The Stanley Cup Finals are tied 2-2 and the Blues continue to dominate headlines. After the Blues bounce-back win over the Boston Bruins Monday night. After an even first two games, Boston came out firing in game three. A 7-2 victory really swung momentum their way, and fans started to wonder if St. Louis would respond. But, that’s mostly all it was. Fans wondering about the Blues. After every game, it’s about to Blues. I know a vast majority of us would love to see the Bruins lose, but they deserve more respect than what they’ve gotten. Whether it’s “dirty plays” or the injuries they’re racking up, those are the only Bruins oriented storylines we hear.
Game One: Binnington
No news here. Going into this series, all eyes were on Blues rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington. Or, “Winnington,” as he was aptly nicknamed earlier this year. The kid is good. Really good. The problem with rapid success such as his, he’s a story no matter what. After giving up two bad goals and blowing a two-goal lead in game one, the headlines weren’t about Boston’s resiliency or poise. They were about Binnington shaking off the cobwebs and finally get Finals experience. He was bad, but not bad enough to shine a light on Boston. If I had to guess, the B’s enjoyed that. I don’t count fans not understanding the rules as headlines, therefore the Torey Krug hit was just part of that game. Anything about it afterward was just noise.
Second Stanza – Blues continue to dominate
It was obvious game two was going to be Blues-centric right off the bat. Could they bounce back? Could Binnington handle the moment? Does cutting your bagels vertically make you a psychopath? To their credit, they did bounce back. Answering each of Boston’s goals with one of their own, until an overtime winner by Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarson tied the series 1-1. Yes, an OT goal deserves the headlines (that the Blues continue to dominate) it received, and yes, he did call his shot from the locker room urinal. Tuukka wasn’t great, Boston’s top line was a mess, and the Blues got away with a good win. Again, all Blues all the time. Including, unfortunately, a meeting with DPOS and subsequent suspension for STL forward Oscar Sundqvist.
Game Three: The Blowout
If there was ever a time for the Blues to relinquish their title of “Media’s favorite son,” it was after game three. They got clubbed, spanked, bamboozled. However you put it, it was bad. Torey Krug had four points, and the powerplay scored four goals on as many shots. It was biblical, as a result, St. Louis was dead. The moment was too big for the rookie netminder, hence the 300 articles on his choke job in the finals. More level-headed Bruins fans knew the series was far from over, seems like they were actually enjoying the lack of attention for a change. Nobody showed up for the Blues that day. Only reporters.
Monday Night: Retribution
RetriBLUEtion is more like it, I guess. Aside from my bad puns, this is where things get interesting. An absolute must-win game for the Blues, maybe the biggest game of each players life. So, a fast start was necessary, and a fast start they got. Ryan O’Reilly needed just 43 seconds to pot his first of two goals that night. A little back and forth gave us a tie game midway through the third period before O’Reilly netted his second, the game-winner. Consequently, this meant Binnington was back, even though he still looked shaky with the slightest amount of pressure.
Alas, disaster struck and Boston finally gained some media traction (outside Boston) with the news the Zdeno Chara suffered a broken jaw. Certainly, they couldn’t make this about St. Lou- ” WHAT DOES THE CHARA INJURY MEAN FOR THE BLUES.” Damn. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and NHL Network doesn’t lack the will.
So, will the Blues continue to dominate?
Yes. In my meaningless opinion, the Blues now feel like they have a real advantage with all the injuries to Boston’s blue line. Be it in the news, or in game five, the Blues are here to stay. The frightening thing about all of this, might just be that the typical B’s fan has been more quiet than usual. Soaking in the underdog roll the Northeast loves so much. They’re enjoying the lack of attention, the disrespect, adding fuel to the fire with each omission of their city in every hockey article they read. I admire that, I really do. That said, Blues in 7.
Is media attention this series one-sided? Let me know on twitter and make sure you’re following both halves of the Belly Up NHL Dream Team, myself and ZachMac. Also check out the best new hockey podcast around, Puck Puck Pass. Thanks for reading!
