How Bruins Fans Made Game 1 Feel Like Tyler Bertuzzi’s Debut All Over Again

Tyler Bertuzzi made his Boston Bruins debut at TD Garden more than six weeks ago, but the seventh-year winger nevertheless felt like he was back in that moment Monday night during Game 1 against the Florida Panthers.

Boston’s postseason opener also marked the first Stanley Cup playoffs game of Bertuzzi’s career. And the environment on Patriots’ Day clearly left quite the impression on Bertuzzi.

“The fans here are unbelievable. So it was a fun building to play in tonight,” Bertuzzi told reporters after tallying a pair of assists in Boston’s 3-1 victory. “I was saying (it) kind of felt like my first game as a Bruin all over again, but first few shifts kind of get out of the way and then went from there.”

Bertuzzi set David Pastrnak up with a goal six minutes into the first period to give Boston a 1-0 lead. And the midseason addition later added an assist on Jake DeBrusk’s second-period tally as he was involved the play in front of the net.

Both plays promoted the raucous crowd to show their support for the Black and Gold, and created a reception Bertuzzi won’t soon forget.

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“The crowd, they’re waving their towels. It was pretty surreal,” Bertuzzi said. “It was a cool place to be a part of, and I know they’re gonna be behind us the rest of the way.”

Bertuzzi gifted Bruins fans with a memorable (and laughable) moment, too. The pesty winger got into a bit of a situation with Panthers forward Nick Cousins midway through the third period and it led to Bertuzzi ultimately stealing Cousins’ stick and breaking it when he got back to the Bruins bench. The viral video since has captivated Bruins fans, who surely are enjoying the presence of the former Detroit Red Wing.

Bertuzzi will be back on the ice Wednesday night when the Bruins host the Panthers in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series at TD Garden. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, and you can watch it live on NESN after an hour of pregame coverage.