Brad Marchand was brilliant during the Boston Bruins' postseason run, leading the team with 23 points, but a mental error in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final swung momentum in the St. Louis Blues' direction.
With the Bruins trailing 1-0, Jaden Schwartz crossed the blue line and chipped the puck past a flat-footed Marchand, who immediately went for a line change with just 10 seconds left in the opening frame. Alex Pietrangelo found a crack in the defense, took a pass from Schwartz, and scored to give the Blues a two-goal lead.
Had Marchand simply stayed on the ice for the last 10 seconds of the period, he likely would've been able to cover Pietrangelo.
"I don't know, they chipped it in. I thought that (Jaden Schwartz) was by himself, so I went for a change, and a couple more guys jumped up on the play," a teary-eyed Marchand told NBC Sports' Joe Haggerty after the game. "I didn't see the replay, but yeah."
The Bruins were outshooting the Blues 12-3 prior to Pietrangelo's marker and trailed by only a single goal; had they prevented St. Louis' late first-period tally, they would've entered the second period with a fair share of the momentum on home ice.
Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy agreed the goal shifted the game in the Blues' favor. He didn't single out Marchand but said there was a "missed assignment" on the play.
“The second (goal) we just didn't manage the puck. We kind of missed an assignment and they made a play," Cassidy said. "A nice play by Pietrangelo but you're probably (talking) a different game if it's 1-0 coming out of the first, I do believe that.
"I'm not saying that we would have won or we would have lost. I'm not a mind reader. But I do believe that it gave them a lot of juice for a period that they, you know if they looked at it objectively, probably felt or should have felt that they got outplayed, but they're up 2-0 on the scoreboard. That's all that matters."
Marchand was one of the more emotional Bruins players after the defeat, saying he'd "never get over" the Game 7 loss.
Brad Marchand was brilliant during the Boston Bruins' postseason run, leading the team with 23 points, but a mental error in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final swung momentum in the St. Louis Blues' direction.
With the Bruins trailing 1-0, Jaden Schwartz crossed the blue line and chipped the puck past a flat-footed Marchand, who immediately went for a line change with just 10 seconds left in the opening frame. Alex Pietrangelo found a crack in the defense, took a pass from Schwartz, and scored to give the Blues a two-goal lead.
Had Marchand simply stayed on the ice for the last 10 seconds of the period, he likely would've been able to cover Pietrangelo.
"I don't know, they chipped it in. I thought that (Jaden Schwartz) was by himself, so I went for a change, and a couple more guys jumped up on the play," a teary-eyed Marchand told NBC Sports' Joe Haggerty after the game. "I didn't see the replay, but yeah."
The Bruins were outshooting the Blues 12-3 prior to Pietrangelo's marker and trailed by only a single goal; had they prevented St. Louis' late first-period tally, they would've entered the second period with a fair share of the momentum on home ice.
Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy agreed the goal shifted the game in the Blues' favor. He didn't single out Marchand but said there was a "missed assignment" on the play.
“The second (goal) we just didn't manage the puck. We kind of missed an assignment and they made a play," Cassidy said. "A nice play by Pietrangelo but you're probably (talking) a different game if it's 1-0 coming out of the first, I do believe that.
"I'm not saying that we would have won or we would have lost. I'm not a mind reader. But I do believe that it gave them a lot of juice for a period that they, you know if they looked at it objectively, probably felt or should have felt that they got outplayed, but they're up 2-0 on the scoreboard. That's all that matters."
Marchand was one of the more emotional Bruins players after the defeat, saying he'd "never get over" the Game 7 loss.
St. Louis Blues rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington cemented his place in the record books with a win in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The 25-year-old capped off a sensational year by becoming the first freshman netminder to win 16 games in a single postseason, according to NHL Public Relations. Binnington turned aside 32 of 33 shots in the title-clinching victory.
Binnington joined the club in late December and catalyzed one of the most incredible turnarounds in NHL history. The netminder finished the regular season with a record of 24-5-1 and a .927 save percentage to help lift the Blues from last place in the NHL to the third seed in the Central Division.
In the playoffs, Binnington continued to lead with his play between the pipes. He lost back-to-back contests just twice and posted a record of 5-1 in elimination games en route to helping the Blues end their 52-year Stanley Cup drought.
Throughout June, theScore will be projecting contracts for the star-studded restricted free-agent class. In this edition, we project Matthew Tkachuk's new deal.
