Credit: @mkmolnar on Twitter Author: Nathan Gagne What a game, and what a dominant effort from the rejuvenated Bruins. Before diving into the specifics of the game, I want to talk about the game in general. Outside of the wretched goaltending, this game was a prime example of why hockey is the greatest. Two of the top teams going at it in a game that stood as a measuring stick for each team, especially the Bruins, when it comes to the playoffs. A lot of casual fans would've loved this game because of the fight and ample amount of goals. I love all of the four major sports (football, baseball, basketball, and hockey), but a great hockey game just doesn't compare to a great game from the other three sports. This game felt like a playoff game, and in hockey playoff games are absolutely unbelievable. This matchup of two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference did not disappoint, and I bet everybody would love to see these two teams meet in a playoff series, preferably the Eastern Conference Finals. Let's dive into how the game went. The 1st period was BANANAS! The action started 35 seconds in when Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta capitalized on a bad Riley Nash turnover to put the Pens up 1-0. With the high stakes nature of the game heading into it, this goal was very deflating at the time and it felt that Bruins fans were going to be in for a long night of Pens offensive domination, but the Bruins quickly responded. A minute and ten seconds after the Pens goal, David Krejci got the Bruins on the board after a hard net drive. Rick Nash had a great pass to the hard-driving Krejci who easily tapped the puck in. The Rick Nash/David Krejci connection, you could even include DeBrusk, has been electric so far and has reenergized both Krejci and DeBrusk, forming a very formidable 2nd line. Not long after this, David Pastrnak got the Bruins the lead thanks to a lucky bounce that resulted in one of the slowest goals I've ever seen. The fluky goal shifted to momentum drastically and the Bruins didn't look back, holding a lead for the rest of the game. On the power play Rick Nash scored his second goal with the Bruins after receiving a nice pass from Torey Krug. Nash is quickly becoming a major force in front of the net with his size and long stick. With the Bruins up 3-1, Tuukka Rask decided to let hot dog boy, Phil Kessel, put one in from no angle. That was a tough one for the Tuukka crew, which includes myself. David Backes joined the party with a snipejob that put the Bruins back up two goals. Although Backes is a bit overpaid and his contract is a little bit too long, there is no denying how good he's been this year, leading the younger guys and producing on the ice. Krug became the 5th Bruin to score in the 1st period, putting them up 5-2 with a seeing eye shot from the blue line. With seconds left in the period Riley Sheahan capitalized on the Bruins sloppy play and laced a slap shot past Tuukka Rask to cut the deficit to two. This goal hurt at the time, going into the 1st intermission up three goals would've been ideal. This was just an unbelievable period. It was almost so sloppy, that it was good. Goals: twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/969377463003475968 twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/969378119714000896 twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/969379009346916353 twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/969379793195229184 twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/969380351901618177 The second period was a good one for the Bruins and not so much for the Pens. One of the other trade deadline additions, Nick Holden, continued the trend of new Bruins having great first games, as he sent a saucy pass to Krejci for his 2nd goal of the night. Unreal vision and patience from Holden on the power play, if he continues to play like this he will be a staple in the Bruins lineup. David Krejci continued to curb stomp the Pens as he netted a hat trick off a great tip pass from Brian Gionta. Pastrnak netted his 2nd of the night off a sweet pass from Chara, 8-3, yawn. Goals: twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/969385060796428288 twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/969394469723410432 twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/969396358535897088 The Pens scored once in the 3rd period, woo hoo. The Bruins won this important game 8-4, and now move to 2-0-0 without Bergeron. Here are a couple of other thoughts from the game:
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