Chris O’Meara/Associated Press
The Boston Bruins took one other step in the direction of returning to the Stanley Cup Closing they reached closing season.
After dispatching the Carolina Hurricanes in the first spherical of the playoffs, they wasted no time seizing a lead in their second-spherical sequence in opposition to the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 3-2 victory in Sunday’s Sport 1 at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena.
Charlie Coyle, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand came across the assist of the online, while goaltender Jaroslav Halak saved all nonetheless two Victor Hedman third-period shots to abet the take.
Notable Performers
- Jaroslav Halak, G, BOS: 35 saves
- Charlie Coyle, C, BOS: one aim
- David Pastrnak, RW, BOS: one aim, one assist
- Brad Marchand, LW, BOS: one aim, one assist
- Victor Hedman, D, TB: two targets
Bruins Particular Groups Living the Tone
The Bruins had the superb narrative in the Eastern Convention with 100 parts when play became once suspended in March thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tampa Bay had the second-easiest mark with 92 parts.
But, Tampa Bay landed the No. 2 seed and Boston fell to No. 4 after spherical-robin play. That, alongside with the undeniable truth that the bracket is reseeded after every spherical in the NHL‘s restart notion, left them matched up in the second spherical instead of the Eastern Convention Closing.
At any time when teams are so evenly matched with playmakers all over the ice, the variation continually comes down to particular teams.
Boston’s particular teams had been the first to fabricate their mark, as Pastrnak scored in the second period after Victor Hedman went to the sphere for tripping Anders Bjork. Torey Krug and David Krejci got credit for the assists, nonetheless only after the Bruins utilized relentless rigidity in the offensive zone and had been in paunchy put watch over all over the energy play.
It wasn’t simply the Bruins’ energy-play unit that stood out, as the penalty-killing community thrived in key moments to put up the physique of workers’s momentum.
The Bruins began the second period by killing a Zdeno Chara penalty to put the lead, fended off a Patrice Bergeron penalty much less than two minutes after the Pastrnak aim to put up their respiratory room and survived a Chris Wagner penalty later in the second period.
They also survived Tampa Bay’s bound all the design by four-on-four play in the third period following Marchand’s aim, which proved the complete extra valuable when Hedman scored twice later in the period.
Jaroslav Halak Continues to Thrive in Postseason
Tuukka Rask’s resolution to opt out for the the relaxation of the playoffs intended the goaltending job and rigidity that got right here with it landed on Halak’s shoulders.
Most teams would now now not be in a position to take care of the shortcoming of a extinct Vezina Trophy winner all the design by the playoffs, nonetheless the Bruins don’t seem to be most teams. Halak became once wonderful as a secondary goaltender all over the weird and wonderful season, posting an 18-6-6 narrative with a targets-in opposition to average of two.39 and assign percentage of .919.
He and Rask took house the William M. Jennings Trophy for this reason, which is given to goaltenders who appear in at least 25 video games for whichever physique of workers allowed the fewest targets all the design by the weird and wonderful season.
Halak swung Boston’s first-spherical sequence in opposition to Carolina, starting Games 3-5 after the 2 teams reduce up the first two contests and a hit all of them. He gave up simply one aim each in Sport 3 and Sport 5.
The goaltender picked up staunch where he left off, turning away shots from the likes of Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Level and further for a Lightning physique of workers that led the NHL in targets per sport (3.47) all the design by the weird and wonderful season.
Boston’s defensemen deserve masses of credit for getting into into passing lanes and blocking shots when opportunities introduced themselves, nonetheless Halak stood solid in opposition to the league’s most daunting offense and effect his physique of workers ahead staunch out of the gates.
What’s Next?
Sport 2 of the sequence is Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.
