There was a time — a long time, really — when physical chicanery that bordered on excessive was a hallmark of the Boston Bruins.
Times, however, have changed.
The Bruins still are willing to throw around their weight with anyone, and Boston definitely has an element of toughness to its team. But as we’ve seen in the Stanley Cup Final so far, this isn’t exactly the same club that made a habit of bullying opponents before and after the whistles like it did in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final vs. the Vancouver Canucks.
This year, against the St. Louis Blues, the Bruins have taken the body when needed — Torey Krug comes to mind — but the Black and Gold has been far less willing to engage with any of the Blues’ antics that might stretch the rules a little.
To say that has pleased Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy would be an understatement.
“I think it’s been excellent to be honest with you,” Cassidy told reporters Sunday during an off-day ahead of Game 4. “Tuukka (Rask) leads the way. They’ve kind of bumped into him a few times, and he’s just focused on stopping the puck, not worried about that sideshow stuff. He’s done a real good job of that and the rest of the players, too.
“We might have pushed back the odd time — that’s human nature. (Zdeno Chara) got taken off the ice by (Patrick) Maroon in a little energy exchange down low when they were going on the kill, so I hate to see us lose our best killer, so whether that was by design or not, that’s an area you’ve probably gotta skate away. At the end of the day, (Chara) also wants to stand up for himself. Players are given the leeway to defend themselves, but I think for the most part I think we’ve stayed away from that, tried to play between the whistles, not get caught up in that and put ourselves at a disadvantage.”
That’s even more important given the sort of run the Bruins’ power play is on right now. Boston has cashed in on six of 14 power-play chances through three games of the Stanley Cup Final, and it’s converting at a ridiculous 44.8 percent clip dating back to the conference finals. Unsurprisingly, the Bruins’ record in that run is 6-1.
Despite what Blues coach Craig Berube might want you to believe, the officiating has been fairly even through three games. St. Louis has been called for 17 penalties while Boston has been whistled for 12. The Blues certainly have tried to physically impose their will more than Boston has, something that likely will continue when they try to even the series Monday night. But when you play that brand of hockey, you run the risk of going over the line. The Bruins’ ability to not do so and make St. Louis pay when it does could end up being the key to Boston winning the Stanley Cup.
