Blues goalie Jordan Binnington stopped 32 shots, and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Ryan O’Reilly scored for the fourth straight game Wednesday night to lead the Blues to a 4-1 victory over Boston in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final and their first NHL championship.
O’Reilly added an assist, Alex Pietrangelo had a goal and an assist and Brayden Schenn and Zach Sanford also scored for St. Louis, which had the worst record in the league in early January but won 30 of their final 49 regular-season games.
Behind Binnington, the Blues eliminated the Jets in six games, the Stars in seven and then knocked out the Sharks in six to reach the final for the first time since 1970. That year, the Blues lost in Boston when Bobby Orr flew through the air after scoring his Cup-clincher — a goal that is commemorated in bronze outside the building.
Boston had home-ice advantage, along with a huge edge in Stanley Cup and Game 7 experience: Five Bruins remained from the team that beat Vancouver in seven to win the franchise’s sixth title in 2011, then returned to the final two years later. But, it wasn’t enough, as the Blues weren’t phased by the tough Boston crowd.
Boston will have to console itself with the two major sports championships it has already won in the past year, or the dozen trophies since 2002 that have been chauffeured through Boston in a parade of the city’s iconic, amphibious Duck Boats.
Via Associated Press and NHL.
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