smith can probably still work well as a platoon option in 30-45 games for a team. Andrew Berkshire June 8, 2019, 10:36 AM But assuming he can be a 55-plus game starter or even a massive difference maker in fewer games because of his playoff performance is

not smart thinking. After breaking down some players who should be available come July 1 Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 06.10.2019 and fly under the radar as likely bargains, it’s time to look at the other side of the coin.

Every summer there are huge contracts handed out to players who probably shouldn’t get them. That can be tough to avoid in a scenario where teams are desperately trying to fill holes and competing with other general managers to achieve that can drive up costs.

It’s important to note that when we’re looking at these players, no one is saying they’re bad. When we talk about buyers having to beware of signing players it has more to do with a player’s reputation outstripping their actual performance, or short-term success leading to poor evaluations.

Essentially the lessons all teams should take from past mistakes are beware of age curves and never pay for last year’s playoff performance.

WAYNE SIMMONDS

Everyone is a big fan of the way Wayne Simmonds plays the game. He’s tough as nails, he scores from the net front, and you know when it’s crunch time he’s going to be a warrior out there. The problem is, he’s been dealing with some injuries that have really slowed him down in recent seasons.

That’s really cut into his production at 5-on-5 and at 30 years old he’s at an age where injury and natural decline can coincide to rapidly push a player down the lineup, especially one that plays a physical game. Simmonds is also coming off a contract where he was severely underpaid considering the 161 goals he scored during his six-year deal.

Simmonds remains a particularly excellent power play net-front guy and he works hard every game he can get in. But teams should be extremely wary of giving out too much term, and a big raise on his current cap hit ($3.75 million) also seems like a bit of risk.

TYLER MYERS

This past season was a huge opportunity for Tyler Myers to really set himself up. Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey emerged as the top pair for the Jets, while Dustin Byfuglien manned the second pair. That left Myers with very cherry-picked, relatively easy minutes. It should have been a season for Myers to dominate, but instead the Jets were consistently worse with him on the ice than off.

Myers is a boom or bust player with a ton of raw talent, but outside of his rookie season he’s never seemed to be able to put it all together on a consistent basis. His sheer size combined with that talent is going to tempt teams to roll out huge contract offers this summer despite the fact that he struggled as a 4/5 defenceman in 2018-19.

Myers can help most teams when he’s at his best, but it’s a roll of the dice when he’s going to give you a good game, and when he’s struggling he can really hurt you. It’s not as if there aren’t any teams that would benefit from his presence, but expecting him to consistently play within the top-four is a stretch.

MIKE SMITH

This one is quick and easy. For a long time Mike Smith was a little overrated by teams and a little underrated by data-driven analysts. He’s struggled with injuries in recent years and last season his performance fell off a cliff and he was only an average goaltender throughout the season.

But in the playoffs he was spectacular on a Flames team that was thoroughly outplayed and outcoached. He was essentially the lone bright spot and a lot of hockey people are going to look at that and say he was great when it mattered most.

This is really dangerous thinking and it’s the kind of thing that leads to the infamously bad Ville Leino contract. Leino was a decent depth player who got big money and big term and couldn’t ever replicate the playoff 1146507 Websites Rask improved his save percentage to a staggering .973 in five elimination games this spring. The Bruins are a perfect 5-0, winning three times to save their own season (twice against Toronto) and twice to TSN.CA / Bruins veterans slam Stanley’s case shut, force Game 7 knock out Columbus and Carolina.

He may win the Conn Smythe Trophy no matter what happens on Wednesday. Frank Seravalli “He was the best player on the ice tonight,” McAvoy said. “He's our best player, he has been all playoffs and all regular season. We know that when he plays like that, to the best of his ability, and when we do our ST. LOUIS — There are five photos the Boston Bruins brought with them jobs in front of him … he's going to be there. He's going to be in that to the Gateway City, the same five pictures that hang in their dressing zone.” room at TD Garden. In my case I shall stay. In one placed adjacent to his stall, Tuukka Rask is taking a Stanley Cup shower, drenched in champagne. — The Stanley Cup (@StanleyCup) June 10, 2019

In another nearby, Patrice Bergeron is gripping a bottle of Veuve Clicquot The Blues didn’t seem rattled with the Game 6 loss, or shaken that they with the grin of a lifetime, while Brad Marchand sips from the font of Lord squandered the opportunity to see St. Louis explode. After 52 years, Stanley next to him. what's three more days?

