After dropping Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden, the Boston Bruins needed to make a big statement in Game 3 against the Blues with the series shifting to St. Louis.
The Blues had a golden chance to control all the momentum in the series on home ice, but the B’s did quick work to simmer the crowd at Enterprise Center, scoring three goals in the first period en route to a 7-2 win.
The statement was made, and it was made with the power play.
Lackluster performances in each of the first two games of the series had Bruce Cassidy bemoaning missed opportunities and Brad Marchand calling on himself to produce more. But Boston responded by going 4-for-4 on the man advantage on just four shots. Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, Torey Krug and Marcus Johansson all netted power-play goals.
For Bergeron, he noted that playing cleaner defense opened things up for them on offense.
“I think we kept things simple and we executed,” Bergeron told Pierre McGuire on NBC Sports’ postgame coverage. “I thought we spent less time in our zone and when we do that we have more energy to spend on the offense. But I thought we played a little tighter and closer to each other and it helped.”
As for the power play, Bergeron said success came from keeping it simple.
“We simplified our game. We took what was there,” Bergeron said. “All the goals were scored differently. I think we’re trying to take what’s there. We’ll definitely take it, but then we have to move on to Game 4.
Indeed, the Bruins did spend much less time clearing their zone and immediately heading for changes, which prevented the offense from getting into grooves in Game 2.
And with a 2-1 series lead, the power play ringing and some doubt surrounding Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, it’s safe to say the Bruins have snatched momentum pretty convincingly.
Here are some other notes from Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.
— Krug is in a category by himself after his Game 3 performance.
The offensive defenseman became the first Bruin to notch four points in a Stanley Cup Final. Krug finished with a goal and three assists.
— The power play also made a bit a of history, scoring in their eighth straight game.
They have 23 power-play goals this postseason, one shy of the franchise record.
— Bergeron furthered solidified his spot up in the rafters in Game 3.
The center’s first-period goal accounted for the 100th career Stanley Cup playoff goal. He ended up adding two more assists, pushing him up the Bruins all-time leaderboard, where he sits tied for second with Phil Esposito. He trails only Ray Bourque (161 points).
— Binnington had a night to forget.
The 25-year-old allowed five goals on 19 shots and was pulled in the second period. The rookie had not been pulled in 52 games between the regular season and playoffs.
— Boston’s penalty kill continues to have a monstrous series.
The B’s killed off four of five Blues power plays. St. Louis now is 1-for-10 with the man advantage in the series.
— Sean Kuraly scored a controversial goal.
The fourth line continued its pace, making it 3-0 with 10 seconds left in the first. But it appeared that Joakim Nordstrom may have entered the zone before the puck. After a Blues challenge the goal stood, and the NHL later provided its reasoning.
