The Boston Bruins aim for a ninth straight win while the St. Louis Blues vie for their first-ever Stanley Cup Final victory tonight in Game 2 at TD Garden.
STREAKING BRUINS HIT HOME ICE AIMING FOR 2-0 SERIES LEAD
The Bruins will look to become the 10th team in NHL history to record at least nine straight wins within a postseason – a feat last achieved by the 2008 Detroit Red Wings.
* Boston can win the first two games of the Final for the fifth time in franchise history. They did so in 1929 against the New York Rangers to win their best-of-three series 2-0, then in 1941 against the Detroit Red Wings (4-0 series win), in 1970 against the Blues (4-0 series win) and finally in 1972 against the Rangers (4-2 series win).
* Since the Stanley Cup Final became a best-of-seven in 1939, teams have taken a 2-0 series lead 51 times – winning the Cup 46 times. A team has overcome a 2-0 series deficit to win the Final twice in the past 47 years: the 2011 Bruins against the Vancouver Canucks and the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins against the Red Wings.
BINNINGTON, BLUES LOOK TO REBOUND YET AGAIN
Trailing 1-0 for the second time this postseason, rookie Jordan Binnington and the Blues will look to even the Stanley Cup Final at one game apiece before heading home for Game 3. St. Louis has won each of its last three contests after a loss, with an overall mark of 5-2 in that scenario this postseason (outscoring opponents 19-13).
* Binnington owns a career record of 11-2-0 following a loss in his NHL career, with a 1.81 goals-against average and .936 save percentage. That includes a 5-2 mark in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs (1.84 GAA, .937 SV%); San Jose's Martin Jones (6-3) is the only goaltender with more such victories this postseason.
* The Stanley Cup Final has been tied 1-1 a total of 28 times since it became a best-of-seven in 1939, including three times in the past six years.
LEADING SCORERS, POWER-PLAY EFFICIENCY FACTORS IN GAME 1
After netting 10 straight goals from Game 1 to Game 2 in the Eastern Conference Final, the Bruins have scored the last four tallies in the Stanley Cup Final. Brad Marchand notched the last Boston goal Monday, his sixth career goal in the Final; only Johnny Bucyk (8), Bobby Orr (8) and Wayne Cashman (7) have more such goals for the Bruins.
* Blues leading scorer Jaden Schwartz (12-5–17 in 20 GP) recorded his 17th point of the 2019 postseason in Game 1, the most by a St. Louis player since 1991. Adam Oates (13-7–20) and Brett Hull (11-8–19) each surpassed that mark during the 1991 Stanley Cup Playoffs (13 GP).
The Bruins went 1-for-5 on the power-play in Game 1, bringing their overall efficiency with the man advantage to 32.7% in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs (18-for-55). The Blues share second in the NHL with 12 power-play goals this postseason but went 0-for-2 in Game 1 (12-for-64 overall; 18.8%).
GAME 2 TRENDS
* Teams winning Game 2 have gone on to hoist the Stanley Cup 74.7 percent of the time since the Final went to the best-of-seven format in 1939 (59-of-79 series).
* The Bruins are 2-1 in Game 2s during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs (all at home) and 53-48-1 in the franchise’s 102 total Game 2s in best-of-seven series (37‑22 at home).
* The Blues also are 2-1 in Game 2s this postseason (2-0 on the road) and own a 28-34 record in the franchise’s 62 total Game 2s in best-of-seven series (9-22 as visitors).
* The team winning Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final also has won Game 2 in 10 of the past 13 years. The only splits in that span: 2013 (Chicago won Game 1, Boston won Game 2), 2015 (Chicago won Game 1, Tampa Bay won Game 2) and 2018 (Vegas won Game 1, Washington won Game 2).
* Fifty-one teams have taken a 2-0 series lead since the Final went to the best-of-seven format in 1939. Of those, 46 (90.2%) have gone on to win the Stanley Cup.
* The all-time series record of home teams sweeping Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Final is 35-3 (.921), but two of those losses have come in the past decade: the Red Wings won the first two games at home in 2009 before ultimately losing to the Penguins in seven games, while the Canucks won the opening two games at home in 2011 before eventually falling to the Bruins in seven contests.
(NHL Media)
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