Account
Bruins vs. Blues Live-Stream Schedule, Odds and Pre-Game 6 Comments
June 9, 2019
The St. Louis Blues have an opportunity Sunday night that they have never had before. It is a watershed moment for the franchise, as they play with a chance to seal the first Stanley Cup in team history.
The Boston Bruins are faced with desperation. A postseason that promised glory threatens to disappear into despair. They rolled into the Stanley Cup Final off sensational victories over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Columbus Blue Jackets and Carolina Hurricanes and appeared to be on their way to their seventh Stanley Cup.
However, their hopes will all disappear with one more loss.
One team has the greatest opportunity it has ever had, and the other is desperate to avoid a lost opportunity. The combination of those scenarios meeting head-on in St. Louis on Sunday night should lead to a sensational game.
Stanley Cup Final, Boston vs. St. Louis, Game 6
Series standing: St. Louis 3, Boston 2
Date: Sunday, June 9
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live
Odds (per Covers): Boston -103 (bet $103 to win $100); St. Louis -120 (bet $120 to win $100)
The Blues earned their position with a 2-1 victory in Game 5 of the series in Boston. The Bruins were hurt badly by a seemingly obvious missed call that resulted in a St. Louis goal when it appeared the B's would have a chance at a tying power play.
After the game, the lasting images were of Blues forward Tyler Bozak tripping Noel Acciari, Bruins president Cam Neely hurling a water bottle in his suite and head coach Bruce Cassidy calling out the NHL for embarrassing officiating.
If one of those images remains in Boston's psyche, it will be nearly impossible to survive. If the Bruins need a road map of how to overcome a bad break, all they have to do is look to their Stanley Cup final opponent.
St. Louis was hit with a worse break than the missed call on Bozak. The Blues lost Game 3 of the Western Conference Final to the San Jose Sharks in overtime when officials failed to notice a hand pass and the subsequent overtime goal that followed. It gave San Jose a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference Final.
The Blues reacted by winning three straight games to eliminate the Shark. St. Louis head coach Craig Berube didn't blame anyone or curse the defeat. He simply had his team move forward, and Ryan O'Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Pietrangelo and Jordan Binnington did the rest.
Cassidy is attempting to put Game 5 in the past and is looking forward to Game 6. "We'll be ready to play," Cassidy said, per Matt Porter of the Boston Globe. "We just have to execute better in St. Louis, for one. Start with that. Team defense has been good for us all year, we have to get back to our identity, make sure we're not giving up easy chances. I think the game will take care of itself from there."
Acciari also tried to spin it in a positive direction: "We know we have Tuukka [Rask] back there. He's our rock. It needs to be our best defensive game and the offense will come. It takes a day to get the bad taste out of your mouth. We have the character in here that can pull this off."
While the Bruins are talking about getting it back on track, the Blues are saying little. They have gotten their act on track. They have won the past two games by utilizing a powerful physical presence, and they have done it against a team that has been called the Big, Bad Bruins for generations.
Boston has lived up to that billing this postseason, but it has seen that the Blues may be just a bit bigger and badder through the first five games.
Stars like Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and David Krejci have stopped producing. They have not lost their ability or desire. They are just getting pounded.
St. Louis has clearly rallied around the Blues, and the team understands how much it means to the city.
"It's incredible how many amazing teams that have been here and haven't won," Blues center Ryan O'Reilly said, per Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com. He continued:
"Looking at it now and having that opportunity and seeing this group in here and seeing the city behind it, it's amazing. It's tough to put into words. Just running into random people around the city and how excited they are … it's so much more beyond these guys in this room. It's a whole city."
Inspiration is one thing, but it comes down to execution. The Bruins had their way early, and the Blues have had their way the past two games.
Opportunity vs. desperation. The battle is on.