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Stanley Cup Final: Boston Bruins rally for Game 1 win over St. Louis Blues

By Connor Grott
Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand (63) scored an empty-netter in the third period to clinch the Bruins' Game 1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Monday night. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand (63) scored an empty-netter in the third period to clinch the Bruins' Game 1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Monday night. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

May 28 (UPI) -- The Boston Bruins rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the St. Louis Blues 4-2 on Monday in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Bruins forward Sean Kuraly scored in the third period to break a 2-2 tie and Brad Marchand added an empty-netter with under two minutes left to clinch Boston's comeback win.

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Playing for the first time since May 16, when they swept the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals, the Bruins fell into an early hole. Blues forward Brayden Schenn gave his team a 1-0 lead midway through the first period after a quick wrist shot. He later found Vladimir Tarasenko with a precise pass from behind the net to make it 2-0.

Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy admitted that the team's extended layoff since sweeping the Hurricanes may have left them rusty.

"The time off, you don't have your edge yet to battle," Cassidy told reporters. "We weren't too happy with the way the game was going. We weren't playing our game. We weren't playing to our standard. And I think after the second goal, that kind of woke us up."

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After the Blues' second score, the Bruins mounted a heavy attack and went on to outshoot St. Louis 18-3 in the second period, finishing the game with a 38-20 advantage in shots.

Only 76 seconds after Tarasenko's goal, Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton tipped in a pass from Kuraly to make it 2-1. Charlie McAvoy tied the game with a wrister on the power play in the middle of the second period.

"In the second period we stopped skating, turned it over and gave them momentum," Blues head coach Craig Berube told reporters. "I thought they were the better team after that."

The game remained tied five minutes into the final period when Noel Acciari spun and found Kuraly, who poked the puck into the net to give the Bruins their first lead of the game.

Game 2 is Wednesday night at TD Garden in Boston.

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