Stanley Cup Final Takeaways: Boston’s Power Play Finds Perfection

The Boston Bruins knew they had to respond in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final after losing in OT at home in Game 2. They did — big time. After one period on Saturday, the Boston Bruins took a 3-0 lead against the St. Louis Blues and never looked back as they finished things out to the tune of a 7-2 walloping of the St. Louis Blues.

Let’s take a look at some key takeaways from Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.

“Perfection Line” Finds Life

After two games of silence, Boston’s top line found the spark that made them one of the best lines in the NHL this season. Patrice Bergeron racked up three points after going pointless in games one and two. David Pastrnak scored his eighth goal of the playoffs and first of the series in the second period, and Brad Marchand tacked in an assist as this line emerged to life. The Perfection Line was essentially a sleeping giant over the first two games and if they have finally woken up St. Louis may not have enough firepower to match Boston this series.

Charlie Coyle and Marcus Johansson Continue to Show Chemistry

Charlie Coyle scored his eighth goal of the postseason after he put away a pretty pass from Johansson in the first period. These two Don Sweeney signings continue to pay dividends for this Boston Bruins team this postseason. This kind of depth-scoring should send shivers down the collective spines of the St. Louis Blues as the Blues simply couldn’t match up against Boston’s top talent. Coyle now has three points in three Cup Final games, and Johansson tacked in two points in Game 3. Per naturalstatrick,

Boston Winning Special Teams Battle

Going into Game 3, Boston had killed off 87.5 percent of penalties this postseason and had converted on 31.7 percent of their power play chances. Both good for best in the NHL. Their specials teams success continued in Game 3 of the Cup Final and going forward this will be something St. Louis has to remedy. Boston went 4-for-4 on the power play in Game 3 and killed off four of the five chances St. Louis has on Saturday.

#NHLBruins went 4-for-4 on 4 shots on power-play in GAME 3 Of #StanleyCupFinal. Think about that.@BOSHockeyNow

— Jimmy Murphy (@MurphysLaw74) June 2, 2019

Rask Winning Goaltender Battle

Tuukka Rask kept Boston in the game early on and is winning the goaltender battle this series. There was a lot of talk before the Cup Final about the battle between Rask and Jordan Binnington as both goaltenders were exceptionally hot in the Conference Final. Before the Game 2 overtime loss, Rask had won eight straight games with a save percentage of .956 and two shutouts. Going into the start of the Cup Final Binnington had won three consecutive games with a save percentage of .974 and one shutout. On Saturday night he was pulled in favor of Jake Allen. It will be interesting to see how Binnington reacts to his first terrible game since the middle of the Western Conference Final. Rask looked calm and poised and was every bit of the dominant goaltender we have seen throughout this postseason. He ate up rebounds. He dealt with traffic in front of the net. In short, he looked like the Conn Smythe player many believe he is.

Torey Krug With A Historic Night

Torey Krug was the first Bruin in history to score four points in a Cup Final Game. Krug has been the face of the Bruins this Cup Final. Look no further than this becoming-iconic Game 1 hair-flowing-in-the-wind hit:

Freight Train: Krug introduces himself to Robert Thomas. pic.twitter.com/dgMnG1f54a

— BOSHockeyNow (@BOSHockeyNow) May 28, 2019

Krug was held pointless over the first two games but put his signature on the series early on with his physical play. Saturday’s performance puts him right in line for MVP of the Cup Final.