The Boston Bruins may have been rusty, but they were able to win Game 1 on Monday night.
Stanley Cup fever has taken over Boston. The city was abuzz as the Boston Bruins finally returned to the ice to play Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Now the Bruins have had a lot of rest, 11 days to be exact. That is the longest break for a team between the Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals.
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With rest comes rust and the Bruins certainly had some in the first period as they went down 1-0 to the St. Louis Blues. Thankfully the Bruins were able to figure things out and ended up winning Game 1.
One player who had a particularly good game was Torey Krug. He left it all out on the ice.
There was an amazing sequence where Krug was tangling with David Perron in the Bruins zone and he went all the way down the ice to lay out a member of the Blues.
It epitomized what the Boston Bruins are all about. We know that Krug can be dangerous in the offensive zone, but he isn’t afraid to be physical as well.
Also when the Bruins were struggling early on there was one player who was able to get things going. Marcus Johansson was able to get into the zone with ease and was strong on the puck.
Finally, it wasn’t a particularly amazing night for Tuukka Rask but he still looked sharp after such a long layoff. He stopped 18 shots and picked up yet another victory.
But let’s get to the action and the 3 major takeaways from the Bruins Game 1 victory.
1. 4th line domination
The Boston Bruins 4th line may be at it’s best. We haven’t seen a group of players perform so well since the famous ‘Merlot line.”
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Throughout the entire playoffs Sean Kuraly has played amazing. He has been able to rack up goals at a pretty impressive pace for a 4th liner. He notched his 3rd of the postseason on Monday night.
Both Noel Acciari and Kuraly were fighting in front of the net and Acciari found Kuraly to give the Bruins the lead. It was a game-changing goal that gave fans confident that the team would be just fine.
Also Kuraly had a beautiful pass to set up Connor Clifton’s goal that started off the Bruins comeback. The line tallied a goal and 3 assists in Game 1.
If Boston’s 4th line continues to play as they did on Monday night the Bruins will be lifting the Stanley Cup in no time.
2. Chuckie Bright Lights
When watching Charlie McAvoy you grow more and more confident about the Boston Bruins future. He will be one of the top defensemen in the league in no time.
One of the things that make McAvoy such an amazing player is his offensive skill. He can handle the puck like a forward and has a wicked shot.
McAvoy showed off his offensive skills once again on Monday night. He skated his way through the St. Louis defense and tied the game up for the Bruins.
Ever since he got called up to the Bruins you could see that McAvoy would be a special player. Right from the start, he was able to make a big impact.
Whenever Zdeno Chara decides to retire it is clear that McAvoy will be the Bruins No.1 defensemen. He will just need a new partner.
Charlie McAvoy has the chance to win a Stanley Cup championship early on in his career. This seems to be the start of what could be the making of a legend in Boston.
3. Another fantastic rookie
The Boston Bruins have gotten some production from some unlikely sources this season. That is why this team is so special.
One unlikely star has been Connor Clifton. He wasn’t expected to even be with the Bruins, but injuries forced him to be called up and now he is scoring goals in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Clifton was once again great on Monday night kicking off the Bruins comeback. He rushed the net and put home a Sean Kuraly pass to give the Bruins their 1st goal of the game. It was a beauty.
Hopefully the Boston Bruins will perform better in Game 2. Even though they were able to get the win they looked rusty at times. Hopefully, in Game 2 we will see a much more complete effort.
The Boston Bruins are just 3 wins away from lifting the Stanley Cup. Man, being a Boston sports fan is awesome.