The Boston Bruins are headed to the Eastern Conference Finals after dominating the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 6.
Who would’ve thought that with all the injuries that the Boston Bruins had to deal with in the regular season that they would be in the Eastern Conference Finals? Somehow, someway they did it.
The Boston Bruins defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 on Tuesday night to win the series and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
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It was definitely an interesting game for the Bruins. There were plenty of plays that had you on the edge of your seat.
This team just had the heart and the skill to find a way to win and now they are 4 wins away from the Stanley Cup Finals.
We have really seen some players step up to the plate. Some guys that you wouldn’t necessarily expect either. Overall the Bruins got scoring when they needed it and have the hottest goaltender in the NHL.
Now we look ahead and get ready for what should be an interesting Eastern Conference Finals. The Carolina Hurricanes are one interesting team. They have surprised the hockey world and taken the NHL by storm.
The Hurricanes won’t be easy to defeat. The Bruins are the better team but in the Stanley Cup playoffs, anything is possible. It is the most exciting event in all of sport.
But for now, let’s enjoy the victory and look at the 5 takeaways from the Boston Bruins great Game 6 victory on Monday night in Columbus.
1. Tuukka Rask was amazing
The No.1 star of the entire series was easily Tuukka Rask. Without Rask, the Bruins wouldn’t have won the series. He was absolutely amazing.
Game 6 was an absolute masterpiece from Rask. He stopped all 39 shots that he faced.
There were multiple times where Rask bailed out the Bruins. Boston gave out way too many odd-man rushes as well as shorthand breakaways.
This may be the best Tuukka Rask we have ever seen. He is absolutely in the zone. If Rask continues to play like this the Bruins are going to be a tough team to beat.
If you are a Tuukka Rask hater you have to take a look in the mirror. He has done everything that the Bruins have asked of him.
So hopefully all Boston Bruins fans will realize how great of a goalie Tuukka Rask is. A Stanley Cup would just be the cherry on top.
2. Will Charlie McAvoy be playing in Game 1?
Charlie McAvoy was one of the stars of the series, but now his future is in question.
McAvoy was great in all facets of the game. He knew when to go for a hit and when to move up in the offensive zone. He was the Charlie McAvoy that all Boston Bruins fans were expecting after his amazing performance right out of college.
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Now McAvoy has some problems. He delivered a hit that was controversial.
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson entered the Bruins zone and McAvoy delivered a hit that left Anderson face down on the ice for a while.
Now I don’t think there was any intent to injure, but McAvoy ended up making contact with Anderson’s head.
I was stunned that McAvoy only got two minutes. It seemed like he was guaranteed to get a game misconduct.
Even though McAvoy only got two minutes he may get some more punishment in the future. There’s a good chance he isn’t playing in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. It was a dumb hit that McAvoy didn’t need to make.
Hopefully, McAvoy will avoid a suspension, but whenever he does return to the ice fans are hoping that he is still playing at a high level.
3. Playoff David Krejci
It is easy to overlook David Krejci. The Bruins have so many talented goal scorers on their roster that you can forget how great Krejci is.
The Bruins 2nd line was impressive. Jake DeBrusk was buzzing all over the ice and it seemed like the line was just waiting to break out.
On Monday night, David Krejci was able to get on the scoreboard and notch his 4th goal of the playoffs.
Krejci unleashed an amazing slap shot. I’m surprised it didn’t go through the net.
This was when you had a feeling that the Bruins had some good mojo on their side. The Blue Jackets had plenty of opportunities but Boston got on the board first.
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If David Krejci and the 2nd line can continue to perform well the Boston Bruins will be a tough team to beat. Boston finally have the scoring depth that the team desperately needed.
4. Don Sweeney is a genius
The Boston Bruins front office deserves a lot of credit. The moves that they made at the trade deadline have worked perfectly.
At the trade deadline it was clear what the Bruins needed. They needed some bottom six depth to better the overall talent of the team.
The acquisitions of Marcus Johansson and Charlie Coyle have been nothing short of a success. Their trades were definitely worth anything the Bruins had to give up.
Coyle and Johansson were able to show their skill in Game 6. The duo gained open space and Johansson was able to sneak a shot by Sergei Bobrovsky.
It’s impressive how quickly Coyle and Johansson have been able to build chemistry. They look like they could be a permanent part of this Bruins roster.
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Don Sweeney has made some great moves since becoming GM and he may have made the right ones this season to get the Bruins a Stanley Cup.
5. Old man Backes
David Backes hasn’t gotten a lot of playing time this postseason, but when he has played he has made it count.
Backes is definitely not the same player that he once was. He is a lot slower and a lot older.
Still, Backes has been able to make an impact and finally was able to get on the stat sheet. He scored his first goal of the postseason to secure the Bruins win.
It will be interesting to see what the Bruins do in the Eastern Conference Finals. Noel Acciari will probably be healthy, but will they want to take Backes out of the lineup? Backes did his job but I think the Bruins need to see how this series is going to go. They should put Acciari back in the lineup.
The Eastern Conference Finals will definitely be a fun series. Hopefully, the Boston Bruins will be the ones advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals.