Bruins rally past Blues to win opening game of Stanley Cup final

Sean Kuraly scored early in the third as the Boston Bruins rallied with four unanswered goals to beat the St Louis Blues 4-2 in the opening game of the Stanley Cup finals.

The Bruins picked up right where they left off, shaking off the rust of a 10-day break Monday to win their eighth consecutive game in the postseason.

Kuraly's third tally of the playoffs came 5:21 into the third period and capped a four goal scoring burst by the Bruins, who fell behind 2-0 early in the second.

Boston forward Noel Acciari made a spinning pass across the crease that Kuraly managed to kick from his right skate to his stick before slamming it home.

Defenceman Connor Clifton, Charlie McAvoy on the powerplay and Brad Marchand, with an empty netter, also scored for the Bruins, who are playing in the finals for the third time this decade and seeking their second championship in that span.

Finnish veteran Tuukka Rask easily won the goaltending battle with Blues rookie netminder Jordan Binnington by making 18 saves in front of a crowd of 17,500 at the Boston Garden.

Brayden Schenn led the Blues with a goal and an assist, while Vladimir Tarasenko scored once and Binnington stopped 34 shots.

? 2019 AFP