Stanley Cup Final Live Blog Game 5: Blues vs. Bruins

Welcome to Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues. NHL.com Staff Writer Tom Gulitti is inside TD Garden to chronicle the sights, sounds and all the action from the Blues' 2-1 win on Thursday.

RELATED: [Complete Stanley Cup Final coverage]

11:05 p.m. ET

The St Louis Blues hung on to defeat the Boston Bruins 2-1 and take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 Cup Final.
The Blues are one win away from winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in their 51-season history. They will have a chance to close the series out in Game 6 at St. Louis on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS).
Blues goalie Jordan Binnington made 38 saves to earn his 15th win of the playoffs, tying the record for most by a rookie goalie in a playoff year.
Binnington got some help from defenseman Carl Gunnarsson, who dove behind him to clear a loose puck from the crease after John Moore's left point shot slipped past the goalie. Binnington lost his stick seconds earlier.

10:55 p.m. ET

Jake DeBrusk made it 2-1 with 6:28 remaining as the Bruins pulled within one.
It came during a delayed high sticking penalty against Blues center Oskar Sundqvist. Despite taking Sundqvist's stick to his visor, Bruins defenseman Torey Krug was able to keep the puck in at the St. Louis blue line and feed DeBrusk for a one-timer from the right circle that went in under goalie Jordan Binnington's right arm.
Binnington looked upset with himself for letting that one go through him.
Now, it's a one-goal game. Buckle up for a tense finish.

10:50 p.m. ET

David Perron increased the Blues lead to 2-0 with 9:24 remaining in the third.
The Bruins were upset that Blues forward wasn't called for taking down Noel Acciari during the play leading up to Perron's goal. Acciari was slow to get up and play continued until Perron banked a shot in off goalie Tuukka Rask from the bottom of the right circle for his seventh goal of the playoffs.
The Bruins had been pushing for the tying goal before that.
A video review was required at 7:00 after Blues goalie Jordan Binnington stopped David Pastrnak's stuff attempt at the post with his right pad. After it was looked at in the NHL Situation Room, the on-ice ruling was upheld.

10:30 p.m. ET

Leading 1-0 early in the third period, the Blues are closing in on taking a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series, but have some work left to do.
The Bruins came close to tying it when defenseman Steven Kampfer's slap shot from the right point went off the crossbar and out of play 2:34 into the third.
St. Louis then survived Boston's power play after Alexander Steen was called for interference at 3:09. The Bruins power play, which is 0-for-3 tonight, had only one shot on goal during the man advantage, but had the puck in the Blues end for most of the two minutes.
It appeared that Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, who is playing though facial injuries, might miss the start of the third period when he was late returning following the intermission. He was the last Bruins player out of the locker room, but came down the runway leading to the ice and stepped on a few seconds before the faceoff to begin the period.

10:05 p.m. ET

After two periods, the Blues lead the Bruins 1-0 on Ryan O'Reilly's goal 55 seconds into the second.
The Bruins lead 25-14 in shots on goal, including 8-6 in the second period, but have been unable to get one past Blues goalie Jordan Binnington so far.
Although the Bruins have controlled play for much of the game, the Blues had good pushes at the beginning and end of the second period. Bruins forwards David Krejci prevented the Blues from increasing their lead when he moved in behind goalie Tuukka Rask to block defenseman Alex Pietrangelo's shot with six seconds remaining.

Playing with facial injuries he sustained in Game 4, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara has logged 12:10 in ice time over 19 shifts through two periods.
With the Bruins dressing 11 forwards and seven defensemen, coach Bruce Cassidy has been leaning on Brad Marchand (13:36 in ice time), Patrice Bergeron (12:37) and David Pastrnak (13:05).
Pietrangelo has played a game-high 18:05.

9:55 p.m. ET

After the Blues made a push early in the second period, getting four shots on goal in the opening 2:39, including Ryan O'Reilly's goal at 55 seconds, they have one shot on goalie Tuukka Rask since then.
Despite picking up the pressure in the Blues end, the Bruins' efforts to solve goalie Jordan Binning have been fruitless.
The crowd, which was electric at the start, has settled into a lull.

9:45 p.m. ET

Trailing 1-0, the Bruins had a chance to pull even when Blues forward David Perron was called for interference with David Pastrnak at 9:25 of the second period, but could not convert with goalie Jordan Binnington stopping both shots on goal they managed over two minutes.
The Bruins are 0-of-2 with the man advantage tonight and 0-for-4 over the past two games after going 4-for-4 in Game 3.
Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy is riding his top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Pastrnak heavily so far. They've yet to produce a 5-on-5 goal in the series, but have been dangerous so far.
Celebrity sightings tonight include actors Michael J. Fox, Woody Harrelson and John Krasinski. Krasinki's The Office co-star (and on-TV wife) Jenna Fischer is a Blues fan and was at Game 3 in St. Louis.
An Office divided cannot stand.

9:20 p.m. ET

The Blues made an early push to begin the second period and it paid off with Ryan O'Reilly scoring 55 seconds in to give them a 1-0 lead.
Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask stopped Vladimir Tarasenko on a partial break 17 seconds into the period, but was unable to stop O'Reilly. Zach Sanford was facing the end boards behind the net when he made the backhand pass in front to O'Reilly, who backhanded the puck in over Rask's left shoulder.

O'Reilly has three goals in the past two games, including the winner in a 4-2 victory in Game 4 on Monday. Sanford has three assists in three games since entering the lineup in Game 3.
He has added some speed and passing skill to the Blues second line with O'Reilly and David Perron the past two games that's made that combination more dangerous.

