Stanley Cup Final Game 2 Live Blog: Bruins vs. Blues

Welcome to Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues. NHL.com Editor-in-Chief Bill Price is inside TD Garden to chronicle the sights, sounds and all the action from the Blues' 3-2 win on Wednesday.

RELATED: [Complete Stanley Cup Final coverage]

11:15 p.m. ET

The last time the Bruins and Blues went to overtime in the Cup Final, Bobby Orr went flying through the air after clinching the 1970 Cup Final.
This time, the Blues were flying high, with Carl Gunnarsson, a defenseman wearning No. 4 scoring at 3:51. By the way, Orr wore No. 4.
A chant of "Let's Go Blues" has broken out here, but no sign of "Gloria."
Well, we are tied a one game apiece. We have a series.

10:55 p.m. ET

In case you were wondering, the jumbotron in TD Garden informed the fans it was "Noise Time."
Well, now it's overtime.
The Blues nearly took the lead, but defenseman Carl Gunnarsson hit the post on Tuukka Rask's glove side on a wide-open slap shot with just under two minutes left.

Then Jordan Binnington stopped Brad Marchand with a pad save on a shot from the slot with 50 seconds remaining.
The DJ is playing Megadeath's "Sweating Bullets," "Let's Spend the Night Together" and "All Day and All of the Night" by the Kinks by the Rolling Stones. How appropriate.
The final two minutes have been intense, with scoring chances at each end, but no goals.
Rest up for overtime.

10:45 p.m. ET

The Blues just completed what, to this point, is their biggest penalty kill of the season.
Brayden Schenn took a slashing penalty on Noel Acciari with 6:38 remaining in the third period, but the Blues kept it tied, keeping the Bruins from getting any legitimate scoring chances.
Overtime is starting to become a real possibility with each team playing it close to the vest and under 4:00 remaining in the game.

10:40 p.m. ET

Speaking of overplayed songs, the DJ just broke out "Livin' on a Prayer," by Bon Jovi. I'm surprised Bon Jovi's not here with his good friends Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft.

Back to the hockey, it's a very tight third period, with each team being very careful with the puck. Neither team has had anything in the way of a quality scoring chance this period and we are over halfway through.
When tie games get down to this juncture, you start to think about who will step up to score a huge goal. The Bruins seem to have more candidates, especially with a line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak, but those three have struggled all night.
For the Blues, keep an eye on Tarasenko, who has points in eight straight games.
Someone eventually has to score a goal, right?

10:25 p.m. ET

We're a few minutes into the third period, and for the first time you can feel a sense of anxiety in the TD Garden crowd. The Bruins dominated the second and third periods in Game 1, but the Blues have carried the play tonight, outshooting Boston 26-16 to this point five minutes into the third.
The Bruins are playing with five defensemen with Matt Grzelcyk out and with Zdeno Chara, 40, being one of them, it's certainly putting a strain on their back end.
The TD Garden DJ just played a Ramones song, and miraculously it wasn't "Blitzkreig Bop." No, instead of the overplayed 'hey, ho, let's go," he busted out "Pinhead." Nice touch.

10:05 p.m. ET

The Blues failed to score on the first two minutes of their double-minor, thanks in part to two big blocks by Bruins forward Joakim Nordstrom.

Once again, lack of discipline bites the Blues as Jaden Schwartz takes a two-minute penalty for goaltender interference. It's the clear the Blues are trying to get into Tuukka Rask's kitchen, but this is the second time it has resulted in a penalty. Sammy Blais took a goalie interference penalty in the first period.
It cost the Blues an opportunity to take the lead into the third period, and we are tied 2-2 after two. The Bruins had a short power play at the end of the period, but they didn't score.
Torey Krug lost his helmet near the end of the second period, scuffling with Blues defenseman Colton Parayko on the ice near the center of the rink. That's now twice he's lost his lid in a scuffle with a Blues player. Fortunately for the Blues, he didn't drill anyone else after he got up.
Buckle up for what should be a wild third period, and really one the Blues need to win.

