{"id":87769,"date":"2019-12-23T23:46:18","date_gmt":"2019-12-23T23:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/?p=87769"},"modified":"2021-10-11T06:43:42","modified_gmt":"2021-10-11T06:43:42","slug":"it-almost-felt-like-playoff-hockey-how-a-7-3-win-over-the-capitals-could-have-long-term-implications-for-the-bruins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/it-almost-felt-like-playoff-hockey-how-a-7-3-win-over-the-capitals-could-have-long-term-implications-for-the-bruins\/","title":{"rendered":"‘It Almost Felt Like Playoff Hockey’: How A 7-3 Win Over the Capitals Could Have Long-Term Implications for the Bruins"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Bruins badly needed a game like the one they had on Monday night. The Bruins needed the power play production like they got on Monday night. They needed the scoring to come from everywhere — especially Brad Marchand, who hadn’t scored in 12 games.<\/p>\n

They needed a lot of things, and the stage was not set for any of this to happen. In their last 17 games against the Capitals, the B’s were 1-12-4. In their last nine games, they’d lost eight times.<\/p>\n

But then the first period happened and all of those historical indications went out the window, leading the Bruins to beat the Capitals 7-3 Monday night.<\/p>\n

“It almost felt like playoff hockey,” David Pastrnak said after the game.<\/p>\n

Five minutes into the first period, the Bruins had already swung and missed on one power play opportunity. They could barely enter the offensive zone cleanly — it looked to be the Bruins disappointing man-advantage rearing its ugly head once again.<\/p>\n

They’d get a second crack at it when Radko Gudas went off for a hook. David Krejci threw the puck towards the Capitals net and Jake DeBrusk patiently waited for Braden Holtby to show the slightest opening between his legs.<\/p>\n

When it opened up, DeBrusk jammed it through to make it 1-0 Bruins.<\/p>\n

Check the “power play production” box. Check the “secondary scoring” box as well. Check the “scoring the first goal” box while you’re at it.<\/p>\n

“I’m glad we got it to the net for a second chance,” Bruce Cassidy said of DeBrusk’s goal. “Because if you look at their kill, they tend to leave that guy open a little bit.”<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jD6AKefYAgI<\/p>\n

A few moments later, David Pastrnak took the puck down the left wing and ripped a wrist shot on Holtby. The rebound popped out to Brad Marchand, who was already crashing the net hard, and he slid it through the goaltender’s legs to extend the lead to two goals.<\/p>\n

For Marchand, it was his first goal in 13 games and his first of December. As he skated toward the bench to go through the fist-bump line after scoring, he physically pretended to throw the monkey off his back.<\/p>\n

Check the “Marchand scoring” box. And at that point, it was a 2-0 lead less than 10 minutes in, so you can go ahead and check the “hot start” box as well.<\/p>\n

“It’s kind of been one of those stretches where the puck hasn’t been bouncing the right way,” Marchand said. “It’s a matter of time. I knew I was going to get one eventually. I wasn’t too concerned about it. It’s nice when it does.”<\/p>\n

\n

?GOAL!?<\/p>\n

Brad Marchand! #ALLCAPS<\/a> 0#NHLBruins<\/a> 2 pic.twitter.com\/ajNlfdj2zC<\/a><\/p>\n

— Boston Bruins on CLNS (@BruinsCLNS) December 24, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n