Bruins’ Bruce Cassidy Cracks Joke About Officiating In Stanley Cup Final
Craig Berube and Bruce Cassidy have very different outlooks on the officiating through three games of the Stanley Cup Final.
Berube on Sunday voiced displeasure about some calls that went against the St. Louis Blues in the Boston Bruins’ 7-2 win in Game 3 on Saturday night. When asked Monday about his coaching counterpart’s complaints, Cassidy offered a more lighthearted assessment of the officials’ performance.
“We’re ready for a physical game and we’re not going to concern ourselves with the officials. Until they stink and they go against us, right?,” Cassidy joked after morning skate.
The Bruins were assessed more penalties than the Blues in Game 3. It probably didn’t seem that way to Berube, though, for Boston went a perfect 4-for-4 on the power play while St. Louis finished 1-for-5 with the man advantage.
Cassidy on Sunday lauded his team’s ability to stay away from “sideshow stuff” after the whistle, and he followed up Monday by preaching the importance of taking advantage when the Blues get sent to the penalty box.
“I didn’t have too many beefs the other night. Apparently they did, so they voiced theirs,” Cassidy said. “But we’re going to be ready to go and if they take penalties, hopefully we can capitalize on the power play. That’s one way to sometimes dampen the enthusiasm with their physicality if you make them pay on the power play, and that’s our ultimate goal.”
The Bruins enter Game 4 with a 2-1 series lead. It’s hardly time for the Blues to panic, despite Boston’s lopsided victory on the road in Game 3, but it’s certainly interesting to hear the contrast is viewpoints — at least as it relates to the officiating — ahead of Monday night’s showdown in St. Louis.