9:52 p.m. ET

The Bruins got their fourth power play of the game when Joel Edmundson tripped Jake DeBrusk at 12:19 of the period. The Blues are certainly playing with fire by putting the Bruins on the power play. That is now nine penalties the Blues have taken through almost five periods of play while the Bruins have been shorthanded three times.
The Blues were able to kill off the penalty, but clearly need to work on their discipline if they want to win the game and the Stanley Cup.
And just as I type that, Connor Clifton takes a double-minor for high-sticking with 4:21 left in the period, sending the Blues to the power play. With Grzelcyk out and Clifton in the box, the Bruins have four defensemen available to kill off this four-minute power play.

9:40 p.m. ET

The TD Garden DJ goes with a deep cut playing Slade's "Run Runaway" during a break in the action. That and some time on jumbotron got the fans fired up.
Tarasenko just came back to the bench for the Blues, which is a huge relief to St. Louis.
His goal in the second period gave him points in eight straight games and two goals in as many games in the Final.

The Blues are outshooting the Bruins 17-12 midway through the period and certainly have had more sustained time in the offensive zone than they did in Game 1, but we are tied 2-2 and the game seems to be getting nastier by the moment.
Now the DJ is playing "Any Way You Want It," by Journey. Unfortunately, it was not accompanied by video of Rodney Dangerfield dancing at Bushwood Country Club.

9:30 p.m. ET

Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk has not returned for the second period and now it appears St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko has left the game. He lost his edge near the boards and while falling, Bruins forward Joakim Nordstrom fell on him.
We'll keep an eye on that.
The Blues have come out strong to start the period and are going on a power play at 16:26 after Connor Clifton was called for interference on Joel Edmundson.
The crowd is not happy with the call, using some salty language to voice its displeasure.

9:20 p.m. ET

The Bruins are facing their first real adversity of the Stanley Cup Final with defenseman Matt Grzelcyk not on the bench for the start of the second period.
He was slammed into the boards by Blues forward Oscar Sundqvist at 17:57 of the first period. Sundqvist was giving a two-minute penalty for boarding, but the Blues were able to kill it off.
With the Bruins down to five defensemen, expect St. Louis to continue its game of getting the puck deep and hitting the Bruins d-men every chance they get.
St. Louis has certainly weathered an early storm here in Game 2, and now it will be interesting to see how the Bruins respond to not having Grzelcyk.

9:05 p.m. ET

The Blues take advantage of a rare Bruins mistake to tie the game. With Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy deep in the offensive zone, forward Brad Marchand dropped back to the blueline along with teammate Zdeno Chara. But as Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko started to come out of the zone, Marchand cut across to Chara's side, leaving Blues forward Jaden Schwartz wide open in the spot where Marchand should have stayed. Tarasenko got Schwartz the puck and he skated in alone on Rask. Chara was able to break up the play - momentarily - but Tarasenko pounced on the loose puck and scored to make it 2-2 at 14:55.

Clearly a big play for the Blues, who appeared back on their heels after the Nordstrom goal, but they were able to weather a Bruins possession in their zone before Tarasenko got the puck.
It's a bit quieter in here with the period coming to a close and the Blues clearly showing an ability to deal with adversity, something they couldn't do on Monday.
The Bruins may be down a defenseman with Matt Grzelcyk being injured on a boarding penalty by Oscar Sundqvist, who received two minutes for boarding. Grzelcyk was down on the ice a bit before leaving. It will be interesting to see if he returns for the second period.
The score is 2-2 after the first period.

8:45 p.m. ET

You have to give the Boston fans points for their creativity. There are some wild costumes in the crowd tonight - and not just the Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan doppelgangers.
They are creative with their trash talk as well. A fan was shown the video board with a sign that said, "Why is it so hard to get a drink in STL?" The answer "No cups." Ouch.
It appeared as if the Blues has taken some of the sting out of the crowd when Robert Bortuzzo tied the game 1-1 at 9:37 on a shot which was deflected in front by Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, but the Bruins came back 40 second later to retake the lead on a goal from Joakim Nordstrom.

