Boston Bruins: B’s jump out to electric start in game 1

The Boston Bruins played one of their best games of the postseason on Saturday night. It looks like this series may not be as hard as fans expected.

The Boston Bruins were on fire Saturday afternoon. They completely dominated the Tampa Bay Lightning. If you were nervous entering game 1 you left with some confidence due to the great performance the Bruins put on.

The offense, the defense, even Tuukka Rask was firing on all cylinders. If the Bruins can keep playing at this level they will coast into the Eastern Conference.

Two U’s Two K’s Two Points

Rask had a great game. After struggling versus Toronto, Rask was looking for a fresh start. He even used a fresh pair of pads in game 1.

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Saturday was probably Rask’s best performance of the postseason. He stopped 34 shots and was a brick wall. Throughout the entire game Rask made some big saves. A few minutes into the game he made a great save and it just seemed like it was going to be his night.

Now I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the skate blade incident. That is a once in a lifetime occurrence. You can’t really get mad at Rask for giving up that goal. The most important takeaway was Rask’s reaction. Rask was livid, reminiscent of his days in the AHL. Rask isn’t contempt with just playing in the NHL. He wants to win and his passion for the game is extraordinary.

Rask needs to continue to play like he did on Saturday. If he is able to do this the Bruins will have a great chance at taking home the Cup.

Playoff Rick

Rick Nash seemed to be M.I.A. the entire Toronto series. He had issues getting the puck on net and was struggling to maintain possession of the puck. Finally on Saturday, Nash came out of hiding.

Nash scored two goals in game 1. The first goal was the result of a beautiful power play. David Pastrnak rifled a shot from the blueline and Nash was able to deflect the puck into the net.

Nash is similar to David Backes due to the fact that they are both strong power forwards. They are best served standing in front of the net, putting home the scraps when they get the opportunity.

His 2nd goal of the game was an absolute snipe. He blasted a wrist shot from the faceoff circle past Andrei Vasilevskiy to make it a 3-1 game.

This is what the Bruins expected when they traded for Nash. He needs to keep skating hard, and the scoring opportunities will continue to come.

The first line is back

The Boston Bruins first line came back with a bang. The line combined for 3 goals and 8 assists. Patrice Bergeron scored two great goals. The first one was a complete effort as Brad Marchand kept the puck in the zone and then Pastrnak made a beautiful pass to Bergeron.

Bergeron’s second goal was impressive because he showed off his strength. Marchand made a great pass and Bergeron blasted a shot past Vasilevskiy. Bergeron was skating backwards, and still was able to put some heat on the shot.

Everyone seemed to be in sync. It was exactly what Bruins fans have come to expect from these guys. If they can keep up this production Bruins fans should expect some high scoring games.

There wasn’t a lot to dislike about game 1. The offense, the defense, and the goaltending were all superb.

Next: 3 Keys to tormenting Tampa Bay in round 2

Hopefully Monday night will be another successful night, and the Bruins will have a 2-0 lead.