The player
Gerry Thomas / National Hockey League / Getty
You'd be hard-pressed to find a hockey fan who doesn't like Matthew Tkachuk's game.
The Calgary Flames forward is a true throwback and a chip off the old block. Both he and his brother Brady bring the same nastiness, competitiveness, and 200-foot game that their father Keith did, which old-school hockey fans can appreciate.
Tkachuk pleases new-age, analytical thinkers as well, though. In his career, he owns an elite Corsi For rating of 56.8 at five-on-five despite an offensive-zone start rate below 50 percent and playing almost exclusively against other teams' top lines.
Offensively, he enjoyed a well-timed breakout 2018-19 season.
Season (Age)
GP
G
A
P
ATOI
2016-17 (19)
76
13
35
48
14:40
2017-18 (20)
68
24
25
49
17:15
2018-19 (21)
80
34
43
77
17:36
Tkachuk managed to produce 53 of his 77 points at even strength despite skating on Calgary's shutdown line alongside Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik. He notched nearly as many points as his two linemates combined (81).
The team
Tom Szczerbowski / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Flames general manager Brad Treliving has some work to do. CapFriendly projects the club to have just over $14 million in available cap space. In addition to Tkachuk and a handful of depth forwards needing new contracts, Jon Gillies is the only netminder signed for next season. Treliving has to decide whether he wants to re-sign David Rittich, Mike Smith, or perhaps both.
Locking up Tkachuk and resolving the goaltending situation are two of Treliving's top priorities, but a couple of trades may need to be made in order to make it work. Frolik has one year remaining on his deal with a $4.3-million cap hit and could be dealt. Defensemen TJ Brodie, Travis Hamonic, and Michael Stone are all UFAs next year, and with plenty of young blue-liners in the system, one of these veterans is likely on the way out.
Thanks to some team-friendly deals on the roster, the Flames shouldn't have too much trouble fitting Tkachuk under the cap on a long-term extension.
The comparables
John Russell / National Hockey League / Getty
Here's a select list of wingers to sign contracts out of restricted free agency over the past few years:
Player
Cap hit
CH%
Length
Year signed
William Nylander (TOR)
$6.9M*
8.67
6 years
2018
Leon Draisaitl (EDM)
$8.5M
11.3
8 years
2017
David Pastrnak (BOS)
$6.6M
8.89
6 years
2017
Johnny Gaudreau (CGY)
$6.75M
9.25
6 years
2016
Vladimir Tarasenko (STL)
$7.5M
10.27
8 years
2015
CH% = Cap hit percentage, based on cap ceiling when the contract was signed
* - Nylander's cap hit in 2018-19 was prorated to $10.2 million because of time missed in negotiations
Draisaitl could be the most fitting comparison for Tkachuk, as they each recorded 77 points in their contract years. However, the Germany native finished eighth in scoring in 2016-17, whereas Tkachuk settled for 31st. Draisaitl also came with the versatility to play center.
The projection
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Like many of this year's RFAs, Tkachuk's contract could be directly tied to one of his counterparts. If Mitch Marner, Mikko Rantanen, Patrik Laine, or Brock Boeser sign their respective deals first, it'll offer one or more immediate comparisons for both Tkachuk's camp and the Flames' brass to look at.
Calgary almost certainly views Tkachuk as a part of the long-term core moving forward. Many believe he'll be the club's next captain once 35-year-old Mark Giordano moves on.
A deal in the six-to-eight-year range would likely be ideal for the Flames. However, Tkachuk was attentive to good friend Auston Matthews' lucrative five-year extension.
"I feel like every year there's a couple guys, a couple big names every year who kind of change the way a little bit," Tkachuk said in February. "I think Auston changed it, too, going with the approach (of) a five-year deal, too. Maybe people haven't seen that in a couple years, but it's not, like, uncommon. Guys used to do that all the time. He definitely set the bar."
Tkachuk is a near lock to become Calgary's highest-paid player. The 21-year-old's deal will carry an average annual value of at least $7 million and could potentially reach $9 million depending on the length and what other RFAs sign for.
Verdict: 6 years, $51 million ($8.5M AAV, 10.2 CH%)
The Stanley Cup will make its way through the streets of St. Louis for the first time during the traditional victory parade on Saturday, the team announced Thursday.
The parade will start at noon at the corner of 18th and Market streets, and end at Broadway and Market Street. A rally will take place at the Gateway Arch following the parade.
St. Louis captured the first Stanley Cup in franchise history on Wednesday, defeating the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 7.
