When the St. Louis Blues decided to return Zach Sanford to the lineup in Game 3 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, there were plenty of puzzled reactions. Sanford had not played in almost two months after being benched following Game 3 against Winnipeg in the opening round.
Nevertheless, he repaid the coaching staff with quality play. Sanford had four points in five pressure packed games, including a goal in the clinching Game 7 in front of friends and family from the Boston area.
He was also a hitting machine. After only three hits in three games against Winnipeg – all three came in one game – Sanford had 15 hits in five games against Boston.