Editor’s note: Starting Tuesday, March 24, NESN will re-air memorable games from the Boston Bruins’ Stanley Cup run. Up next is Game 3 of the 2011 Eastern Conference final against the Tampa Bay Lightning. See the full schedule by clicking here.
In terms of vintage 2011 Boston Bruins performances, Game 3 of the conference final checked off some of the boxes.
Tim Thomas was fantastic, David Krejci had a goal, and there was plenty of physicality. The end result was a 2-0 win for the B’s against the Tampa Bay Lightning, giving Boston a 2-1 lead in the series.
Here are four things you might have forgotten about Game 3, which viewers can watch at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday night on NESN.
1. Surprisingly, it was Tim Thomas’ first shutout of the postseason
For as good as Thomas was in the 2011 playoffs, it took him until Game 3 of the Lightning series to record his first shutout of that postseason run.
But it was an impressive showing in the first contest of the series at St. Pete Times Forum.
Thomas turned away 31 shots, delivering a welcomed showing after conceding nine goals in the two games in Boston.
2. Patrice Bergeron made his series debut and delivered a very Patrice Bergeron performance
Thanks to a hit from Claude Giroux in Game 4 of the second round, Bergeron didn’t make his series debut against the Bolts until Game 3.
Unsurprisingly, he delivered a typical Bergeron performance. Though he was held pointless, he had two shots and won 18 of his 28 face-off attempts over 19:13 ice time.
The positive of Bergeron’s absence was that it allowed Tyler Seguin to get into the lineup, which leads us to…
More Bruins: Taking Stock Of Goalie Situation, Jeremy Swayman Interview | NESN Bruins Podcast Ep. 57
3. The merlot line got broken up
Because Seguin had played so well, Claude Julien really could not take him out of the lineup. In two games against Tampa since making his playoff debut in Game 1, the then-rookie had three goals and as many assists.
As a result, Shawn Thornton was healthy scratched. Though Thornton very much was a fan favorite, he was a relative non-factor in the playoffs, in part because he averaged just 6:30 ice time in the first 13 games of the playoffs.
With Thornton out and Seguin in, the fourth line consisted of Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell and Rich Peverley. Seguin played with Michael Ryder and Chris Kelly.
4. The Bruins jumped to a very quick lead
A recurring storyline throughout the 2011 run was the fact that goals always seemed to be scored or conceded early.
Game 3 of Bruins-Lightning continued that trend, as Krejci put the Bruins on the board just 1:09 after the opening puck drop.
The Bruins wouldn’t score again until Andrew Ference’s tally at 8:12 in the third.
