Boston Bruins Take Game One of Stanley Cup Finals

For 21 minutes of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, the St. Louis Blues looked like the composed, confident team that won the Western Conference. They took a 2-0 lead by forcing turnovers with their punishing forechecks, and rookie goalie Jordan Binnington turned every Boston Bruins chance aside.

But from the moment Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton scored at 2:16 of the second period through Boston's celebration of its 4-2 victory, the Blues weren't the Blues. They were sloppy. They were undisciplined. And, in a rarity over their past several postseason games, they were overmatched.

The Bruins had a 33-15 advantage in shot attempts at 5-on-5 through the final two periods. They attacked the Blues' zone in waves. They prevented the Blues from generating anything close to established offensive zone time after Vladimir Tarasenko's goal a minute into the second period, giving Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask an easy night.

Five penalties for the Blues was the difference.

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