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Bruins vs. Blues Live Stream, TV Schedule, Odds and Pre-Game 4 Comments
June 3, 2019
Boston's 7-2 win over St. Louis in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final could do a few things to the complexion of the series that will affect Monday's Game 4.
The victory could fuel Boston to dominate St. Louis once again and lead to its sixth consecutive playoff road win, a streak that dates back to the second round against Columbus.
The blowout loss could be too big of a blow for the Blues to recover from, or it could be used as a galvanizing rallying call that inspires them to take their second victory of the series and first on home ice.
The St. Louis players have publicly stated they are over the Game 3 defeat and are solely focused on winning Game 4.
Vladimir Tarasenko was one of many Blues players to echo that sentiment, per NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger.
"The game was over yesterday, so we were looking for a win too," Tarasenko said. "I know the fans may be like upset—we're upset too—but we need to step over it and get ready for next game.
"The next game will be huge," Tarasenko said. "We have a chance to bounce back and tie the series. This is all we're thinking right now."
The Blues also have belief that goalie Jordan Binnington will bounce back from his rough outing in Game 3.
Head coach Craig Berube confirmed Binnington will start Game 4 and his teammates, including Robert Bortuzzo, have full trust in the goalie putting Game 3 behind him, per Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post Dispatch:
In addition to cleaning up the play in net, the Blues have to be more disciplined on the ice after earning 14 penalty minutes in Game 3 that allowed the Bruins to score four times on the power play.
The Blues have been called for 14 penalties in the series, which has left Berube frustrated with the officials, per The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford:
David Perron's been called for three penalties in the series and he was sent to the penalty box twice in Game 3, but Berube was firm when discussing Perron's status in the lineup, per Rutherford:
Not only have the Bruins taken advantage of the power play, but they have been strong on the penalty kill in the series.
Boston has held the Blues to 1-for-10 on the power play, and both head coach Bruce Cassidy and forward David Backes stated the kills start with the goalkeeper, per Michael Tolvo of the team's official website.
"A lot of times your best penalty killer is your goaltender," Backes said. "Tuukka has been dynamite for us. We've been giving up chances. On the other side of that, our guys that have been out there on the PK are relentless in their pursuit. They're blocking shots and sacrificing their bodies, winning loose pucks."
"Typically the goalie is the best killer, so that's been the case for us," Cassidy said. "Blocked shots have really been excellent. We're long so we have good sticks around the net."
Torey Krug was the star on the power play for the Bruins in Game 3 by scoring one goal and assisting on three others.
The defenseman has drawn comparisons to Bobby Orr because of his flying hit in Game 1 without his helmet on and the offensive contributions he made in Game 3.
However, Krug is not willing to compare himself to the Bruins legend, per NHL.com's Dan Rosen.
"Bobby Orr is probably the greatest influencer in the game of hockey itself," Krug said. "You really can't compare yourself in any way shape or form to him."
In 1970, Orr and the Bruins swept the Blues in the Stanley Cup Final, and while the current Bruins can't achieve that result, a win in Game 4 would bring them one step closer to going down as another dominant Boston side in a championship series against St. Louis.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.