Game 7 History Favors Bruins Over Blues In Stanley Cup Final
BOSTON (CBS) -- The numbers have swayed every which way this series when analyzing whether the Bruins or Blues had the better chance of winning the Stanley Cup. Now, with just one game remaining, the numbers favor the Bruins.
That begins with all-time playoff history. When a team has won Game 6 on the road to force a Game 7, that team has gone on to win the series 58.5 percent of the time (38 out of 65 times).
Bringing that to the Stanley Cup Final specifically, a road team winning Game 6 on the road to force a Game 7 has ended up winning the series four out of five times.
The @NHLBruins are the sixth team to win on the road to force #Game7 in the #StanleyCup Final. That team hoisted the Cup in four of the previous five instances:
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 10, 2019
2004 Lightning (won)
2001 Avalanche (won)
1964 Maple Leafs (won)
1945 Red Wings (lost)
1942 Maple Leafs (won)#NHLStats pic.twitter.com/4oqgXdUPZ4
Overall, home teams in Game 7 of playoff series own a 104-73 record (.586). In Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, home teams own a 12-4 record (.750).
The Bruins also have a wealth of experience when it comes to playing in Game 7's. Zdeno Chara has played in 13 Game 7's, while Patrice Bergeron has played in 11, David Krejci has played in 10, Brad Marchand has played in eight and Tuukka Rask has played in five. Bergeron (10 points), Krejci (nine points) and Marchand (seven points) are nearly point-per-game players in their Game 7 histories.
For the Blues, Carl Gunnarsson and Pat Maroon lead the team with four Game 7 appearances apiece, with Maroon tallying hist first Game 7 goal in double overtime earlier this postseason. Rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington won that game, his lone appearance in a Game 7.
And, for the sake of positive vibes, the Bruins will enter Wednesday's game knowing that the Stanley Cup Final has not gone to a Game 7 since ... 2011. The photos hanging around their locker room both at home and on the road over the past two weeks have reminded them throughout this series how that one ended.