St. Louis Blues Eliminate San Jose Sharks, Advance To Face Bruins In Stanley Cup Final
BOSTON (CBS) -- At long last, the Boston Bruins finally know their opponent for the Stanley Cup Final.
With a 5-1 win over the Sharks in Game 6 in St. Louis on Tuesday, the Blues won the Western Conference Final and punched their ticket to play for Lord Stanley's Cup against the Bruins.
For the Blues, Tuesday's win continues a remarkable stretch of play, dating back to early January, when the team sat in last place in the entire NHL. The Blues finished the regular season 30-10-5, clinching a playoff spot with a week left in the regular season.
The Blues then beat the Jets in six games in the first round before outlasting Dallas with a double-overtime win in Game 7 to reach the conference finals. After falling behind the Sharks 2-1 on a controversial missed hand pass to set up an overtime goal for San Jose, the Blues rattled off three straight wins over a Sharks team that appeared to be running on fumes.
Now the Blues move on, and they'll get a chance to rest. Game 1 of the Cup Final will take place Monday night in Boston.
2019 STANLEY CUP FINAL
Game 1: Monday, May 27 at 8 p.m., in Boston
Game 2: Wednesday, May 29 at 8 p.m., in Boston
Game 3: Saturday, June 1 at 8 p.m., in St. Louis
Game 4: Monday, June 3 at 8 p.m., in St. Louis
Game 5: Thursday, June 6 at 8 p.m., in Boston**
Game 6: Sunday, June 9 at 8 p.m. , in St. Louis**
Game 7: Wednesday, June 12 at 8 p.m., in Boston****if necessary
It will be the first appearance for the Blues in the Stanley Cup Final since 1970, a series memorialized forever for the way it ended -- with Bobby Orr flying through the air to score the game-winning goal in overtime of Game 4 for the Bruins.
That loss in the Cup Final was the third consecutive for the Blues, who reached the Stanley Cup Final in their first three years of existence. The Blues lost to the Canadiens in a four-game sweep in 1968, before losing again to the Canadiens via sweep in 1969. The Bruins made it three straight sweeps in 1970, and the Blues did not return to the Final until now. In fact, this season marked just the fourth time since 1970 that the Blues have even reached the conference finals, as they lost in 2016 (Sharks), 2001 (Avalanche), and 1986 (Flames).
The Blues enter the series having won three straight games and six of their last eight, while the Bruins are riding a seven-game win streak and have won 10 of their last 12 games.
