Stanley Cup Final Live Blog Game 3: Blues vs. Bruins

Welcome to Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues. NHL.com Editor-in-Chief Bill Price is inside Enterprise Center to chronicle the sights, sounds and all the action from the
Bruins' 7-2 win on Saturday
.

RELATED: [Complete Stanley Cup Final coverage]

11 p.m. ET

Well, that's it. In perhaps their most impressive win this postseason, the Bruins defeat the Blues 7-2 in Game 3 of the Cup Final.
Noel Acciari scored an empty-net goal with 1:48 to make it 6-2 and then Marcus Johansson scored a power-play goal with 1:25 left to make it 7-2.

Boston went 4 for 4 on the power play in Game 4, needing only four shots on goal.
The Blues came out strong, taking the first six shots on the goal, but like Game 1, Boston dominated, scoring five straight goals before the Blues got on the board.
There is an off day tomorrow and the Blues have a lot to figure out, especially how to stop the Bruins top line and power play.
It was certainly a disappointing night for the Blues and their fans, expect them to bring the noise on Monday for Game 4.
That's all for tonight. Thanks for following along. Be sure to
check out NHL.com for all the postgame coverage
.

10:48 p.m. ET

There are under seven minutes to go and the Bruins, after killing off a delay of game penalty against Jake DeBrusk, appear to be in good shape. They seem content with their five goals as they have three shots on goal since Jake Allen replaced Jordan Binnington in the Blues net.
The Blues are now outshooting the Bruins 25-22 but haven't had a quality chance since the Colton Parakyo goal at 5:24.
It's almost certain Binnington will be back in goal for Game 4, but it will be interesting to see what he and coach Craig Berube say about his performance.
Some Blues fans are on their feet now as it's time for the t-shirt toss. Though a free shirt is certainly nice, it will be a small consolation for Blues fans who came here tonight looking to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.
And give the Blues fans credit, despite the score, they are still doing the "Country Roads" sing-along.

10:35 p.m. ET

The Blues fans, who were positive all night, even when St. Louis fell behind 5-1, are starting to show their frustration, booing the Blues on their failed power play and for the inability to get the puck up the ice.
But they were just given something to cheer about when defenseman Colton Parayko scored a power-play goal at 5:24, making it a 5-2 game. The goal came with Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara in the penalty box for roughing.

It was the first power-play goal allowed by the Bruins in 21 chances for opposition. And the Blues are going right back on the man-advantage after Jake DeBrusk took a delay of game penalty.
"Don't Stop Believing" by Journey is now playing in the arena. If the Blues come back and win this, Laura Branigan could be replaced by Steve Perry.

10:30 p.m. ET

We have one period to go at Enterprise Center and the odds of hearing "Gloria" at the end of it look pretty slim.
The Bruins lead 5-1 entering the third period, and their power play is a big reason why. The Bruins are 3 for 3 on the power play and have needed a total of 1:43 to score the three goals with the man-advantage.
It will be interesting to see how the final period plays out, especially from the Blues standpoint. They are clearly frustrated and appear to be trying to get the Bruins to fight back, but the Bruins have stayed composed.
The Blues, who need any sign of life, are going to the power play at 1:31 of the period after Bruins defenseman Brando Carlo was called for interference.

10:05 p.m. ET

Ok, we now have our favorite scoreboard feature of the season. It's the Snackwards Cam, where the Blues show fans chowing down on food, but play the video backwards. So instead of nachos going into a fan's mouth, well, you get the picture.
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs was live on the board and had no problem chugging a can of Coors Light.

The Bruins appear to be in complete control, leading 5-1 after the second period.
In case you were wondering, this is the first time Blues goalie Jordan Binnington has been pulled from an NHL game, and this is Jake Allen's first appearance in a game in St. Louis since Jan. 8.
It's all Bruins here and the Blues need to figure out a way to get more offense and slow down the Boston power play quickly. They are trying to get under the Bruins' skin, but Boston players are keeping their composure.
The Bruins, who had won eight straight playoff games before their Game 2 loss, look dominant tonight and even when they do have a breakdown, goalie Tuukka Rask - or the post -- is there bail them out.

