Need to Know: Game 4 | Bruins at Blues

ST. LOUIS - On its face, a 7-2 victory in the Stanley Cup Final seems quite lopsided.
But while the Bruins certainly controlled the vast majority of play and dominated on the man advantage during their Game 3 win, the Black & Gold feel there is plenty of room for improvement.
"I don't think we were great the other night. I don't think it was a 7-2 game, personally," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, whose team can open up a 3-1 series lead over the St. Louis Blues on Monday night.
"I thought we executed well when we had to finish plays. But that's not always gonna happen. We've got to be prepared to be in a close game again."
"You always want to be better, added Charlie Coyle. "You can always be better."

As such, there is little belief that the Bruins - in search of their sixth straight road win - will be dealing with any sort of overconfidence because of the large margin of victory.
"I think we put that game behind us," said David Krejci. "We've moved on to Game 4. Obviously we look at some stuff on video, what we've been doing right. We have to keep doing that and remind ourselves how we got to the position that we're at right now.
"But at the same time, even if you win a 7-2 hockey game it's not perfect. There's some room for improvement. We addressed that and we'll be ready to go for tonight."

And the Bruins know St. Louis will be ready to go, too. Boston expects a familiar response from the Blues, who hit back with an overtime victory in Game 2 after dropping the series opener.
"Game 2, they came out hard after their loss," said Coyle. "We're expecting that tonight. They're here for a reason, they're a good team. They're not just gonna sit back and sit down. They're gonna come hard and we've got to be able to do the same."

Grzelcyk On Mend

While he is still back in Boston recovering from taking a heavy hit in Game 2, Matt Grzelcyk is "better than where he was," according to Cassidy.
"We'll get back to Boston and see where Grizz is at," said Cassidy. "There's a chance for him [to return]."

Wagner Working Out

Chris Wagner, who has been out since Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final after blocking a shot with his right forearm, is with the team and working out in the gym. Cassidy seemed to leave open the possibility that the winger could play later in the series.
"Yup, he's here," said Cassidy. "He's working out with the team. He's not on the ice yet. Will give you a better update once he starts practicing. Until he's on the ice…they're just not that close."

Opposing View

The Blues will have Oskar Sundqvist back in the lineup after serving his one-game suspension for his hit on Grzelcyk in Game 2. Injured blue liner Vince Dunn will also return. The 22-year-old missed six games after taking a shot to the face during Game 3 of the Western Conference Final against San Jose.
Despite those changes, Cassidy is not expecting the Blues to alter their style of play.
"I don't think they're gonna deviate from how they've had success," said Cassidy. "They've been down in the series, the previous one, 2-1 to San Jose. I'm sure they have confidence that they can come back and win playing their game. Every team tweaks different things. I suspect they might do a few things different, could be their lineup, their lines.
"Generally, how they play I don't think will change. Our guys have to be ready to support the puck, break the puck out in a hurry. They always want to establish the forecheck."
Coach Craig Berube also confirmed that Jordan Binnington will start in goal after being pulled midway through Game 3.

Monday's Projected Lineup

Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk - David Krejci - David Backes
Marcus Johansson - Charlie Coyle - Danton Heinen
Joakim Nordstrom - Sean Kuraly - Noel Acciari
Zdeno Chara - Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug - Brandon Carlo
John Moore - Connor Clifton
Tuukka Rask
Jaroslav Halak
Scratches: Matt Grzelcyk (injury), Steven Kampfer, Karson Kuhlman, and Chris Wagner (arm).