St. Louis Blues crush Bruins in Game 7, win first ever Stanley Cup

After 52 agonizing years of heartbreak and waiting, the St. Louis Blues beat the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final to win their first ever Stanley Cup.

After 1,357 NHL games, it call came down to one game. Game 7 to decide who would win the 2019 Stanley Cup, between the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues. The Bruins forced Game 7 with a 5-1 win on the road in Game 6 for the chance to the win the Stanley Cup on home ice, while the Blues looked to capitalize on their second chance to win the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Game 7 also marked the first Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final since 2011 when the Bruins beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-0.

The Bruins dominated the early portion of the first period, but Blues goalie Jordan Binnington made several phenomenal saves to keep the Bruins off the board while the Blues tried to find their legs.

Despite the Bruins having control early on, it was the Blues who drew first blood in Game 7, with Ryan O’Reilly deflecting a shot from Jay Bouwmeester to stun the Boston crowd. With the goal, O’Reilly became the first player to score a goal in four straight Stanley Cup Final games since Wayne Gretzky in 1985.

The Blues wouldn’t stop there however, with Alex Pietrangelo scoring on their very next shot with just 7.9 seconds left in the period. The goal would hold up as the Stanley Cup clinching goal.

Despite the Bruins outshooting the Blues 12-4 in the first period, the Blues took a 2-0 lead to the locker room.

In the second period, the Blues almost made it 3-0 after a loose puck rang off the crossbar, but Rask and Zdeno Chara combined to keep the puck out and keep the Bruins in the game.

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There was no scoring in the second period, and the Blues entered the third period still up 2-0 despite being outshoot again 11-6 in the second period, and 23-10 in the game.

In the third period, Jordan Binnington continued to stand on his head for the Blues, making what could hold as the biggest save of the entire postseason to keep the Blues up by two.

Shortly after, Brayden Schenn scored the goal that Blues fans have waited over 50 years for, and sunk the dagger into hearts of Boston fans everywhere, extending the Blues lead to three with under ten minutes to play.

Zach Sanford would twist the knife a little more, making it 4-0 for the Blues, and St. Louis could finally let loose and celebrate.

The Bruins would not die with a whimper however, as Matt Grzelcyk got the Bruins on the board to end Binnington’s shutout. The goal was the first goal scored by a home team in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final since 2009, scored by Jonathan Ericsson.

However, it wouldn’t matter in the slightest in a few minutes. The Blues would run out the clock, and clinch the first Stanley Cup in franchise history, ending decades of misery.

Before the Stanley Cup could be handed, there was the business of the Conn Smythe trophy to be awarded to the most valuable player of the postseason. That honor went to the leading postseason point scorer in Blues history, Ryan O’Reilly.

At last, it was time to hand out the greatest trophy in all of sports, the Stanley Cup. The captain Alex Pietrangelo came out to get it, and made Blues history. In a classy move, Pietrangelo handed the Cup to Jay Bouwmeester, who had waited since entering the league in 2002 to hoist the Stanley Cup.

On January 3rd, the St. Louis Blues were in last place in the NHL, and just a few more weeks away from a potential massive sell off at the trade deadline. Fast forward to the end of the regular season, and the Blues came all the way back to finish third in the Central Division. Two months later, the Blues are the Stanley Cup champions for the first time in franchise history. A worst to first turnaround unlike anything in not just NHL history, but sports history. Play Gloria St. Louis, you’ve earned it.