For the five veterans remaining from 2011, there is no better reminder. Maybe, just maybe, the Blues have the Bruins exactly where they want For the newcomers and kids along for the ride, a chance to be in indelible them. St. Louis is 9-3 on the road this spring and Jordan Binnington’s photos like those are the ultimate motivator to climb the mountain. bounce back numbers are verging on the stuff of legend (12-2 this season with a .937 save percentage). “I think every day it’s a reminder of what we’re playing for,” Bergeron said. “It’s just to remember how much it means to make it happen.” “Listen, if you told me four months ago we were going to be in the Finals in Game 7, I think I’d take it,” coach Craig Berube said. “We’ve been a In case they needed another one, Bergeron provided a reminder with a good road team. We've won twice up there in this series, so we're a moving pre-game message to the Bruins on Sunday night. confident group.” Then Marchand and Rask went out and slammed Stanley’s case shut, Now comes the test for the Bruins. Marchand’s magic, Rask’s stone-cold sending the Bruins back to Boston with a chance to take more memories. killer instinct, Zdeno Chara’s toughness and Bergeron’s words won’t It will be Seventh Heaven in Beantown on Wednesday for the 17th time mean a thing without finishing the job. in NHL history. One game, winner take all for hockey’s ultimate prize. “We’re going to have to live a bit what St. Louis did today and have to “The whole hockey world loves a Game 7,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy deal with now you’re going home, the Stanley Cup’s in the building, said. “May the best team win.” someone’s winning it,” Cassidy said. “There is a danger there and I think that’s what [the veterans bring]. These guys have been there and are Marchand quieted a revved up Blues crowd - one ready to blow off 52 able to get that message out.” years worth of steam - with an early power play goal and Rask was nearly flawless in a 28-save performance as the Bruins forced Game 7 The message is simple. As Fred Shero said, win one and walk together with a 5-1 victory at Enterprise Center. forever - in photographs and on the Stanley Cup.

Wednesday will mark the first Game 7 in the Final since 2011, when the TSN.CA LOADED: 06.10.2019 Bruins also turned around a 3-2 series deficit against the Vancouver Canucks.

These Bruins appear unflappable because they’ve done it before. They have five players left from a decade ago; 13 teams in the Eastern Conference have a combined six players remaining on their original team over that time span.

The next time anyone tells you experience is overrated, remind them that the last team to win the Stanley Cup without a previous winner on the roster is the 1989 Calgary Flames.

Case in point: Charlie McAvoy admitted his nerves were all over the place before Bergeron addressed the team before the game. He said “just the thought of it being over” was “terrifying.”

“Man, I'm going through this and this is my first Stanley Cup and it's just a lot,” McAvoy said. “I’ll just be honest with you. The emotions, like, crap, it's a lot. This is your dream to win this thing and when your backs are against the wall and you know they're one away, it hurts a little bit. But I got a different perspective when our guys stepped up and just talked.”

He said Bergeron calmed everyone down. When he speaks, you listen, Jake DeBrusk said.

"We are in a situation that is everyone's childhood's dream here and we must realize it," Bergeron said of his speech.

“It was exactly what we needed,” McAvoy explained. “We were all a little kid once and we all wanted this bad. And I think it was just an element of savouring this moment and not letting it end tonight.”

Rask wouldn’t let it. After a rather average Final round, he saved his best for when the Bruins' backs were against the wall. He staved off an early St. Louis onslaught, while the Blues mauled the Bruins on the forecheck early. He was a perfect 12-for-12 on shorthanded shots faced as the Bruins killed off four opportunities - despite the Blues’ lethargic power play looking as threatening as it has at any point in the series. 1146508 Websites with him and he let me play with his buddies. I think I learned to play that defensive game and hold my own because of him.”

Both Cal and Luke will be in Enterprise Center. Luke had travel trouble TSN.CA / Winning the Stanley Cup would be a family affair for Blues on Saturday and was ready to drive 13 hours from a Washington airport to St. Louis to make Game 6. He wouldn’t miss it.

Frank Seravalli “He’s my biggest fan,” Brayden said. “I think as a player, you realize how hard it is to win, so to have a family member, and your best buddy here, that’s amazing.”

