Bruins force Game 7 in Boston

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ST LOUIS – Tuukka Rask was not about to let the St Louis Blues end his season a game earlier than he wanted.

Rask put the Boston Bruins on his shoulders and made 28 saves in a 5-1 Game 6 win that sends the Stanley Cup Final to a Game 7 in Boston.

“Just the thought of it being over tonight was terrifying,” Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. “We’d come all this way. We come together when it matters, and I think tonight was just a good example of that. We’re thankful. We’re blessed with a chance to play in Game 7 now.”

Ryan O’Reilly had the lone Blues goal in the third period.

“If you told me four months ago we were going to be in the Final in Game 7, I think I’d take it,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “We’ve been a good road team. We’ve won twice up there in this series, so we’re a confident group.”

The Bruins nursed a 1-0 lead they gained in the first period on a goal from Brad Marchand through to the third period when they scored four goals to overwhelm St Louis.

Boston was perfect on four penalty kills in the game.

“It’s a team effort,” Rask said. “The game starts a certain way and then there might be a penalty kill. You know you may have to make a save and you try to keep it tight and hopefully trust your teammates that they’re going to get that first goal, get that lead, and then kind of let that ball roll from that.”

Brandon Carlo and Zdeno Chara book-ended the third period outburst.

“We needed to win a game with good team defense,” Cassidy said. “We usually get offense from that and it showed, eventually came around in the third. Same formula on Wednesday.”

Karson Kuhlman and David Pastrnak also scored in the third period.

“We are in a situation that is everyone’s childhood’s dream here,” Boston center Patrice Bergeron said, “and we must realize it.”

[WATCH: Bruins vs. Blues Game 6 highlights | Complete series coverage]

Jordan Binnington made 27 saves in the loss.

“You’re not going to win every game,” Binnington said. “You’re not going to be perfect. We have to regroup and play our game, be disciplined, stay composed and hopefully have a better outcome.”