Blues vs. Bruins has makings of throwback series
When the NHL altered its rules with an eye toward speed and skill, this is not the Stanley Cup Final it had in mind.
Hockey is becoming less of a big man’s game, offense is up and it’s faster than ever. Then there’s the big and tough St. Louis Blues facing off against the bigger and tougher Boston Bruins in the final that shows size still matters in the playoffs.
“They are physical, we’ll be physical,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said Sunday. “I don’t think we shy away from that type of game.”
The past decade-plus has been a study in the NHL getting younger and quicker, and previous champions such as Chicago in 2013 and 2015 and Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017 exemplified that. The 2019 champion will show there are still many kinds of blueprints for winning, though skill is still needed along with size and physicality.
When the puck drops on Game 1 Monday night, the bruises will begin in what should be a throwback series with the Stanley Cup on the line.
“At this point you’re going to get both teams coming out of the gates laying their hits,” big Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo said. “It’s going to be a heavy series. It’s hard to say how much physicality will be going both ways. I’m sure guys will be looking to get their licks in.”
Boston and St. Louis don’t lack high-end skill, from goaltenders Tuukka Rask and Jordan Binnington to scorers Brad Marchand and Vladimir Tarasenko. They do resemble their coaches — Cassidy, who has become a mature, straightforward communicator, and Craig Berube, a no-nonsense, team-first guy who has turned the Blues into a north-south, no frills team.
These teams are in many ways mirror images of each other based on their gritty styles and how tough they are to crack.
“The two hardest, heaviest teams are in the final,” San Jose Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said after his team was eliminated by the Blues in the Western Conference final. “Everybody talks about skill and speed, there’s room for all these small players. There is a room for that. But I don’t think it’s an accident.”
It’s certainly no accident that the Bruins and Blues like to make opponents black and blue. Bruins forward Danton Heinen said physicality is what he and his teammates have tried to deliver all year long and will continue to, but the Blues figured out last round that they need to be more selective about dishing out punishment.
“You can’t just run around out there,” St. Louis forward Oskar Sundqvist said. “When you’re going to hit, you need to hit with a purpose.”