Editor’s note: Starting Tuesday, March 24, NESN will re-air memorable games from the Boston Bruins’ Stanley Cup run. Up next is Game 6 of the 2011 Eastern Conference final against the Tampa Bay Lightning. See the full schedule by clicking here.
The Boston Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup run was filled with memorable Game 7 victories, so it’s only appropriate that there were a few stumbles in Game 6s along the way.
The Eastern Conference Final was no exception.
Playing in the series’ final game at TD Garden, the B’s fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4 to force a Game 7 back in Florida.
Here are four things you might have forgotten about Game 6, which viewers can watch at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday night on NESN.
1. David Krejci had a hat trick
Following a miserable Game 4, Krejci began to get back on track in Game 5 with an assist. But he really came alive in the penultimate game.
Krejci delivered a hat trick, scoring a goal in the first period and a pair in the third. As has been well-documented, Krejci finished the 2011 postseason as the leading scorer, and his showing in Game 6 certainly helped.
2. The Bruins actually led after one
Though the Bruins conceded the first goal, they finished the first period up 2-1 thanks to goals from Krejci and Milan Lucic.
Obviously, the Bruins ultimately squandered that lead, allowing four of the next five goals during the second and parts of the third period.
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3. Special teams absolutely killed the B’s
What typically had been a pretty solid penalty kill for the Bruins was ghastly in Game 6.
The three consecutive goals Tampa scored in the second and third periods all came on their power plays, as the Bruins successfully killed only one penalty over the 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, Boston’s power play was its typically underwhelming self. The group struggled pretty much wire-to-wire in the 2011 playoffs, and went 1-for-5 on the man advantage in Game 6.
The one goal came from Krejci just before the midway point of the third period, and it snapped a streak of 15 consecutive power plays without a goal for the Bruins.
4. There was yet another quick goal
Though it remains unclear why exactly this was, the Bruins either were scoring or conceding early goals in seemingly every game throughout that postseason.
And in Game 6, they allowed a quick opener.
Teddy Purcell put the Bolts on top a mere 36 seconds after the opening puck drop. It was the fourth time in six games that series that one of the teams had a goal within the first two minutes.