ST. LOUIS — Forty nine years ago, Neil Armstrong was on the ice as a It’s about Michael Del Zotto, the Blues’ extra defenceman, whose parents linesman the last time the St. Louis Blues skated in the Stanley Cup Final Steve and Lee haven’t missed a game in the Stanley Cup Final - even in 1970 - against these same Boston Bruins. though their son hasn’t skated in a single playoff game this spring.

Forty nine years later, Neil’s son Doug is on the precipice of going where It’s about Del Zotto’s childhood teammate from the Toronto Blues, no man has gone before - in bringing the Stanley Cup to St. Louis as captain Alex Pietrangelo, and how he’s played for the memory of his son, general manager. Gabriel, whom they lost in 2017 due to complications of the pregnancy. Pietrangelo can share this win with the triplets him and his wife, Jayne, Somewhere in Sarnia, Ont., 86-year-old Neil will be watching on Sunday welcomed in 2018. night. “There hasn’t been a single day that I have not thought about Gabriel or “Hopefully,” Doug Armstrong said, as this series started. “I think he is.” shed a tear for him,” Pietrangelo wrote last year. “For me, hockey has It has been a difficult few years for the elder Armstrong, one of 16 on-ice always been much more than a game. It’s a place you can go to forget officials inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The man nicknamed about everything in the world for a while, where there’s no pain and no “Ironman” for not missing a single assignment from 1957 through 1978 - problems. Everything is just pure fun.” a span of 1,744 straight regular season games - is suffering from It’s about Jaden Schwartz honouring the memory of his sister, Mandi, Parkinson’s disease and dementia. whom he lost to cancer at the age of 22 back in 2011. Schwartz has Doug calls his father frequently at his Sarnia assisted living facility, but carried Mandi with him every step of the way in the Stanley Cup Final. the conversations aren’t always easy. “What a scene that would be if Jaden gets to hold up the Cup,” his father “It’s one of those things, some days it’s really good,” Doug said. “Other Rick Schwartz said. “I would love to see his reaction, knowing that Mandi days it’s ‘Well, we’ll try again tomorrow.’” is there with him. That would be priceless.”

Their next conversation could be one to remember, as the Armstrongs It is within reach now - for the Blues, for St. Louis, for all of them. may soon be mentioned in the same breath as the Sheros, the Fletchers, TSN.CA LOADED: 06.10.2019 and the Bowmans - legendary father-son duos who have won the Stanley Cup as front office members.

Neil was recognized for his work as a linesman, but he spent two decades as a full-time amateur scout for the Montréal Canadiens - where he helped the Habs to Stanley Cups in 1986 and 1993.

Doug won his first Stanley Cup as an assistant to Bob Gainey in Dallas in 1999. Nearly 20 years to the day later, he can do it again after steering St. Louis’ ship through turbulent waters.

“Really, what going through a run like this has shown is how many people around the game talk about him,” Doug said of his father. “It makes you feel fortunate to have someone like that who was held in such high regard around the league.”

That is what makes the Stanley Cup so special. The party on the ice is really just a bigger celebration for all of the people who helped make that moment possible.

The tears of joy shared between T.J. Oshie and his father, Tim, last year in Las Vegas was an indelible Stanley Cup moment.

It was the perfect reminder that yes, the Blues are playing for each other, and playing for a Cup-starved city - but they are also playing for family in Game 6 on Sunday night.

It’s about Patrick Maroon, and his incredible journey, signing a one-year deal with the hometown Blues last summer so he could be around his 10- year-old son Anthony for a full season for the first time in his NHL career. Anthony cried tears of joy after Pat’s series-winning OT goal in Game 7 against Dallas.

It’s about Ryan O’Reilly and Brayden Schenn playing for their brothers - Cal O’Reilly and Luke Schenn - who were teammates in the NHL on the Sabres and Flyers, but never got the chance to win together.

“I think about it a lot,” Ryan O’Reilly said. “I wouldn’t be here in this league if it wasn’t for my family, my parents, my brother, the stuff they did throughout the years to get me to this place. I can never repay them. They’ve done so much above and beyond.”

Ryan said it was a special to play with Cal on the Sabres because “growing up we were only trying to kill each other.”

“He’s about four and a half years older than me, and that’s how I think I really learned how to play the game,” Ryan said. “I always tagged along 1146509 Websites And it has seemed like we were headed to a Game 7 from the moment the series started.

