It was a win more than a half-century in the making. The St. Louis Blues defeated the Boston Bruins 3-2 in overtime to take Game 2, the franchise's first victory in a Stanley Cup Final game.

Sean Kuraly scored to break a third-period tie and assisted on another goal, and Tuukka Rask stopped 18 shots to help the Bruins complete their comeback from a two-goal deficit and win Game 1 by the score of 4-2.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Wednesday night.

The Blues' 5-1 victory Tuesday night in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals to eliminate the San Jose Sharks felt as inevitable as it felt improbable just over five months ago, when St. Louis had the fewest points in the standings of any team in the NHL.

Now, the Blues are four wins away from hoisting the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

From the scoreboard to the trainers' room, the Sharks were bruised and battered in Game 5 by the Blues.

There was the 5-0 final score, as lopsided in the final math as it appeared on the ice, with the Blues controlling play from the second period onward to take a 3-2 series lead in the Western Conference finals. But more distressingly for San Jose, there were a parade of injuries that left the Sharks without key players Tomas Hertl, Joe Pavelski and Erik Karlsson in the third period, thwarting any hope of a rally.

The Boston Bruins are in the Stanley Cup Final, which means the Tuukka Rask redemption tour continues on.

The Bruins' goaltender has been spectacular in the Bruins' postseason run, including a 24-save shutout in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday to knock out the Carolina Hurricanes in a sweep.