It was difficult for anyone to believe in the St. Louis Blues when they sat last in the NHL on Jan. 2, but Scott Berry did.
Berry, a Blues fan, was on a business trip in Las Vegas in January and decided to throw $400 down on St. Louis to win the Stanley Cup at 250-1 odds. He would have many opportunities to cash out before the final result but decided to go big or go home.
"Everyone was calling me an idiot for not hedging," Berry told The Action Network's Darren Rovell. "I would start to read the Twitter comments, and, after a while, I had to just stop reading."
Obviously, Berry's faith paid off. The Blues defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night, earning him an incredible $100,000 payday. There was no shortage of nervousness beforehand, though.
"Leading up to the game was the worst part," Berry said. "I tried to keep my mind occupied, but nothing really worked. I remember there was like four hours to go and I tried to take a nap. Didn't happen."
When the moment of relief and joy finally came, Berry enjoyed a champagne shower as if he was a Stanley Cup champion himself.
What is it like when your team wins the Stanley Cup and you won $100,000 off a $400 bet? Here’s @ScottABerry1 (with champagne bottle in hand) in the middle celebrating with friends. pic.twitter.com/Mt9j6FuFu3
"I wanted this for me, but I wanted this for the city," he said. "Once I put the bet down, I had this sixth sense kind of feeling that it was gonna happen and if I hedged I thought it would suggest that I didn't believe."
After 52 long years, the St. Louis Blues are finally Stanley Cup champions. There is no easy path to a championship, as every title run is filled with ups and downs.
From controversial calls to overtime thrillers, here are the six moments that defined the Blues' magical Stanley Cup run.
Game 5 vs. Jets: 3rd-period takeover
After stealing both road games to take a 2-0 series edge in the first round, the Blues dropped both contests in their own building and faced a 2-0 deficit heading into the third period of Game 5 back in Winnipeg. The Jets seemed to have finally found their groove and the Blues looked as though they'd be heading home facing elimination.
Ryan O'Reilly cut the lead in half just minutes into the third frame and Brayden Schenn tied the contest with 6:08 remaining. Then, with the Blues pressing in the final moments, Jaden Schwartz got his stick on a centering pass from Tyler Bozak to put the Blues ahead with 15 seconds to play. St. Louis ended the series two nights later in Game 6.
This moment goes down as one of the most memorable and exciting endings to a postseason game in recent memory. Game 7, double overtime, and an unlikely hometown hero in Pat Maroon storming through the crease to bang in the goal that eliminated the Dallas Stars and lifted the Blues to the Conference Final.
Maroon shared a special postgame moment with his son, Anthony, and celebrated the victory with family and friends in the city where he grew up.
After blowing the lead with a minute to play in Game 3, a missed hand pass led directly to the Sharks scoring the overtime winner, and the Blues faced a 2-1 series deficit while lacking home-ice advantage. Most teams would have crumbled when faced with such adversity, but not these Blues.
Just 35 seconds into Game 4, Ivan Barbashev provided a much-needed response with his first goal of the postseason. The Blues wouldn't trail for the rest of the series and eliminated the Sharks with three consecutive victories to advance to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1970.
— #StanleyCup on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) May 18, 2019
Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final: Gunnarsson calls his shot
This contest headed to overtime with the Blues in danger of falling behind 2-0 in the series. During an intermission bathroom break, Carl Gunnarsson, who rattled one off the post in the final seconds of regulation, told head coach Craig Berube that he needed just "one more chance."
He delivered on his word only 3:51 into overtime, as Gunnarsson hammered a point shot past Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask for his first career postseason goal to tie the series at one as it moved back to St. Louis. That exchange between Gunnarsson and Berube has already been etched into St. Louis sports lore.
After surviving the hand pass against the Sharks, the Blues had karma swing back around in their favor in Game 5 of the Cup Final. With just under 10 minutes to play, Bozak appeared to get away with a trip on Bruins forward Noel Acciari, which led directly to David Perron's game-winning goal.
Game 7 of Stanley Cup Final: Binnington's signature moment
With the Blues up 2-0 in the third period and the Bruins hounding to get on the board, Joakim Nordstrom found himself alone in front of goal with all the time in the world. The 27-year-old forward pulled to his forehand only to be met by a sprawling Binnington, who kicked out his right pad to make the save of his life.
Vladimir Tarasenko went the other way just moments later to make it 3-0 and seal the Blues' first-ever Stanley Cup championship.
