Overtime goal gives St Louis Blues their first-ever win in Stanley Cup finals

Carl Gunnarsson scored on a delayed penalty in overtime, Jordan Binnington made 21 saves and the St Louis Blues beat the Boston Bruins 3-2 on Wednesday night to tie the Stanley Cup Final at one game apiece.

Robert Bortuzzo and Vladimir Tarasenko also scored to help St Louis win a Cup finals game for the first time in 14 tries in franchise history. It was the first overtime in a Cup final since Game 2 of 2016. Charlie Coyle and Joakim Nordstrom scored for Boston and Tuukka Rask made 33 saves. The Bruins won 4-2 in Game 1 on Monday night and had won eight straight games. Gunnarsson also hit the post behind Rask with about two minutes left in regulation. In the final minute, Boston’s David Pastrnak had a chance off a faceoff, but Binnington turned it away.

“Would have loved to have it in the third, but who cares?” Gunnarson said on the ice moments after his blast past Rask. “It’s great, taking this home.”

After a furious first period, the teams went on defense in the second. Despite four penalties, including a high-sticking, blood-drawing double-minor against Boston’s Connor Clifton, neither team was able to score. It stayed tied through a hard-hitting third period, with both teams failing to convert good scoring chances and avoid overtime.

But after the break, it was all Blues. Boston did not get off a shot in the overtime, and the Eastern Conference champs struggled to clear it out of their own zone. With a penalty coming up, the Blues pulled Binnington for an extra skated and maintained possession until they could work it around to Gunnarsson for a rifle into the corner of the net.