The 2019 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2018–19 season and the culmination of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Western Conference champion St. Louis Blues defeated the Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins four games to three in the best-of-seven series. It was the Blues' first championship, in their 51st season of play (not including the 2004–05 lockout), ending what was then the third-longest championship drought in league history. The Bruins had home-ice advantage in the series with the better regular season record. The series began on May 27 and concluded on June 12. The Blues' Stanley Cup–winning run of 26 playoff games tied the 2014 Los Angeles Kings for the longest of any Stanley Cup–winning team in history.
This was a rematch of the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals, which Boston won in four games. This was the fourth consecutive Finals to both involve at least one team vying for its first championship and end with the champion clinching the Cup on the road. It was also the first time since 2011 where the Finals went the full seven games.
Entering the 2019 finals, the Blues were the oldest franchise not to win a Stanley Cup and the only active team from the 1967 NHL expansion without a Stanley Cup. The Blues' victory resulted in all five of the active 1967 teams obtaining a Stanley Cup title, while the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks became the oldest franchises not to win one.
Paths to the Finals
Boston Bruins
This was the Boston Bruins' 20th appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, six years after , when they faced the Chicago Blackhawks and were defeated in six games. The Bruins last won the Stanley Cup in against the Vancouver Canucks in seven games, their sixth Cup in franchise history.
Brad Marchand became the first Bruin since the 2005–06 season to score 100 points, finishing the regular season with 100 points in 79 games. David Pastrnak led the team in goals with 38. Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak split the goaltending duties during the regular season. Halak had signed with the team during the off-season, and approaching the trade deadline the Bruins acquired forwards Charlie Coyle and Marcus Johansson.
Boston finished the regular season with 107 points, finishing in second place in the Atlantic Division and third overall in the league. In the First Round of the playoffs, they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games for the second consecutive playoff meeting against the Maple Leafs and third since the 2012–13 season. They then defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 4–2 in the Second Round. In the Conference Finals, Boston swept the Carolina Hurricanes.
St. Louis Blues
This was the St. Louis Blues' fourth appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. Their last appearance in the Finals was in against the Bruins, which Boston won in a four-game sweep. All of St. Louis' prior appearances came during their first three seasons after the Blues and five other new teams formed the West Division in the 1967 NHL expansion. While the Blues were able to advance past their fellow expansion franchises, each Finals appearance ended with them being swept by Original Six teams that comprised the East Division, concluding with their 1970 defeat. In the years that followed, the other expansion teams from 1967 would win Stanley Cup titles (excluding the defunct California Golden Seals franchise), but the Blues went nearly half a century without reaching the Finals again and became the oldest franchise not to win the Stanley Cup.
Ryan O'Reilly, who was acquired via trade in the off-season led the team in scoring with 77 points and assists with 49. Vladimir Tarasenko led the team in goal-scoring with 33 goals.
St. Louis struggled early in the regular season, beginning the year with a 7–9–3 record. Head coach Mike Yeo was fired and assistant coach Craig Berube was named interim coach. Their record declined to an NHL-worst 15–18–4 with 34 points on January 2, 2019. However, the Blues went on a 30–10–5 run to finish the season with 99 points, third in the Central Division. Amid their turnaround, rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington was given his first start and went on to obtain 23 wins. In the playoffs, St. Louis defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4–2 in the First Round, eliminated the Dallas Stars in seven games, and won 4–2 against the San Jose Sharks in the Conference Finals.
Game summaries
Note: Number in parentheses represents the player's total goals or assists to that point of the entire four rounds of the playoffs