The Boston Bruins’ centerman turned 24 on April 28. But with two goals and three points in Monday night's clinching Game 6 win over the Sabres, Krejci helped his team to a well-deserved rest Wednesday, when the club might otherwise have had to deal with a pivotal seventh game in Buffalo.
Lest we forget, Mark Twain once wrote, "to commit suicide in Buffalo is redundant." Harsh, yet somewhat humorous words from the former resident of the Queen City. Still, it's unlikely anyone in Buffalo is laughing these days. Their beloved third-seeded Sabres were upset. The goaltender behind whom a country rallied only two months ago will watch the remainder of the NHL postseason from his couch, if he watches at all.
There are a great many reasons why Buffalo’s Ryan Miller Spewing Company has locked its doors for the summer, while Boston’s Ryan Miller Booing Company gains new members.
Among them, the man NESN play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards nicknamed "The Matrix." We don't know if Krejci took the red pill, blue pill or even an Advil before Boston's Round 1 series with Buffalo. We do know, however, that the fourth-year pro displayed his creativity, patience and poise with the puck at the most important time.
“It was the first game I played with [Milan Lucic on my line], and I knew if I just gave the puck to him, he’d get it back to me every time,” said Krejci. “If you get open, he’s a good player, and he’ll find you.”
Typical. Even off the ice, he’s selfless. Pushed for more, Krejci gave up a little.
“Scoring in the first period really helped my confidence,” he added. “I was very confident going into the game, but it helped scoring early and getting ahead. I was fortunate to get a couple goals.”
Krejci’s fortune extends beyond the score sheet, though his five points in the series (tied for the team lead) were a big reason why he got to enjoy a restful birthday.
“It was a nice early present,” Krejci admitted. “I really didn’t want to go back to Buffalo, so I was trying to do whatever I could to win. I was trying to get the offense going however I could by drawing penalties so we’d go on the power play, working hard on the penalty kill and doing whatever I had to do out there to make sure I was giving it all and putting in 110 percent. Winning on Monday was the best feeling of the season so far.”
So far.
Krejci is quick to remind you of the chip this team carries around. He knows that some people’s expectations late in the season were not what they were a year ago. He knows that doubters suspected whether the B’s would even find themselves playing right now. But after a six-game series win over the Sabres, the young forward is upbeat about his team’s chances. Moreover, there is no looking back. The expression, “you never know where you’re going ‘til you know where you’ve been” doesn’t apply. There is only looking ahead now.
“This time of the year, you just want to finish,” said Krejci of the first-round win. “We just wanted to move on and get the series over with.”
That’s the thing about athletes. The time for living in the moment is very retrospective. Ask any player in any sport about an accomplishment during the season, and more often than not, you’ll get a generic line like, “It’s great, but I’ll have time to reflect on that when the season’s over.”
Boston’s emergence over Buffalo was similar, which was why the players followed the series victory with little more than a few smiles, handshakes and thoughts on how the round was behind them, but their work was not done.
There’s plenty of work that lies ahead against Philadelphia.
Marc Savard is getting ready to take the ice now that he’s been cleared to play for the first time since suffering a Grade 2 concussion on March 7. Krejci, for the most part, is excited.
“Well, it means less ice time for me, that’s for sure,” joked the fellow pivot. “But it’s a good thing. It means more offense for the team on the power play and on five-on-five as well. Plus, it opens up more offensive chances for all of the lines. For me personally, I’ll be playing against easier defensive matchups, so I should be able to create more offensive opportunities for my line.”
If the opening series is any indication, a lesser defensive matchup for Krejci’s line should scare the heck out Philadelphia.
