Bruins ride power play to Game 3 win over Blues

ST. LOUIS -- After absorbing the St. Louis Blues' best shot in the first six minutes, the Boston Bruins landed a knockout punch with a 7-2 victory in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday night. Torey Krug had a goal and three assists as Boston knocked out rookie goalie Jordan Binnington in the second period and took a 2-1 series lead. Patrice Bergeron had a goal and two assists.

Game 4 is Monday night, with the Blues needing a win to avoid an elimination scenario for Game 5 Thursday night in Boston. In order to equalize the series, St. Louis will need a more detailed performance than it offered after an initial surge in which it held the Bruins without a shot for more than six minutes.

But the game's shape changed on the first of four Boston power-play chances. Bergeron deflected Krug's point shot past Binnington at 10:47 of the first period, 26 seconds after David Perron took a minor for interference. The Bruins carved out their winning margin with three goals in a 3:01 span bridging the first and second periods. Charlie Coyle buried a wrister from the right circle at 17:40, and Sean Kuraly beat Binnington with a wrister at 19:50.

Blues interim coach Craig Berube challenged that goal for interference but lost. It resulted in a Boston power play, by rule. David Pastrnak cashed in 41 seconds into the second period on a backhander at the left post for a 4-0 lead. Ivan Barbashev potted a wrister from the slot at 11:05 to get St. Louis on the board, but Krug ended that momentum at 12:12 with a man-advantage wrister. That was it for Binnington, who made 14 saves on 19 shots. Jake Allen replaced him and stopped three of four shots.

Colton Parayko bombed a power-play goal past Tuukka Rask at 5:24 of the third period, but that was it for the Blues. Noel Acciari added an empty-net marker at 18:12 for Boston and Marcus Johansson tacked on his fourth goal of the playoffs at 18:35 on the power play.

Rask recorded 27 saves.

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