For all the talk that Brandon Dubinsky delivered about decibel meters at Nationwide Arena, Bruce Cassidy and his team weren’t expecting to just roll with the punches when it comes to the tired old mantra of “home-ice advantage” on Monday night.
Afforded a chance to close out their second-round matchup with the Blue Jackets and carve out some much-needed rest for themselves during a grueling postseason run, Cassidy harped on the Bruins’ objective of avoiding yet another Game 7 at TD Garden.
The easiest way of achieving said goal? Block out the noise and punch right back against a confident Columbus club.
“We needed to win the first 10 minutes,” Cassidy said. “I hear people saying, they come into another team's building - well, we gotta weather the storm. Well, we want to create the storm.
“We're not interested in weathering any storm. We want to go out there and let them know we're here to play, to be aggressive and assertive.”
Of course, when it comes to skating out onto enemy territory and tuning out a raucous barn, we have to remember that these players are only human — and defensive miscues, uncharacteristic fumbles and other blips are to be expected on the road, especially during the fracas that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Thing is, David Krejci’s not like most players.
For as soft-spoken and unassuming as Krejci is off the ice, his on-ice persona isn’t much different, although his stats might say otherwise.
Always one to slow down the pace, make the sound pass and grip his stick and wait for the perfect shot — having a player like Krejci that doesn’t deviate from his usual gameplan is a major coup for the Bruins, and it’s helped the Czech skater establish himself as one of the premier players during postseason play.
“I think it's his composure,” Cassidy said of what makes Krejci excel in the playoffs. “Guys are playing at a higher pace out there, there's more physicality, so everything ratchets up. He's got that ability to block that stuff out. It's one of his unique gifts, he can slow the game down.
“At this time of the year, it's even that much more important to stay within yourself, stay composed, make the plays in front of you and he's just real good at it. It's his gift to be able to do that, and even at a higher pace, it's that much more value to be able to execute and settle pucks down and make your plays. That's his gift."
Boston’s eventual 3-0 win over Columbus featured many players leaving their imprint on the series-clinching victory — which punched the B’s ticket to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2013.
Tuukka Rask once again stood tall — posting a 39-save shutout and improving his save percentage this postseason to a sterling .938. David Backes, who didn’t get a look in this series until Game 4, provided the final nail in the coffin with his first goal of the postseason at 10:39 in the third. Charlie Coyle’s line generated a 52.38 CF% in 9:04 of 5v5 TOI — with Marcus Johansson giving his team some breathing room with his second tally in Boston’s last two elimination games.
But as it’s been the case for most of the last decade, Krejci once again had his fingerprints all over a decisive playoff contest for the Bruins — with the 33-year-old forward blasting home the game-winning goal at 12:13 in the second period while chipping in a secondary assist on Backes’ strike.
?David Krejci
?: Connor Clifton, Jake DeBrusk, The Post
1-0 lead for Boston. pic.twitter.com/nyguplswjR
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) May 7, 2019
