"We're here," defenseman Colton Parayko said. "We've had to go through a lot of hurdles to get to this spot already. I think it's just one of those things you can kind of talk about, but the character that we have in this room, I don't think experience is a thing. We'll see. It's going to be a good series. They're a good team. Should be fun."
Boston's lineup includes defenseman Zdeno Chara, forwards Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Brad Marchand, and goalie Tuukka Rask, each of whom won the Stanley Cup in 2011 with the Bruins. Defenseman Torey Krug joined them on the 2013 Bruins team that lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Cup Final. And defenseman John Moore played for the New York Rangers in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final against the Los Angeles Kings.
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Blues forward David Perron played in the 2018 Cup Final for the Vegas Golden Knights against the Washington Capitals. And forward Oskar Sundqvist was on the Pittsburgh Penguins when they won the 2016 Stanley Cup, though he was primarily a healthy scratch, playing in two postseason games, none in the Cup Final against the San Jose Sharks.
"They say that about every series," Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo said. "It started with the last one, obviously [San Jose] beating us in 2016. We're just going to keep playing. There's always a storyline trying to be made, but both teams are here for a reason. I expect that, regardless of whether it's the Stanley Cup [Final] or whether not all of us have played at some big stage or some big tournament at some point in our career."
The Blues have players, including Pietrangelo, that have played on big stages, whether it be for their country at the Winter Olympics, at the World Championship, World Junior Championship, or some form of high-pressure situation that they feel can help them through perhaps the biggest games they'll ever play.
