NHL Stanley Cup Final 2019: Odds, TV Schedule, Preview for Blues vs. Bruins

On Monday, the action is finally going to pick back up in the NHL playoffs.

It's been a slow week since the St. Louis Blues ended the Western Conference Final with a Game 6 win over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night. The Boston Bruins, meanwhile, completed their sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final on May 16.

The Stanley Cup Final begins in Boston and should be a thrilling series that will provide an exciting conclusion to the NHL season.

Here's a look at everything to know heading into the Game 1.

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)

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

Preview

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

Any player could step up and score a goal in the Stanley Cup Final. And that's especially true with this year's matchup.

The Bruins and Blues are two of the deepest teams in the NHL this season. Nineteen Boston players have scored a goal in these playoffs, while St. Louis has had 18 players hit the twine.

So while some of the focus heading into the series is on the strong goaltenders—Boston's Tuukka Rask and St. Louis' Jordan Binnington—it could be the deep attacks that make the difference.

Four of the Bruins players with goals in the playoffs—Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci and Zdeno Chara—along with Rask were on Boston's past two teams to reach the Stanley Cup Final. The Bruins won the Cup in 2011 and lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013.

That veteran leadership could be beneficial for Boston in this year's final series.

"It takes a lot to just get into the playoffs," Chara said, according to the Associated Press' Kyle Hightower (h/t Yahoo Sports). "... You have to realize how special it is to be in the final and what it takes. At the same time, you haven't accomplished anything. You haven't won anything."

Marchand (18 points), Krejci (14) and Bergeron (13) are three of the Bruins' top four point scorers this postseason, while the 42-year-old Chara continues to be a key part of their defense.

While Boston had an intrasquad scrimmage to stay fresh Thursday, St. Louis was on a two-day rest after its six-game series against San Jose. The Blues returned to the ice for practice on Friday.

Blues interim coach Craig Berube said, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Tom Timmermann:

"They had a couple days off the ice, so we had to get out and get moving again. A lot of it with the puck. Get the puck moving again and touching it and get your feet moving again and ramping it up a little bit. I thought practice got better as it went along. It was slow early. It picked up at the end, and we finished off with some grinding down low stuff, which is always good. I thought it was good overall."

When both teams return to competitive action for the Stanley Cup Final opener Monday, it should mark the start of an exciting series. And it could be crucial to get out to an early lead, as both squads are carrying over momentum from impressive showings in the conference finals round.