Stanley Cup Final Game 1 Bruins vs. Blues: How to watch, time, TV schedule, preview

The Blues have defied all odds to get to this point

By Pete Blackburn

& Kevin Skiver

May 27, 2019 at 5:38 pm ET • 2 min read

The St. Louis Blues have made their way to the Stanley Cup Finals via one of the most improbable runs in NHL history. At one point the worst team in the league, they've run the through the Jets, Stars and Sharks to make their way to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1970.

The team they're facing will be the same one they played in 1970: The Boston Bruins. The Bruins have had a strange path to these finals, having beaten the Maple Leafs, Blue Jackets and Hurricanes. The second-best team in hockey in the regular season has played some unorthodox competition to get here, but that's been the way of the 2019 NHL Playoffs.

Looking at the matchup, it should be a defensive-minded battle between two deep, heavy teams that are especially strong on the back end. The Bruins are significant betting favorites and they seemingly have advantages in a number of areas across the board, but their biggest X-factor this postseason has been Tuukka Rask in net.

The goaltender has a .942 save percentage through three rounds and a ridiculous 13.64 goals saved above average (essentially, hockey's WAR stat). The Blues have gotten very solid goaltending from rookie Jordan Binnington as well, but Binnington's numbers (.914, minus-1.36 GSAA) pale in comparison to what Rask has done between the pipes.

Boston's special teams unit has also been a major difference-maker in this postseason and it could be a big factor in this series as well. The Bruins' power play has been absolutely dominant and is converting at a 34 percent clip (17 for 50) through the first three rounds. To put that in perspective, only two Stanley Cup winners since 2000 have had a power play percentage of 24 percent or better -- the 2006 Hurricanes (24.0) and the 2018 Capitals (29.3). The Boston penalty kill (86.3 percent) has also been quite good and has an edge over St. Louis (78 percent).

But no matter how heavily things appear to be skewed in Boston's favor on paper, this Blues team should not be taken lightly. They may not have the SCF experience that Boston does (only one player on the Blues has suited up for a SCF game) but they've proven time and time again this year that they're a resilient team that can come up in big spots and win games on the road.

Vladimir Tarasenko is a guy to keep an eye on, as he's the Blues' most lethal weapon up front and he's heating up at the right time. Tarasenko had at least one point in each of the six Western Conference Final games against the Sharks, scoring three times and adding five assists.

But the Blues' true strength may lie in their depth, especially in the bottom six. Every forward on the Blues' roster had at least a point during the WCF and St. Louis' fourth line of Oskar Sundqvist, Alex Steen and Ivan Barbashev was arguably the team's best unit. They'll look to continue that strong play against a Bruins team that can also roll four lines without hesitation.

Here's how you can watch the Blues and Bruins on Monday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.