9:55 p.m. ET

We have our first goalie change of the Final, with Jake Allen replacing Jordan Binnington, who allowed five goals on 19 shots, the final scored from Torey Krug on the power play at 12:12 of the second period.
The goal went off Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester and Binnington's glove on the way into the net.

The Bruins not only lead 5-1, they are 3 for 3 on the power play (on three shots). Worse yet for the Blues, the Krug goal, which came with Colton Parayko in the box for high-sticking, came 1:07 after Ivan Barbashev gave the Blues their first goal of the night.
There was a lighthearted moment in here during a break in the action, the Blues did a look-alike bit on the video board, with one fan shown as doppelganger for Gritty, one for Jane Fonda and one for a Slinky.
They also tried to get the crowd pumped up by showing Jenna Fischer of "The Office" in the crowd, but it's quiet in here with five minutes left in the second period.

9:43 p.m. ET

This certainly is starting to feel like Game 1, where the Bruins completely dominated the second and third periods. The biggest difference is that was a tie game. The Bruins lead this one 4-0 midway eight minutes into the second period.
The line of David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand seems to be getting stronger as this game goes on and that is real bad news for the Blues.
Pastrnak might be the most dominant of that line as he has one goal and five shots at goal eight minutes into the second period.
The Blues are going on the power play at 7:37 of the second after Charlie McAcoy of the Bruins took a slashing penalty. Clearly, they need something to happen here.

9:30 p.m. ET

Things have gone from bad to worse for the Blues to start the second period. Because the Blues challenged for offside on the Kuraly goal with 10 seconds left in the second period -- and were unsuccessful -- the Bruins were awarded a power play and cashed in 43 seconds into the period when David Pastrnak scored. It's now 4-0 for the Bruins, who have scored on four of their past five shots and have a power-play goal in seven straight games.
The Blues are in need of a major spark, but like Game 1, are having problems getting anything going.
The atmosphere in Enterprise Center, which felt like a Game 7 about 30 minutes ago, has taken a dramatic shift.

9:12 p.m. ET

What started as a celebration in St. Louis has become a nightmare with the Bruins leading 3-0 at the end of the first period.
Charlie Coyle made it 2-0 at 17:40 of the second when he the buried a cross-ice pass from Marcus Johansson, who took a drop pass from Danton Heinen.
With the decibel level already down, the Bruins made it 3-0 when Sean Kuraly scored with at 19:50.

Clearly, the Blues, who are once again having trouble getting the puck through the middle of the ice, need a spark against a Bruins team that has scored on three of its past four shots on goal.

8:59 p.m. ET

The Bergeron-Marchand-Pastrnak line comes through on the power play with a gorgeous deflection by Bergeron to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 10:47 of the first. After Patrice Bergeron won a face-off in the Blues zone, Jake DeBrusk got the puck back to Torey Krug, who put it right on Bergeron's stick for the deflection.
The crowd is down but is trying to get the Blues back into this game. It's not a good sign for St. Louis that the Bruins top line seems to be getting its act together, scoring on the power play and looking strong in the first period.
We nearly had a major collision with Brayden Schenn of the Blues appearing to have Pastrnak lined up for an open-ice hit, but his missed and did practically a flip on the ice.
We have our first trumpet player of the Cup Final, with someone in the crowd playing the intro the "7 Nation Army" by the White Stripes.
Isaac Bruce, who caught the game-winning touchdown for the St. Louis Rams in their Super Bowl XXXIV against the Tennessee Titans is in the house, getting a big hand from the crowd.

8:50 p.m. ET

This may be Game 3, but the Blues and Bruins are playing as if it's a Game 7, finishing every check, diving for loose pucks, battling in every corner.
The Bruins have certainly weathered the early storm of playing on the road for the first time in the Final and the Patrice Bergeron-David Pastrnak-Brad Marchand line has generated a few good chances, playing its best hockey of the series. That line nearly combined for a goal, but David Pastrnak did not get all of a wide-open shot from left face-off dot and Jordan Binnington was able to make the save.
Now it's the Bruins to the power play with David Peron taking an interference call at 10:26 of the first.

