When Bruce Cassidy Felt Bruins Shifted Momentum In Series Against Capitals

There were so many crucial goals and entertaining highlights during the Boston Bruins’ first-round series against the Washington Capitals that some may have a hard time determining the most impactful from the Stanley Cup playoff matchup.

Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy, however, seems to feel strongly about one specific moment, and he indicated the importance after Boston advanced past Washington with a 3-1 Game 5 win Sunday night.

And while some Bruins fans may point to Craig Smith’s back-breaking goal in double overtime of Game 3 as their defining moment, Cassidy seems to feel otherwise. The Bruins bench boss acknowledged Brad Marchand’s overtime winner in Game 2 was when the “momentum shift” took place.

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“I mean obviously (Smith’s) was a big goal, but I felt, and I think our team would echo this, that we were going to win that game,” Cassidy said on a postgame video conference Sunday after the Bruins’ series-clinching win eliminated Zdeno Chara’s new team. “So I felt it was a matter of time, for us, that night. 

“I thought, for us, the momentum shift was our overtime goal in Game 2 because you don’t want to go down 2-0,” Cassidy continued. “I thought we played better that game and Marchy’s goal, now you’re even. You’re going home, your game is better and all of a sudden now it’s a three-out-of-five with home-ice advantage. So I thought for us that was a big goal and changed the complexion of what could have been a hole for us in the series, and gave us some juice.”

Cassidy did express how, from a Washington perspective, the Capitals could look back on Smith’s overtime winner in Game 3 — when the winger hustled down the puck behind the net and benefitted from defensive miscue to beat goaltender Ilya Samsonov — as a turning point.

“The Smith goal probably deflated Washington the most, I would guess,” Cassidy said. “You hate to give up a goal like that in double overtime. (It) probably took some wind out of their sails, and I think it showed the next game. Game 4 we were clearly better. They didn’t have it, so maybe it did affect them, and we took advantage of it.”

Boston, of course, won the best-of-seven series 4-1. The Bruins now await a second-round series against either the Pittsburgh Penguins or New York Islanders. The Islanders took a 3-2 series lead with a double overtime win Monday night.