When the Bruins have as many goals on Blues power plays as the actual Blues have through six games, it's kind of amazing this series is still going on.
A 1-18 showing on the power play in the Stanley Cup Final right now is the reason the Blues are heading to Boston for Game 7.
If the Blues are able to capitalize on the power play in games 1 or 6, perhaps St. Louis wouldn't have to face the paralyzing dread of thinking about a do-or-die last game in Boston.
To their credit, the Blues' power play looked a lot better in Game 6. They had 12 shots on their four power plays and were buzzing most of the time on the man advantage, but Tuukka Rask stood tall.
"We had 12 shots. We did have momentum. We had some good looks. We didn't score. Rask made some good saves," head coach Craig Berube said after Game 6. "Can it be better, yeah, it has to be better. That could've won us the game tonight. We had good looks but we definitely have to bury a couple."
The Blues' lone power play goal in this series came in Game 3 from Colton Parayko. That was a game they lost 7-2. Boston had four power play goals in that game.
In fact, without their power play, Boston would likely be on the golf course already. They're 7-21 in the series and while four of those did come in one game, the other three have been back-breakers for the Blues.
After Game 6, the frustration from the lack of a power play was pretty clear.
"They're doing a good job, but at the same time we've got to execute," Brayden Schenn said. "Maybe move the puck a little bit quicker and shoot some pucks and try to bring them down that way."
"Some good looks, just not the results," Ryan O'Reilly said. "Maybe if we do get one, it steamrolls into two or three."
So what can the Blues do?
They can fire the puck on the power play with the same frequency they did in Game 6.
Give Rask as much as he can handle, and hope something get past him. We've been hearing the Blues say for weeks now they need to get more pucks on the net. So let's finally see it.
Stop waiting for that perfect pass and pepper Rask with everything you've got.
There's no use saving anything now.
