NHL Playoff Bracket 2019: Stanley Cup Final Schedule, Odds and Predictions

Jake RillCorrespondent IIIMay 22, 2019

St. Louis Blues center Oskar Sundqvist (70), of Sweden; defenseman Colton Parayko (55); and Vladimir Tarasenko (91), of Russia, celebrate after the Blues scored a goal against the San Jose Sharks during the third period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Western Conference final series Tuesday, May 21, 2019, in St. Louis. The Blues won 5-1 to win the series 4-2. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Every NHL team dreams of celebrating with the Stanley Cup. For either the Boston Bruins or St. Louis Blues, that will soon become a reality.

The Stanley Cup finals matchup is set as the Bruins and Blues will open their best-of-seven series on Monday night. The winner will end their season with a championship and claim the Stanley Cup.

Here's a look ahead at the final series of the NHL postseason.

Stanley Cup Final Schedule

All times ET

Game 1: St. Louis at Boston, May 27 at 8 p.m., NBC

Game 2: St. Louis at Boston, May 29 at 8 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Game 3: Boston at St. Louis, June 1 at 8 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Game 4: Boston at St. Louis, June 3 at 8 p.m., NBC

Game 5: St. Louis at Boston, June 6 at 8 p.m., NBC (if necessary)

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Game 6: Boston at St. Louis, June 9 at 8 p.m., NBC (if necessary)

Game 7: St. Louis at Boston, June 12 at 8 p.m., NBC (if necessary)

Stanley Cup Final Odds

B/R Betting @br_betting
Stanley Cup Final odds are out 🚨 Bruins (-155) vs. Blues (+135) (via @CaesarsPalace) https://t.co/bwygx3YXmF

Predictions

The Bruins haven't played since completing an Eastern Conference finals sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes on May 16. They won't play their next playoff game until the opener of the Stanley Cup finals on Monday. However, they're trying to find ways to stay fresh, including an intrasquad scrimmage Thursday night in Boston.

"In the first game, we want to be good," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said, according to Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press. "We want to be sharp. We want to be on time. We want to win. But we have a bit more luxury than say a one-and-done."

However, it seems unlikely that there won't be some rust for Boston, especially against a strong road team in St. Louis, which has won seven of its nine away games this postseason.

Expect the Blues to come out strong to open the series and win Game 1. Then, they'll continue to build momentum and go on to win the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Everything has been going well for St. Louis after it lost Game 3 of the Western Conference finals to the San Jose Sharks in overtime. The Blues rebounded by winning three straight games to secure the series, outscoring the Sharks 12-2 over those contests.

Perhaps most impressive was the defensive play by St. Louis. After allowing 13 goals through the first three games of the series, they only allowed two over the final three as San Jose didn't score more than one goal in any of them.

St. Louis clinched its first Stanley Cup finals appearance since 1970 with a 5-1 win on its home ice in Game 6 on Tuesday night.

"The final minutes, counting down there and how loud the rink was and the atmosphere was awesome," Blues goalie Jordan Binnington said, according to NHL.com's David Satriano. "We're excited and looking forward to the next round."

History is on the way for St. Louis, which will win another competitive series by taking down Boston in six games to end the season with a championship.