On Thursday night at around 11 PM, the final siren sounded at TD Garden and Dirty Water was pumped out of the speakers, capping off a sure-handed Boston Bruins victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Despite a lopsided 5-1 finish, Thursday’s game provided the dose of postseason nastiness that hockey fans around the country have been waiting for for weeks. Here are the top five takeaways from Thursday’s game:
1. Tuukka Rask did his job
Rask stopped 26 of the 27 shots he faced, and, despite the wide margin on the final scoreboard, he made the necessary saves when the score was 1-1 and 2-1. Tuukka did have the benefit of stellar defensive play and a lucky break or two (Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner both missed open nets on tough angles), but he undoubtedly put the Bruins in a good position to win. He made one particularly impressive flutter of saves midway through the first, when the Leafs crashed the post and tried to hammer home a rebound power play goal. With the help of an elite d-corps, Tuukka just has to hold his own as he did on Thursday for the B’s to make a deep run.
2. This series will be a major test for Brad Marchand
There was a bizarre moment in the first period when Brad Marchand leaned over and appeared to lick Leo Komarov’s neck--yes, you read that right. From that point onward, Komarov and other Leafs players did what they could to agitate the NHL’s best pest. Late crosschecks, high hits, and lots of yapping was directed at Marchand, but he held his ground and remained disciplined. Regardless, as this series drags on, Marchand’s patience will be tested, and the B’s need his production to best the speedy Leafs. Be smart, Brad.
3. The Bruins should dominate physically
Coming into the series, all the hype about Toronto centered around the team’s speed, skill, and youth, but the game changes in the playoffs. One thing that makes playoff hockey so great is the grit that’s required to hit, skate, and chirp with the best postseason teams. On this front, the Bruins have a distinct advantage, with big-bodied veterans in Zdeno Chara, Rick Nash, and David Backes, who all threw their weight around in Game 1. One of the best ways to crush a team that has Stanley Cup aspirations is with relentless body contact, and the B’s showed on Thursday that they’re certainly capable of bludgeoning Toronto into submission if they so choose.
4. Goaltending could become a problem for Toronto
While Frederik Andersen looked solid early, he lost his focus as the wheels came off the bus in the third period. It’s obviously not his fault that he faced 40 shots or that his team quit in front of him, but five goals against in any game isn’t a good look for the goalie. As the “Ander-sen” chant rained down on the Leafs’ goalie, Jack Edwards remarked that his last memory of such mockery was when it was directed at Roberto Luongo in the 2011 Cup Finals, and Luongo proved to be a headcase who couldn’t handle the heat. Whether or not Andersen has the mental makeup to rebound for Game 2 remains to be seen, but 5 GA in the first game doesn’t inspire a whole lot of confidence.
5. The Boston buzzsaw translates pretty damn well to the playoffs
Coming into these playoffs, many feared that the Bruins were too young and that the postseason was a different animal for which Boston was ill-equipped. Quite the contrary was the case, as young guns David Pastrnak and Sean Kuraly both found the back of the net, and rookie Charlie McAvoy was brilliant for all 200 feet. Boston went 3/6 on the power play, racking up 5 goals on 40 shots. The Bruins’ skill shone, too; Pasta picked a corner, and Kuraly batted a puck out of mid-air and into the net. From what we saw in Game 1, it seems that the 2017-2018 Bruins aren’t “just a regular season team,” but rather a gritty, talented group ready to make waves in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
(Stats via ESPN)
Comments