9:05 p.m. ET

After one period, the Bruins and the Blues are tied 0-0.
Boston outshot St. Louis 17-8 in the first period, but the Blues appear to have survived the Bruins' early push with Binnington making several big saves.
Binnington also was fortunate when Brad Marchand hit the far post from bottom of the right circle with 4:49 remaining in the period.
Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask came up big with a right shoulder save on David Perron' shot from the bottom of the left circle with the Blues on the power play and 1:28 remaining in the period.
The Blues failed to convert on Marchand's slashing penalty, making them 1-for-14 on the power play for the series.
Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara played 11 shifts for 5:55 in ice time in the first period.
With seven defenseman and 11 forwards dressed for the Bruins, forwards David Pastrnak and Marcus Johansson have taken some extra shifts.

8:56 p.m. ET

The Bruins continue to take the game to the Blues in their end, but goalie Jordan Binnington is holding them off with 14 saves so far.
Boston goalie Tuukka Rask (four saves) hasn't been tested much so far, but made a good glove save on defenseman Jay Bouwmeester's wrister from between the circles at 13:55.
Each team continues its commitment to being physical. Blues center Brayden Schenn missed on his attempt to hit Zdeno Chara in the left corner of the Boston zone. Bruins defenseman Torey Krug flattened Blues forward Alexander Steen behind Boston's net.

8:44 p.m. ET

Energized by the crowd and the presence of their captain Zdeno Chara in the lineup, the Bruins have a lot of jump early, outshooting the Blues 11-3 over the opening 10:48.
St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington had to be sharp. He made impressive back-to-back saves on Brad Marchand from the right circle and Sean Kuraly from the left circle on the rebound at 3:33.
The Bruins received the first power play of the game at 6:27 when St. Louis defenseman Vince Dunn received a delay of game penalty for clearing the puck over the glass. Boston's power play has been lethal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but St. Louis killed that one off with Binnington making two saves, including one with his right pad on Charlie Coyle from the slot at 8:08.

8:30 p.m. ET

Well, that was crazy.
Captain Zdeno Chara received a lengthy, deafening ovation when he was announced in the Bruins starting lineup. Moments earlier, Chara was standing alone on the Boston blue line while his teammates skated around and the crowd chanted "Cha-Ra! Cha-Ra!"

After a rousing rendition of the National Anthem by Todd Angilly, Game 5 is underway.
Check back here for updates.

8:10 p.m. ET

It's official. Defenseman Zdeno Chara is in the Bruins' lineup three days after sustaining facial injuries when he was struck in the mouth/jaw with the puck in Game 4. Not only that. He was in their starting lineup.
Steven Kampfer is also playing for Boston, which is going with seven defensemen. Forward David Backes, the former Blues captain, is a healthy scratch for the first time in the Cup Final.
St. Louis has one lineup change tonight with Robert Bortuzzo replacing Joel Edmundson on defense.
If Chara's presence in the lineup wasn't enough to excite the crowd, Bruins legends Bobby Orr and Derek Sanderson were the banner captains tonight. Orr, of course, scores the winning overtime goal when the Bruins completed their four-game sweep of the Blues in the 1970 Stanley Cup Final.

There's a statue outside TD Garden immortalizing Orr's diving celebration after scoring that overtime goal against St. Louis goalie Glenn Hall. Where will Chara playing tonight rank in Bruins history?
It will depend on the outcome of this game and the series?
We'll know more soon. Puck drop is minutes away.

7:45 p.m. ET

Bruins fans are charged up already after seeing captain Zdeno Chara take the ice behind goalie Tuukka Rask for the start of pre-game warmups.
The defenseman's status for the game is uncertain after he was struck in the mouth/jaw in the second period of Boston's 4-2 loss in Game 4 on Monday. Chara is wearing a guard attached to his helmet to protect his jaw, but Boston coach Bruce Cassidy told Scott Oake of the CBC that Chara has been cleared medically to play.
That's the good news for the Bruins. The bad news is defenseman Matt Grzelcyk is not participating in warmups. He'll miss his third straight game because of a concussion.
Cassidy said this morning that Chara and Grzelcyk will be game-time decisions.
We know Grzelcyk is out now. We'll have to wait until the official lineups are posted to know for certain if Chara will play.
Defenseman Steven Kampfer is also dressed for warmups. If the Bruins choose to go with seven defenseman, he'd get the call. He last played in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes.

7:20 p.m. ET

With the best-of-7 series tied 2-2, fans from the Bruins and the Blues are understandably optimistic their team will win the Stanley Cup. Supporters for each team started chants of "We want the Cup!" outside TD Garden at the Fanfest on Canal Street.
Inside the arena, the Bruins are pulling out all the stops, serving lobster and stuffed clams (Rhode Island native Shawn P. Roarke says the locals call them "stuffies") as part of their media dinner. Other than the lobster, the talk of the press room is about whether Boston defensemen Zdeno Chara and Matt Grzelyck will play tonight.
Chara was struck in the mouth/jaw with a deflected puck in Game 4 on Monday, but participated in the morning skate today with a guard attached to his helmet to protect his jaw. Grzelyck hasn't played since sustaining a concussion on a hit from St. Louis' Oskar Sundqvist in Game 2 on May 29.
Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said this morning that each will be a game-time decision depending on if they receive medical clearance.
Chara walked through the media area toward the Bruins locker room around 5:30 p.m., so it appears he's preparing to play. There was no sign of Grzelcyk
We'll know more shortly when the players take the ice for pre-game warmups.