Once again the Bruins fourth line, which produced two goals in Game 1, including the winner from Sean Kuraly, strikes again.

8:35 p.m. ET

The Bruins have struck first, taking advantage of a Sammy Blais penalty to take a 1-0 lead.
Hometown boy Charlie Coyle scored on the power play at 4:44 of the first. He was wide open in the slot and took a pass from behind the net from Jake DeBrusk and beat Blues goalie Jordan Binnington through the five-hole.
It's the worst possible start for the Blues, who not only took their sixth penalty of the series when Blais bowled over Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask on a rush to the net, but they also gave the Bruins their second power-play goal of the series and early momentum.

8:15 p.m. ET

Well, as we had heard, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was the Banner Captain for Game 2, and as we predicted, the crowd went absolutely nuts.

This town is hungry for another title. After all, it's been almost four months since the Patriots won the Super Bowl.
Even before Belichick waved the banner, it was extremely loud in here. Though the Bruins certainly feed off that, the visiting team can too. Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said in his
NHL.com blog after Game 1
that he enjoyed the atmosphere in TD Garden.
Of course, he would probably enjoy it more if the Blues can quiet the crowd. To do so, they will need to play a lot better than they did in Game 1, when they managed 12 total shots on goal over the final two periods.
It will be interesting to see what the Blues do in an attempt to generate more offense. Look for them to dump the puck deep and try to get their forecheck going, something they couldn't go in Game 1.

7:30 p.m. ET

We are less than an hour before puck drop and most of the fans are still outside enjoying the fall-like weather in Boston.
The media, meanwhile is ready to go, and it's safe to say most writers, camera people and on-air talent, are sugared up. Everywhere you go in the press room and in the press box are sweets of all shapes and sizes. For the second straight game, a Stanley Cup-shaped tower of cupcakes was near the media pre-game meal, and up in the press box are candy dispensers with enough sweets for three Halloweens.

And, of course, this morning, we had the wall of donuts.
There are rumblings New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick will be the banner captain for Game 2. No word on if he will be wearing a Bruins hoodie. His appearance should electrify a crowd that I'm sure is feeling pretty good about the Bruins after their Game 1 win.
It appears Robby Fabbri will be in for the Blues. Coach Craig Berube said this morning the forward was a game-time decision. Fabbri will play in place of the injured Robert Thomas.
The teams are about to take the ice for warmups.

7 p.m. ET

The calendar may say spring, but it felt like October in Boston today, with temperatures in the low 50s this afternoon. But not even a rainy day on Tuesday and unseasonable temperatures on Wednesday could dampen the enthusiasm in this town as the Bruins look to take a 2-0 series lead.
The scene outside TD Garden was as festive as it was on Monday, which was not only a gorgeous day weather wise, but was also a holiday, so the party got started early. Most of the talk up here since Monday has been Torey Krug's hit on Robert Thomas in the third period of Game 1. No doubt Krug will get a huge hand when he takes the ice tonight.
Tweet from @NHL: THE TIME IS NOW ���Game 2 tonight at 8:00 ET on @NHLonNBCSports and @Sportsnet! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/CH26t5swcn
Thomas, however, won't be taking the ice, as he's out with an injury, but not related to the Krug hit, according to Blues coach Craig Berube. Defenseman Vince Dunn will miss his fifth straight game for the Blues, who have not trailed by two games in any series this postseason. Robby Fabbri is a game-time decision.
This is clearly a pivotal game for the Blues, who looked outclassed in the second and third periods on Monday. They not only need a win, they need to cool down a Bruins team that has won eight straight postseason games.
Warmups are about to start. We wonder if it will be a new playlist today or the same songs from Monday.
Stay tuned.