Five X-Factors for the Stanley Cup Final
It’s widely considered the hardest trophy to win in all of professional sports, and now two somewhat unsuspecting teams are just four wins away from hoisting it. Here are five x-factors that could be the determining factor for whoever lifts the Cup at the end of it all.
Rest vs. Rust
If you’ve forgotten the last time the Bruins graced the ice, you’re not alone. It was many moons ago when Boston swept Carolina in the Eastern Conference Final. Initially a great plan by the B’s to get the series over quickly, limiting wear and tear, but now they’ve been marinating for eleven days and rust has likely developed. Some solace in this rest is the rehabilitation of injured players such as Zdeno Chara, who didn’t dress for the series clinching game in the East Final, and has now been cleared to start the Stanley Cup Final. The Blues had a much more moderate six days of rest since their triumph over the San Jose Sharks, which may give them the upper hand in the early stages of the series. It’s difficult to simulate high intensity game play for that long, so the Bruins might come out of the fog a bit slower. Add the fact that the Blues had to claw their way into the postseason from under the rubble of last place, their urgency and edge is fresher. The Blues’ advantage on this x-factor could extend from a period, to a game, or even longer depending how quick the Bruins can shake off their rust.
Depth
We can’t ignore the absolute tear the Bruins’ top forward line of Bergeron, Marchand and Pastrnak have been on this postseason. They’ve tallied 46 points in 17 games, including 6 game winning goals, and had shut down the likes of Tavares, Panarin and Aho on the defensive end. What makes the Bruins even more threatening is depth across their forward lineup, with secondary stars like Jake DeBrusk, David Krejci, Charlie Coyle and Torey Krug. The Bruins have 19 goal scorers throughout the first three playoff rounds, proving that their depth will likely be an x-factor against the Blues. St.Louis is not far off that stat line with 18 different goal scorers throughout the postseason, but less congested on their top line of Vladimir Tarasenko, Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz who combined for 36 points. Second line centre Ryan O’Reilly has been a defensive force, while still recording the second most points on the Blues with 14 throughout the postseason. St.Louis will need Tarasenko, their Conference Final standout, to continue peaking at the right time, with secondary support from fourth liners Sundqvist and Barbashev, who provided timely point production and energy in their win over San Jose.
Goaltending showdown
This is easily one of the best goaltender matchups in ages. In one crease you’ve got the young and stoic enigma that is Jordan Binnington, 25 going on 40, looking calm and collected in his historic NHL debut. In the opposite crease, experienced and playoff peaking Tukka Rask, who has both a Cup and several personal accolades in his storied career with the Bruins. Rask has put up fairytale numbers in the first three rounds with a .942 save percentage, and an unbelievably clutch .990 save percentage when closing out a series. His numbers echo that of goaltending partner Tim Thomas during the Bruins’ last Stanley Cup win in 2011. However, Binnington is not far off of Rask’s career performance. The Blues goalie has been a little more human with a .914 save percentage, but is coming off three consecutive wins against San Jose allowing only two goals against. Goaltending will be a major determining factor for each team, consistency and composure being the motto this series.
Special teams
Simply put, St.Louis needs to stay far, far away from the box. The Bruins are putting up dangerous power play numbers this postseason, cruising at a whopping 34% compared to 19.4% for the Blues. The Bruins’ PP — consisting of their top line, along with DeBrusk and Krug — could a recipe for disaster for the Blues, who have a penalty kill percentage of 78.0 percent, 11th out of 16 teams in the postseason. Of course, it’s not a 2019 playoff series without a chaotic penalty call, or lack-thereof, leading perfectly into the final x-factor.
Reffing
The first three rounds have shown us that reffing could have a major impact on a goal, or a game, or a series. Let’s hope it’s none of those, but we can acknowledge the trend that has occurred thus far. Expect the referees to be on a tight leash from fans of both teams, as no one wants to see one epic blunder cost them a dance with Lord Stanley. As the series have progressed, refs that were at the whistles for some of the biggest controversial moments have all been exiled to summer vacation. The five referees and four linesman we have left are simply the best and brightest stripes available. We wish them luck.
More Stanley Cup coverage from Yahoo Sports