8:40 p.m. ET

The Bruins avoided early trouble by killing off the Jake DeBrusk kneeing minor.
It's clear each team has come ready to hit as it's been a rough-and-tumble affair early.
We are five minutes into the game and the Bruins don't have a shot on goal with the Blues (who have four shots five minutes in) doing a good job of keeping the play in their end.
A lot has been made the past few days about the lack of production from the Bruins top of line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak, and though it's early tonight, they have not been able to generate much.

8:30 p.m. ET

It's was an amazing start before we even dropped the puck.
It all started when the Blues came on the ice to chants of "Let's Go Blues" after a pump-up video featuring past Blues Bobby Plager, Bernie Federko, Brett Hull and Chris Pronger played on the big board.
Then, while the Bruins starting lineup was announced, the fans chanted "Let's Go Blues" so loudly that it was impossible to the hear the PA announcer.
Blues goalie Jordan Binnington may have received the loudest cheer when he was introduced and then anthem singer Charles Glenn got the place going by encouraging fans to sing along with him.
To cap off an emotional pregame show, Laila Anderson was shown the video board chanting "Let's Go Blues" right before puck drop.
It's deafening in here and now the Blues are heading to the power play just 1:02 into the game after Jake DeBrusk took a kneeing penalty.

8:00 p.m. ET

We are about 20 minutes from puck drop for the first Stanley Cup Final game in St. Louis since 1970. As expected, forward Zach Sanford is in the Blues lineup for the suspended Oskar Sundqvist, and defenseman John Moore is in the Bruins lineup for the injured Matt Grzelcyk.
Just like there wasn't much sign of any blue or gold in Boston, it looks like a sea of blue here, with just a few Bruins jerseys speckled throughout the crowd.
Actor Jon Hamm spoke with the media before the game and
talked about how much the Blues winning the Cup would mean for this town
. He's clearly a hard-core Blues fans as he knew all the ins and outs of the lineup, including the Sanford for Sundqvist switch and goalie Jordan Binnington's calm demeanor. I believe Hamm referred to him as Robo Cop.
Though the party was rocking out in the street, this place is almost full. These fans don't want to miss a moment. Can you blame them?

7:45 p.m. ET

We may have our first true controversy of the Stanley Cup Final. Though we have yet to hear "Gloria" by Laura Branigan played anywhere in St. Louis since we arrived on Thursday, there have been at least three renditions of "Gloria," by Them heard in and around the arena today.
That version, released by Van Morrison and his band in 1965, is the one where the Gloria's name is spelled letter by letter throughout the chorus. Shawn Roarke claims the best rendition of that "Gloria" is by the Doors. We have yet to hear that.
Anyway, could the old "Gloria" be replacing the new "Gloria" or are the bands playing outside the arena finding a tricky way to play "Gloria" without jinxing the Blues?
The crowd in here is extremely jacked up. The Blues just showed the replay of Carl Gunnarsson's OT goal in Game 2 and it sounded as if they were reacting to an actual goal in this arena.
The teams are about to take the ice for warmups. Buckle up for a wild night.

7 p.m. ET

The excitement in St. Louis is palpable with the Blues playing their first home game in the Stanley Cup Final since 1970. Everywhere you go - including Busch Stadium, the home of MLB's Cardinals -- there are "Go Blues" and "Play Gloria" signs and t-shirts.
Even the statues of Pierre Laclede, the founder of St. Louis, and Ulysses S. Grant, who was assigned to St. Louis at Jefferson Barracks following his graduation from West Point in 1843, are wearing Blues jerseys.
The weather today was what you expect in the Midwest in June - hot and humid. But that didn't stop fans from enjoying a performance from Echosmith at the 2019 Stanley Cup Final Party, which is a being held a block from the arena. Fans who didn't have a ticket to the game are staying for a watch party on giant tv screens.

There was also some serious Hollywood star power here before the game with Emmy-winning actor and die-hard Blues fan Jon Hamm meeting the media.
As for the game itself, it will be interesting to see how each team reacts to the noise the fans are expected to bring. Blues defenseman Colton Parayko, in his blog for NHL.com, said St. Louis needs to play its game and not try to do too much at home. Bruins center Sean Kuraly, in his blog, said the Bruins will look to feed off the crowd and then silence it.
We are a few minutes from warmups and this place is already rocking. Should be a fun one.