May 28th Stanley Cup Playoffs Morning Skate

THREE HARD LAPS: GAME 1 OF THE FINAL

 * The Bruins opened the Stanley Cup Final with a multi-goal comeback victory and extended their win streak to eight games.

 * Boston rallied from a multi-goal deficit to win a game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 28th time in franchise history and first time in the Final.

* The recent trend of unpredictable Game 1s in the Stanley Cup Final continued.

 KURALY THE HERO (AGAIN) AS BRUINS OPEN FINAL WITH 2-GOAL COMEBACK WIN

Facing a 2-0 deficit on home ice, the Bruins scored four unanswered goals - including the winner by Sean Kuraly (1-1—2) at 5:21 of the third period - to capture Game 1 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final and extend their winning streak to eight games overall. Boston became the first team to string together eight consecutive playoff victories since Los Angeles in 2012 (also 8-0).

* The Bruins’ winning streak stands as the franchise’s third-longest in a playoff year, behind a 10-0 stretch in 1970 and 9-0 streak in 1972 (both years they won the Stanley Cup). Boston has outscored opponents 32-11 during its current streak, which dates to Game 4 of the Second Round versus Columbus and includes a four-game sweep of Carolina in the Eastern Conference Final.

* Boston posted the 28th multi-goal comeback win in franchise playoff history - and first in the Stanley Cup Final. Overall, the Bruins staged the 39th multi-goal comeback victory in Stanley Cup Final history and first since the Kings did so in Game 2 of the 2014 Final vs. NYR.

* Following a regular season in which there were a record 138 multi-goal comeback wins, Boston completed the sixth such victory during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

* Kuraly also was the hero in Boston’s last multi-goal comeback win in the postseason (regardless of series). The Dublin, Ohio, native scored twice in Game 5 of the 2017 First Round at OTT - his 11th career NHL game (third in the playoffs) - including the tying goal and double-overtime winner to help Boston extend the series.

 * Kuraly, who has developed a knack for big moments in his NHL career, also tallied 1-1—2 in Game 7 of the 2019 First Round to help eliminate Toronto. Including the regular season, nine of his 21 career NHL goals have either tied the game (3) or stood as the winner (6) - with one of those decisive tallies coming in the 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Notre Dame.

2019 STANLEY CUP FINAL CONTINUES UNPREDICTABLE TREND OF GAME 1

The series opener between the Bruins and Blues continued a trend of unpredictable Game 1s in the Stanley Cup Final over the past decade:

2018: The Golden Knights and Capitals traded the lead four times - a first in Stanley Cup Final history - as Vegas emerged with a victory in its first Stanley Cup Final game.

2017: The Predators erased a 3-0 deficit, but Jake Guentzel scored the go-ahead goal with 3:17 remaining in regulation to lift the Penguins to a win.

2016: The Sharks overcame a 2-0 deficit, but Nick Bonino registered the tiebreaking goal with 2:33 left in the third period to give the Penguins a victory.

 2015: Trailing 1-0 with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation, Teuvo Teravainen and Antoine Vermette scored 1:58 apart to lift the Blackhawks to a win (at TBL).

 2014: Down 2-0 late in the opening period, Justin Williams completed the Kings’ comeback with his first career playoff overtime goal at 4:36 of the extra session (vs. NYR).

2013: Behind 3-1 early in the third period, the Blackhawks scored three unanswered goals - including the winner by Andrew Shaw at 52:08 of overtime - to capture the fifth-longest game in Stanley Cup Final history (vs. BOS).

 2012: Anze Kopitar scored 8:13 into overtime to power the Kings to a 1-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final (vs. NJD) and 9-0 record as visitors in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

2011: Raffi Torres recorded the lone goal at 19:41 of the third period – the latest winning goal in regulation of a Stanley Cup Final game since 1992 – to give the Canucks a victory (vs. BOS).

 2010: The Blackhawks and Flyers combined for 11 goals - including five in both the first and second periods - as Chicago won the highest-scoring Stanley Cup Final game since 1992.


MORE FROM GAME 1 OF THE 2019 STANLEY CUP FINAL

* Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (18 saves) also extended his winning streak to eight games (1.38 GAA, .956 SV%, 2 SO), matching the longest such run by any goaltender over the last 10 years (Jonathan Quick in 2012 w/ LAK and Dwayne Roloson in 2011 w/ TBL). It also is the second-longest such run by a Bruins goaltender behind only Gerry Cheevers’ 10 straight playoff victories in 1970 (including four vs. STL).

 

* Bruins defensemen Connor Clifton and Charlie McAvoy each scored in the second period to turn a 2-0 deficit into a tie game. It marked the fifth time in franchise history that multiple defensemen scored a goal in the same Stanley Cup Final game.

* Bruins forward Brad Marchand scored his sixth career goal in the Stanley Cup Final (6-2—8 in 14 GP), trailing only Bobby Orr (8-12—20 in 16 GP), Johnny Bucyk (8-5—13 in 24 GP) and Wayne Cashman (7-6—13 in 26 GP) for the most in franchise history.

* Boston improved to 9-0 in nine all-time postseason contests against St. Louis. The Bruins became the third franchise in NHL history to win each of their first nine or more playoff games against one opponent - the Oilers did so against the original Jets (16-0; 1983-88) and the Canadiens also accomplished the feat against the Blues (12-0; 1968-77).

 * Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington made 34 saves - including 16 in the second period - to match the second-highest single-game total by a rookie in the Final over the past 31 years. He equaled Cam Ward (34 saves in Game 1 of 2006 SCF) and fell three short of tying Matt Murray (37 saves in Game 2 of 2017 SCF).


* Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko scored to extend his point streak to seven games (4-5—9), tied for the third-longest in franchise playoff history.

* Since the Final went to the best-of-seven format in 1939, the team that has won Game 1 has gone on to capture the Stanley Cup 77.2% of the time (61 of 79 series).

 * Overall, Boston owns an all-time series record of 37-17 when winning the opener in a best-of-seven series, while St. Louis is 6-24 when trailing 1-0. One of the Blues’ six series victories in that scenario came in the 2019 Western Conference Final.

(NHL Media)