BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins are dominating the Stanley Cup playoffs like few teams in the Original Six franchise's storied history.
The B's earned a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues in Game 1 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final on Monday night at TD Garden. The result extended Boston's playoff win streak to eight games, the third-longest run in team history.
The last time the B's won eight consecutive games in a single playoff run, legendary defenseman Bobby Orr was leading the team to a 1972 Stanley Cup championship against the New York Rangers. The Los Angeles Kings were the last team to win eight or more consecutive games in the postseason back in 2012 when they won the Stanley Cup over the New Jersey Devils.
The Bruins' stats during this win streak are quite impressive.
Boston has scored four goals per game while giving up just 1.38 goals per contest. Special teams have been red-hot for the B's, too, with the power play clicking at a 34.5 percent rate and the penalty kill at 96.2 percent. Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask owns a remarkable .956 save percentage during this eight-game run.
The Bruins' impressive performance over the final 40 minutes of Game 1 was one of the finest displays of defensive hockey in this year's playoffs. The Blues must find new ways to generate scoring chances or Boston's win streak likely will hit double-digits Saturday night.
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Here are some other notes from the Bruins' series-opening victory.
--Before Monday night, the Bruins' last win in a Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final was in 1974. The B's beat the Philadelphia Flyers in the opener at the old Boston Garden but Philly ultimately won the series in six games.
--Boston had never won a Cup Final game when trailing by multiple goals before Monday's series-opener.
"We were able to build on that first goal, but our team has been resilient all year if you watch our group," Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said. "Not necessarily from comebacks, but just different guys in the lineup, different guys producing. We're genuinely going up and down the lineup guys that are going to play hard and they're not going to quit. That's for sure. They're going to respond. Tonight was a good example."
--Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara earned an assist on Sean Kuraly's game-winning goal in the third period, making the Boston captain the second-oldest defenseman (42 years old) to tally a point in a Stanley Cup Final history. Former Blues d-man Doug Harvery set the record in 1968 when he was 43 years old.
--Who had the best reaction to Torey Krug's thunderous hit on Robert Thomas in the third period? It came from the man himself.
“Just glad I got a haircut a few days ago,” said Krug, who delivered the hit without his helmet. Check out the hit in the video below:
--Boston dominated St. Louis after the first period, starting with an 18-3 advantage in shots on goal during the second frame. The B's finished with a 38-20 edge in shots on goal, and at one point the Blues went 12:49 without a single shot on target.
--Connor Clifton became the first Bruins rookie defenseman to score a goal in the Stanley Cup Final since Glen Wesley did it against the Edmonton Oilers in 1988.
Clifton picked the right time to jump into the play, showing the offensive instincts that made him stand out during the scouting process.
“Well (Clifton is) certainly not afraid to get involved,” Cassidy said. “We noticed that when we first saw him, and it was almost a detriment at times. We saw him at a rookie camp in Buffalo, so he’s learned when to go, when to be a good support person on the rush. He’s done a great job for us since he has been here. He has the ability to separate, so he can skate and beat his guy up the ice. He goes to good spots, that’s how he got his goal against (the Carolina Hurricanes), right in front as well. So good for him."
--Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko extended his point streak to seven games with a second-period goal that increased St. Louis' lead to 2-0. Unfortunately for the Blues, the Bruins scored the next four goals.
--The Blues fell to 0-13 in their Stanley Cup Final history. The disappointing stats don't end there for the Blues, however. They are on the wrong side of three of the four longest active playoff win streaks, which are listed below.
Canadiens over Blues: 12 games
Bruins over Blues: 9
Canadiens over Maple Leafs: 8
Canucks over Blues: 7
--The Bruins are the third team in NHL history to win their first nine playoff games against a single opponent. Boston swept St. Louis in both the 1970 Cup Final and the 1972 semifinals entering Game 1 of this series.
WATCH: Krug levels Thomas with massive hit>>>
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