In front of an electric Enterprise Center, a dynamic St Louis Blues offence was able to absolutely dominate the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. The Blues rebounded tremendously from what was an admittedly awful Game 3. They amplified every aspect of their play and were able to topple a dominant Bruins team 4-2.
St Louis Blues Offence Surges in Dominant Game 4
Returning Players
Zach Sanford filled in for the suspended Oskar Sundqvist in Game 3. It was Sanford’s first game since Game 3 of the first round. The hiatus didn’t phase Sanford, though. He proved his worthiness in Game 3, becoming one of the team’s few bright spots in what was a terrible game. Blues head coach, Craig Berube, rewarded this great game with a promotion from the team’s fourth line to the first line for Game 4.
Sanford didn’t disappoint with the increased opportunity. He recorded five hits and one assist in roughly 10 minutes of ice-time. The low numbers don’t tell the whole story, though. Of all the Blues forwards, none seemed to make more of a difference than Sanford. He sparked numerous scoring chances and will seemingly become a regular in the Blues top-six for the team’s last few games.
Vince Dunn was also a great addition. He had missed the team’s previous six games after taking a shot to the mouth in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final. After plenty of speculation, Dunn finally returned to the lineup for Monday night’s Game 4. Despite having his jaw wired, he played just as well as he had prior to the injury. Among what was a very aggressive group of Blues defensemen, Dunn shined. He recorded three shots and one assist in roughly 13 minutes on the ice. Just like Sanford, Dunn was the quarterback of many scoring chances for St. Louis, constantly moving in the offensive zone to create options for his teammates.
Polar Opposites
Boston and St. Louis are very similar teams, both boasting a very productive roster with tremendous goaltending. During Game 4, though, the teams couldn’t have been more different.
The Blues were dominant offensively all game. They had no problems setting up in the offensive end, moving the puck around until a scoring chance opened up. Meanwhile, a large majority of the Bruins opportunities came off of fast-rushes, including their shorthanded goal in the second period. Boston wasn’t able to set up in the offensive end at all but did a great job of creating continuous hit-and-run scoring chances, jumping on any rebound that Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington wasn’t able to corral.
The two teams had very different defensive zones as well. The Bruins blue-liners looked shaky-at-best in their own end, yet Boston goalie Tuukka Rask had yet another tremendous performance. He stopped 25 Blues shots. On the flip side, the Blues relied heavily on their defence to keep things under wrap while star-rookie Binnington noticeably struggled.
These differences in both ends of the ice made for a very exciting hockey game. Neither team struggled to find scoring chances, with the Bruins using their speed, and the Blues relying on their patience, to create multiple opportunities. The excitement continued until the final buzzer and should lead to a very interesting Game 5.
More Physical Play
The Bruins made it to the Stanley Cup Final on the back fo a very fast offence. Three teams have tried to match Boston’s team and all have failed. With that in mind, the Blues have taken a different approach to shutting down a fast Bruins team. Instead of trying to keep up with Boston, St. Louis has been looking to slow Boston down with their physical presence. The Blues recorded 118 hits through the first three games of the series. They kept with this hit-heavy mindset for Game 4, where they tallied 4 hits.
The high hit-total was a tremendous tool for St. Louis in the offensive zone. They made getting the puck out of the Boston zone very difficult and controlled the puck for most of the game as a result.
The Blues were also much smarter with their hitting. After taking a handful of avoidable penalties in Game 3, the Blues straightened up and only took two in Game 4: one for delay of game and one for high-sticking. This increased discipline helped keep the Bruins power-play, the key difference-maker in Game 3, off the ice.
The Anticipation for Game 5
The Stanley Cup Final’s trip to St. Louis didn’t help clear up any fans concerns. While the Bruins dominated Game 3, the St Louis Blues offence was able to rally and deliver a tremendous Game 4. The teams have taken turns winning and will now return to Boston tied at two wins each. The next game will be crucial, with the winner grabbing a terrific amount of momentum heading into Game 6.
Unfortunately, there’s no easy way of predicting how Game 5 will pan out after watching Monday night’s Game 4. Both teams are neck-and-neck, battling in one of the closest Stanley Cup Finals in recent memory. The Blues ability to stay disciplined will ultimately be the deciding factor. They’ve proven their prowess at even-strength but a dominant Bruins power-play looms in the background.
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