Derek Forbort blocked a game-high nine shots in the Bruins’ Game 3 win over the Hurricanes on Friday, something that hasn’t been done for Boston in a playoff game since 2013.
And the defenseman credited a former coach for how he’s wired to put his body on the line the way Forbort did against Carolina.
“Growing up in Duluth, we had a bantam coach who was kind of a nutjob,” Forbort told reporters at TD Garden after Saturday’s practice, per team-provided video, “and I remember him shooting real pucks at us in practice, like working on fronting shots. So from there it just kind of became second nature.”
Forbort especially shined on the penalty kill and helped the Bruins kill all five of the Hurricanes’ power plays to get the Black and Gold back into series and cut into Carolina’s lead, 2-1.
The effort from Game 3 earned Forbort high praise from head coach Bruce Cassidy, being called one of the “unsung heroes” in the win.
The Bruins will look to make it a 2-2 series Sunday at TD Garden in Game 4. Puck drop is set for 12:30 p.m. ET on NESN.
