Forty-nine years after being swept by the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final, the St. Louis Blues got their revenge with a 5-1, Game 7 victory.

It stands as the first Stanley Cup title in franchise history and their road to the trophy makes it even sweeter.

On Jan. 2, the Blues sat in 31st place among the NHL’s 31 teams and were looking like the clear frontrunner for projected No. 1 pick Jack Hughes on June 21. But a 25-year-old rookie netminder by the name of Jordan Binnington stepped in and turned the city around.  

By NHL standards, Binnington became the third rookie goaltender in four years to hoist the Stanley Cup (see Murray, Matt in 2016 and 2017). In doing so, he set the record for most playoff wins by a rookie in a single postseason, earning all 16 W’s along the way.

Below, FloHockey has a recap of the exciting seven-game series and the pivotal moments of each game that led to the Blues’ championship.

Game 1: Boston Fourth Line (Boston, 4-2)

Despite starting the series on the road and scoring the first two goals of the Stanley Cup Final, the Blues fell to the Bruins. The Bruins’ fourth line of Sean Kuraly, Joakim Nordstrom, and Noel Acciari combined for a goal and four points in the victory.

The trio accumulated seven shots on net, second only to the Bruins’ dynamic top line as their energy and tenacity largely dictated the play and proved too much for the Blues.

Kuraly’s quick third-period goal wound up being the dagger as the Blues struggled to recover late before an empty net insurance goal handed Game 1 to the Bruins. 

Game 2: Carl Gunnarsson (St. Louis, 3-2 OT)

With less than two minutes left in the third period and the game knotted 2-2, Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson sent a blazing slapshot past Rask, only to hit the post.

As each team recouped in the locker room ahead of overtime, Gunnarsson crossed paths with coach Craig Berube at the urinal and told him all he needed was one more chance. That chance would come as Gunnarsson scored the game-winner just 3:51 into the extra frame, tying the series at 1-1 heading back to St. Louis.

Carl Gunnarsson told Chief he needed just "one more chance" while standing side-by-side at the urinal. #stlblues #WeAllBleedBlue pic.twitter.com/l8ID419sNC

— St. Louis Blues ? (@StLouisBlues) May 30, 2019

It was the 32-year-old’s first career postseason goal, and just his 29th goal through 643 total games across ten NHL seasons.

Game 3: Offsides Challenge (Boston, 7-2)

A slow start to Game 3 form the Blues saw the Bruins jump out to a 2-0 lead. With just ten seconds remaining in the first frame, Kuraly made it 3-0 as Boston’s fourth line struck again.

But Berube challenged for offsides, and while the call was controversial to some, the goal ultimately held up, leaving the Blues down 3-0 and starting the second period on the penalty kill.

Boston’s potent powerplay made it 4-0 just 41 seconds into the second period, courtesy of David Pastrnak. The Bruins would add three more powerplay goals on the night, claiming Game 3 by a score of 7-2.

Game 4: Ryan O’Reilly Takeover (St. Louis, 4-2)

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong traded for Ryan O’Reilly from Buffalo during the offseason, reshaping his team as the Blues continued their quest for the Stanley Cup they came close to in 2016, losing in the Western Conference Final.

O’Reilly fit in perfectly from Game 1, but while he was making waves on the scoresheet, the Blues’ losses continued to pile up even into 2019.

Fast-forward and O’Reilly took over Game 4 with two goals including the game-opener and game-winner. He would go on to lead the Final in scoring with nine points (5 G, 4 A) on his way to a Conn Smythe Trophy win.

Nine points in the Final.
A franchise-record 23 points in the #StanleyCup Playoffs.

First-year @StLouisBlues forward Ryan O'Reilly is the 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner. #NHLStats #Game7 pic.twitter.com/Hm7ULVA4QJ

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 13, 2019

Game 5: A Missed Call

St. Louis, 2-1

Just over halfway through the third period the Blues led 1-0 and when a seemingly easy call for a trip on Tyler Bozak wasn’t penalized, the Blues gathered the puck for a quick play that made for a 2-1 game.

The Bruins would score not three minutes following, but that would prove all the offense they could muster up as the Blues won 2-1 after being heavily outshot.

It’s hard to call it a series-defining moment, but it was certainly a game-defining moment, a game that would earn the Bleus the only winning streak of the Stanley Cup Final, on Boston’s home ice nonetheless.

Game 6: A Bounce on Binnington

Boston, 5-1

What started as all St. Louis early on, Boston’s Brad Marchand scored a powerplay goal to make it 1-0, which held up for nearly 34 minutes before an awkward bounce on a shot form Brandon Carlo made it 2-0 early in the third.

The bounce appeared to get to Binnington and the Blues as they surrendered three more goals in the third period and lost a chance to clinch the Cup at home in Game 6.

The outburst of goals meant two of the most exciting words in all of sports were placed on the menu with Boston’s win; ‘Game 7.’ 

Game 7: Binnington’s Bounce Back

St. Louis, 4-1

While it was an unfortunate bounce in Game 6 on Binnington that proved enough to force a Game 7 back in Boston, it was a bounce back from Binnington that saw the Blues come out on top.

The rookie continued his streak of bouncing back following a loss—going 14-2 record in such circumstances between the regular season and postseason—backstopping the Blues to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

An interim coach and a last-chance netminder carried the Blues from last place to last standing in the matter of five months, collectively earning hockey’s ultimate prize and handing a city endless, unforgettable memories. 

Have a question or a comment for Jacob Messing? You can find him on Twitter @Jacob_Messing.