O'Reilly claims Conn Smythe as playoff MVP

St. Louis Blues forward Ryan O'Reilly took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP following the club's 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night.

O'Reilly finished the postseason with eight goals and 15 assists, tying him for the playoff lead in points and establishing a Blues franchise record to boot. He saved his best work for the Stanley Cup Final too, notching five goals in the seven-game series.

The 28-year-old opened the scoring in Wednesday's deciding contest, and in doing so became the first player since Wayne Gretzky in 1985 to score in four straight finals games, according to the NHL.

After he collected his hardware, O'Reilly announced he'd been playing through a cracked rib, according to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News.

O'Reilly was traded to the Blues from the Buffalo Sabres last summer and established a career-high 77 points in the regular season.