USA TODAY LOADED: 06.10.2019 USA TODAY / Bruins rout Blues 5-1 to force Game 7 of Stanley Cup Finals

Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Published 11:00 p.m. ET June 9, 2019 | Updated 1:42 a.m. ET June 10, 2019

ST. LOUIS — With the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins headed to the NHL’s first Stanley Cup Final Game 7 since 2011, it feels as if it were meant to be.

In Game 1, it seemed as if the series could go either way. Now with the series headed to Boston for a decisive game Wednesday in TD Garden (8 p.m., ET, NBC), it still seems like it could go either way.

"Listen, if you told me four months ago we were going to be in the Finals in Game 7, I think I’d take it," Blues coach Craig Berube said.

The Bruins downed the Blues 5-1 in Game 6 on Sunday on the strength of goalie Tuukka Rask’s 28 saves. They denied the Blues a chance to celebrate their first Stanley Cup championship in 52 years on home ice.

One point was reinforced in the Bruins’ Game 6 victory: Rask is the team’s clear-cut MVP.

"He just steps up when it matters and we have all the faith in the world in him," Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy said.

Rask has a 1.98 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage this postseason. When the Bruins have needed a big save, that save percentage is probably even higher.

"He’s been at his best for a while now," Bruins center Patrice Bergeron said.

Puck goes off post, off Rask’s back and Charlie McAvoy saves it pic.twitter.com/ZT7KQBzyZo

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) June 10, 2019

The Blues gave Rask some credit, but they also believe they didn’t pressure him the way they can and should. The Blues are already laying out their strategy for Game 7.

"Take a look at it," Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. "I think we can make life a little harder on him."

Ryan O’Reilly, who had the Blues’ lone goal, said the Blues didn’t do a quality job shooting the puck in Game 6.

"I had a couple of chances and didn’t put them where I wanted to," O’Reilly said. "I have to put the puck into an area and make it tough on him. We have to do a better job of screening."

The Blues will have two days before Game 7 to refine that strategy against Rask.

At one point, the Bruins led this series 2-1 and then the Blues led 3-2. The Final has been so close that everything matters, including pregame speeches. The Bruins said Bergeron made a good one before Game 6.

"He’s a legend," Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk said. "We’re here for a reason and everyone who plays hockey grows up and dreams of playing in this moment, and it was pretty much something around those lines. To see him set the tone that way made us want to run through a wall."

Neither team is afraid of a Game 7. The Bruins had to win one in the opening round to get past the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Blues defeated the Dallas Stars in a double overtime Game 7 to reach the Western Conference final.

"We've been a good road team," Berube said. "We've won twice up there in this series, so we're a confident group."

Wednesday will be the first time that a Boston team has hosted a Game 7 of a championship series since the Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers in 1984.

"Game 7 is special," DeBrusk said. "It’s what every fan wants to see." 1146510 Websites

USA TODAY / Newspaper accidentally posts ads congratulating Blues for winning Stanley Cup ... before actually winning it

Tess Demeyer, USA TODAY Published 4:14 p.m. ET June 9, 2019 | Updated 4:36 p.m. ET June 9, 2019

The publishers of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch either have a crystal ball or a little too much adrenaline going into Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

With the Blues leading the series against the Bruins 3-2, St. Louis has a shot at clinching its first Cup in franchise history tonight at 8 p.m. ET.

But the local paper just couldn't wait for the series to conclude. It accidentally sent out an electronic edition of the paper that included a signed congratulatory letter from Blues chairman and governor Tom Stillman as well as a celebratory advertisement from rental car company Enterprise, which was founded in St. Louis.

"Winning the Stanley Cup was a dream come true for so many of you. All of us will remember where we were, what we did and how we felt when the Blues brought the Cup home. Each of us will have a library of memories to pass down for generations," wrote Stillman, who also looked "forward to celebrating with you as we parade the Cup down Market Street."

The pages, which have since been removed, were only visible to subscribers before readers took to social media to poke fun at the newspaper's mistake.

The newspaper posted an apology on Twitter for the "sneak peek at what our advertisers are hoping to say to the Blues, the fans and St. Louis."

In preparation for the outcome of the Stanley Cup Final, some of our readers got a sneak peak at what our advertisers are hoping to say to the Blues, the fans and St. Louis. We apologize for the sneak peak and hope to share their messages with everyone very soon!

