But when it comes to how the Bruins took a 2-1 series lead over the Lightning with a 2-0 win in Game 3 Thursday night in Tampa, the one word that was on the tip of just about every Bruin's tongue was "normal."
"It just felt more normal," defenseman Andrew Ference said. "Our team finds that comfort zone of just making plays and not getting out of our game plan too much. And I think for [the Lightning] as well. I think both teams got more towards the type of game they wanted tonight. It was a lot more typical of what you'd expect from both clubs."
Bruins goalie Tim Thomas, who made 31 saves for the shutout, agreed.
"That felt more like a normal game," Thomas said. "That felt like the game we played most of the season. Playoffs are always more faster and more energy and a few more scoring chances than a regular season game. But that was Boston Bruins hockey."
That's not to say that Boston is taking anything for granted in being able to defeat Tampa Bay. It's just that after two very uncharacteristically sloppy defensive efforts to open the series, the Bruins got back to basics for Thursday's win. And the simple, solid approach is how they will have to continue playing to get the next two victories they seek to advance.
"I think tonight's game probably resembled a lot more of what everyone expected from this series," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "Two teams that can make it hard for you to score and I thought tonight our team was very good in regards to that. We made some stronger plays, some better decisions and we seemed a little bit more aware out there of what was going on. So comparing it to last game, which I thought was pretty sloppy, I thought we bounced back well tonight."
The Bruins had given up 10 goals in the first two games, and even though they managed to hold on for a 6-5 win in Game 2, they weren't happy with how they had played in a game that had a high entertainment level with the constant back-and-forth chances but bore little resemblance to the structure that's carried them to a Northeast Division title and past the Canadiens and Flyers in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
"I think we played a more compact game, a smarter game," forward Milan Lucic said. "It showed in Games 1 and 2 when we opened up and played run and gun, it's probably not the best thing for us. Everyone loves 6-5 games, but as a coach and as a player you kind of get a heart attack when you see that chance for chance. I think we did a good job playing as a five-man unit. We can enjoy this win tonight, but we definitely there's a lot more work to be done."
The Bruins got to work quickly on Thursday, as David Krejci scored off a Lucic feed just 1:09 into the first period.
"I was looking at Horton up in the slot," Lucic said. "I saw two guys on him, one guy on a defenseman and two guys coming at me. And I saw a stick in front of the net, so I was like, 'All right, that's Krejci in front of the net.' So I just made the play and he did a better job making the play that he did. It's obviously a great way to get the game started. That first goal is huge in any game."
Even that goal displayed a new-found patience and composure, at least from Krejci. Lucic, on the other hand, got a little worried waiting for Krejci to finally flip in his backhander at the left post after having all night to deke Dwayne Roloson out of position.
"There were two guys coming at me so I didn't really see what he was doing, but it felt like 5-10 seconds [before Krejci shot]," Lucic said. "I was like, 'What is he doing? Shoot it already. You're by yourself.' But he obviously did what he needed to do and it's nice when you start off a game like that and get an early goal."
The patience paid off, and that goal stood as the only score in a tight defensive struggle for most of the night until Ference fired home a point shot through a Chris Kelly screen in front midway through the third period for some late breathing room.
"It's a lot nicer to play with a lead, especially when both teams are playing more towards what they're used to," Ference said. "There's not going to be a ton of goals like there has been the last couple of games. We've been good on the road all year at being more consistent for whatever reason."
And that consistency could carry the Bruins on the road all the way back to the Cup Finals with a couple of more "normal" efforts like this.
