Game 1 between the Bruins and Lightning made one thing abundantly clear.
This second-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series will not be bereft of physicality and a hard-nosed brand of hockey.
Sunday’s series opener in Toronto, which Boston claimed with a 3-2 win, was awfully chippy. The Atlantic Division rivals combined for 76 total hits, and seemingly no player on either side shied away from contact. There’s no reason to believe this style of play won’t maintain throughout the best-of-seven set, and that’s perfectly fine with Bruce Cassidy’s club.
“Well we just play our game, we’re fine,” Cassidy told reporters after the game. “They want to bang, we’re going to match them hit for hit. If something goes from there, we’re going to stick up for one another. We can handle ourselves if the mitts are off. So for us not a huge concern in that type of game, we feel we’re comfortable in it.”
The Bruins and Lightning will meet for Game 2 on Tuesday night. Puck drop from Scotiabank Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
