Bruins’ leaders come through for statement win over Caps

Author Ty Anderson

April 19th, 2021 5:08 AM

The post-deadline shine has understandably gone to the newest faces in the room.

Taylor Hall’s been a fantastic fit with David Krejci and Craig Smith. Defenseman Mike Reilly has helped stabilize an injury-riddled and inconsistent defense corps. And Curtis Lazar has helped bring a 200-foot identity back to the B’s fourth line.

But when the Bruins needed a statement performance against the East-leading Capitals, it was the Bruins’ leadership trifecta — captain Patrice Bergeron and alternate captains David Krejci and Brad Marchand — who lifted the Bruins out of what could’ve been a Sunday letdown at TD Garden.

Marchand paced the Bruins with two goals and four points, Bergeron added a pair of goals and a helper of his own, and Krejci scored two, including the game-winning power-play goal. (Believe it or not, this was actually the first time in franchise history that both Bergeron and Krejci each scored two goals in the same game.)

“The big boys came to play today on both lines,” said Bruce Cassidy. “And we’re dangerous when that happens.”

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  And the truth is that it could've fallen apart along the way.
  
  In what felt like the rarest of rare in 2021, the first period ended with Nicklas Backstrom making Norris contender Charlie McAvoy silly before TJ Oshie jumped on a rebound and potted what felt like a game-changing goal. And then Garnet Hathaway followed through with a message-sending hit on Jeremy Lauzon two seconds after the horn sounded.
  
  Connor Clifton was also hit with two separate double-minors, the second of which resulted in two power-play tallies for the Capitals, including the go-ahead goal from Anthony Mantha.
  
  But the Bruins responded with three goals in 11:12 — the first from Marchand, then Krejci, and then Bergeron — and absorbed the hits and additional nonsense that followed along the way to make those plays happen for the B's.
  
  Now, there were some things that could've gone better for the Bruins along the way. Namely the five-minute power play that the Bruins straight-up whiffed on following Hathaway's game misconduct for boarding Jarred Tinordi. But the Bruins, led by their captains, refused to let any of their misses lead to additional Washington pushes.
  
  "That's the kind of the poise that you want to see during the course of a game," Bergeron said. "I think you've been there before: it's about staying with it, worrying about the next shift, and trying to learn from what just happened."
  
  "They're a big team, they're built to play a physical game," Cassidy said of the Caps. "They can score. So you have to be prepared to manage pucks. You got to be on your toes with the physicality and make sure you dish our your share of hits and you've got to play fast against 'em to sort of counter their physicality. And I thought we did a lot of those things."

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  But speaking in the grand scheme of things, there's not a style that seems to make this reloaded Bruins team appear uneasy.
  
  "We can play different styles," Cassidy acknowledged. "We can get moving and skating and push the pace and score goals. I've always felt we played the tight checking games, but we're very comfortable in those 1-1 games that are going into the third period. Physical games, we've matched up well over the years. There's always a team, one team that's probably a little better than you in a certain area, but I feel that our team is good against any style."
  
  Cassidy referenced the team's postseason meetings with the Maple Leafs and Lightning as examples of that.
  
  With the Leafs, the Bruins have always entered the series with less offensive firepower, but found ways to grind the game in their favor. And with Tampa, a team that is 10-2 against the Bruins in the postseason since Cassidy took over as the head coach, Cassidy noted the Bolts always made the one extra play that the Bruins couldn't, but acknowledged that the teams are built similar in the sense that they can beat you in a variety of ways.
  
  "I still feel like the heavier teams, we were right there over the years, the faster teams we could play with, and the teams that were a little loosey goosey [we] would eventually check well enough to get them to cough up pucks and win games that way," Cassidy offered. "But at the end of the day, you've got to be able to do it consistently. And we're starting to see that.
  
  "We're starting to get excited about our group and what they can accomplish. Now, again, one week doesn't make a season, but it sure gives you a sort of something to build off of going forward."
  
  And that, no matter the flavor of the week, starts at the top.

Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.

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Author Ty Anderson

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Boston Bruins,brad marchand,Bruce Cassidy,David Krejci,patrice bergeron