The Boston Bruins seemed to have a fire lit under them in Game 5 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Ottawa Senators. And it might have been the Sens’ own fault.
The Bruins picked up a 3-2 win in overtime Friday after falling behind 2-0 in the second period while facing elimination. But Boston coach Bruce Cassidy thought it might’ve had something to do with what was said to David Krejci after the Bruins forward took a knee-on-knee hit from Senators defenseman Chris Wideman at the end of the opening period.
“I think when the hit on Krejci, when they started chirping (Krejci), I think the guys — that rankled them a little bit,” Cassidy said on NESN’s broadcast after the game. “It’s one thing to play hard, it’s another thing — here’s a veteran guy in the NHL, a proven performer, a young kid starts lipping him. I think that really got to our guys, to be honest with you, and it sort of turned the temperature up in the game from there on, so that was a break for us.”
If that’s the case, then the Bruins’ reaction wasn’t instant, as they didn’t get on the board until David Pastrnak scored about midway through the second period. Either way, the Senators might want to be wary of what they say to the Bruins when the series returns to Boston on Sunday, just in case.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