— St. Louis Post-Dispatch (@stltoday) June 9, 2019

With a chance at winning the Stanley Cup for the first time, who can really blame the staff of the Post-Dispatch for letting their excitement get the best of them?

USA TODAY LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146511 Websites

USA TODAY / Stanley Cup Final: Blues can end 52-year championship drought in Game 6

Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Published 8:48 a.m. ET June 9, 2019 | Updated 1:17 p.m. ET June 9, 2019

ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Blues are trying not to think about how they have a chance tonight to win the first Stanley Cup in the franchise’s 52- year history.

But it is hard not to.

"It's incredible how many amazing teams that have been here and haven't won,” Blues center Ryan O’Reilly said. “Looking at it now having that opportunity, seeing this group in here, seeing the city behind it. It’s amazing.”

The Blues lead 3-2 in the best-of-seven NHL championship series going into tonight's Game 6 at Enterprise Center (8 p.m., ET, NBC). Injured Blues forward Robert Thomas might be ready to play. It will be a game- time decision. Blues forward Ivan Barbashev will miss Game 6 with an NHL-imposed one-game suspension for a high hit against Boston's Marcus Johansson in Game 5.

Before this playoff run, the Blues had not even been to the Stanley Cup Final since 1970. What makes the Blues’ playoff run more improbable is that they were in last place out of 31 NHL teams on Jan. 2.

“It’s tough to put into words,” O’Reilly said. “Just running into random people around the city and how excited they are. Season ticket-holders for thirty-plus years. Their excitement. It’s so much more beyond the (players).”

The city of St. Louis has become enthralled with the Blues’ chase of the Cup. Many former Blues players have come in for playoff games. Actors Jon Hamm, from St. Louis, has attended games, along with St. Louis native actor Scott Bakula and actress Jenna Fischer, who grew up in St. Louis.

One St. Louis fan, Scott Berry, can win $100,000 if the Blues win the Stanley Cup because he placed a $400 bet in Las Vegas when the Blues were a 250-1 shot to win the Cup last January.

If the Blues win, they will become the third first-time Stanley Cup champion since 2012. The Los Angeles Kings, who entered the NHL the same year as the Blues, won their first Cup in 2012 and the Washington Capitals, who entered the NHL in 1974, won their first Cup last June.

The NHL’s longest Stanley Cup drought is owned by the Toronto Maple Leafs, who haven’t won the Cup since 1966-67, the season before the Blues joined the NHL.

USA TODAY LOADED: 06.10.2019 1146512 Websites

USA TODAY / Stanley Cup Finals: Time, TV, streaming info and everything you need about Game 6 of Bruins-Blues

Lila Bromberg, USA TODAY Published 7:35 a.m. ET June 9, 2019 | Updated 7:36 a.m. ET June 9, 2019

After defeating the Boston Bruins in Game 5, the St. Louis Blues can capture their first Stanley Cup at home in Game 6 on Sunday.

The Blues won 2-1 Thursday for their second consecutive victory against the Bruins. Rookie goalie Jordan Binnington stopped 38 shots, including 17 in the first period, for a 3-2 series lead.

St. Louis' Ryan O’Reilly scored the first goal and assisted on the second. He has three goals and three assists in the series.

The second goal was controversial because referees missed a tripping penalty by St. Louis' Tyler Bozak on Noel Acciari before David Perron scored. It ended up being the game-winner when Jake DeBrusk scored for Boston.

If the Blues win Sunday, they would become the second consecutive first-time winner, following the Washington Capitals, who made franchise history last season. That hasn’t happened since the Carolina Hurricanes (2006) and Anaheim Ducks (2007) hoisted the Cup in back-to-back years.

If the Bruins win, Game 7 will be in Boston Wednesday.

The basics

When: Sunday, June 9 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: Enterprise Center in St. Louis

TV channel: NBC

Streaming: NBC app and NBC.com

Fast facts

The Blues will be without forward Ivan Barbashev, who was suspended one game for an illegal check to the head of Boston's Marcus Johansson.

Despite reportedly having a broken jaw and being unable to talk after being hit in the face by a puck in Game 4, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara played in Game 5.

The Bruins had three power-play chances in Game 5 but couldn’t capitalize on any of them. Neither team has a power-play goal the last two games. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy is making an adjustment by moving Marcus Johansson to the top power-play unit.

USA TODAY LOADED: 06.10.2019