BOSTON — The Boston Bruins’ defensemen certainly have a lot of height between Zdeno Chara (6-foot-9) and Brandon Carlo (6-foot-5), but it was the smaller guys who made a difference Sunday night.
Matt Grzelcyk and Connor Clifton combined for three goals in the Bruins’ 6-2 Game 2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, while Torey Krug picked up three assists. Clifton is the tallest of the group, being listed at 5-foot-11, while Grzelcyk and Krug both are listed at 5-foot-9.
Though it’s not uncommon for blueliners to contribute offensively — especially in the case of Kurg and Grzelcyk — they’re more known for their big hits and blocks. But Sunday at TD Garden was when the defensemen really stepped up.
“… We joke about it all the time now that we have a couple of guys under (5-foot-10) winning games in the National Hockey League and three defenseman under six foot so we’re causing havoc and doing the job,” Krug said after the game.
The defensemen indeed caused havoc, throwing six shots on goal and accounting for half of the teams’ tallies in the win.
“With Clifton and (Grzelcyk), you know, they’re up the ice supporting what was going on, not leading the rush,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I think that’s when our defensemen will contribute. It usually starts with a forward making a good play, separating somewhere on the ice, and then they’re the next layer of attack, and that’s generally how our offense comes from the backend – a lot of backends, but specifically ours. And it worked out for us tonight.”
In Game 1, it was Steven Kampfer and Brandon Carlo collecting points in the victory, so the blueline really has stepped up in the ECF. They’ll look to continue that trend Tuesday for Game 3 at PNC Arena.
