The Bruins gave Boston fans a spring to remember in 2011.
The Black and Gold staged an incredible playoff run that year, with three of four best-of-seven series going the distance. Zdeno Chara and company ultimately were the last team standing and brought the Original Six franchise its first Stanley Cup championship in nearly four decades.
The two-month playoff journey featured a slew of memorable moments, including these 10 goals listed in chronological order.
Michael Ryder Game 4 vs. Canadiens
The Bruins were staring a 3-1 first-round series deficit in the face when they trailed their fiercest rival by two in the second period of Game 4. But thanks to goals from Andrew Ference, Patrice Bergeron and Chris Kelly, the visitors sent the critical contest into overtime.
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Enter Ryder, who made the wise choice to park himself in front of the Montreal net two minutes into the extra frame. He converted on a beautiful behind-the-net pass from Rich Peverley and knotted the series at two games apiece.
Nathan Horton Game 5 vs. Canadiens
This marked the start of a clutch playoff run for Horton, who was playing in his first season with Boston. After Ryder’s heroics in the game prior, the B’s and the Habs engaged in a classic hard-fought playoff bout where tallies were hard to come by.
This tilt needed not one, but two overtime periods to decide. And it was Horton who did the game-winning honors, fending off Roman Hamrlik in the crease and stuffing a rebound through Carey Price to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead in the series.
Johnny Boychuk Game 7 vs. Canadiens
Talk about a tone-setter. TD Garden was absolutely buzzing in the first few minutes of the do-or-die showdown, and Boychuk blew the roof off the arena with the first goal of the game. The reliable defenseman took a pass from Brad Marchand and blasted a slap shot by the blue line that soared past Price’s glove side.
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Boychuck immediately was mobbed by his Bruins teammates after letting loose what NESN’s Jack Edwards memorably labeled “a Johnny rocket.”
Nathan Horton Game 7 vs. Canadiens
The Game 5 goal was big-time, but it paled in comparison to what Horton did with Boston’s championship hopes hanging in the balance. Bruins fans might’ve felt like a Game 7 win was in the bag late in the third period, but P.K. Subban didn’t let Montreal go down without a fight. A screamer of a slapshot from the Canadiens star sent this one to overtime, which was a fitting way to settle this highly entertaining series.
Subban’s slapper was nice, but Horton’s was better. The forward’s goal a little less than six minutes into sudden death sent the B’s to the Eastern Conference semifinals while Price sat helplessly in his crease.
David Krejci Game 2 vs. Flyers
Philadelphia was no match for Boston in early May, but this second-round series wasn’t totally bereft of exciting highlights.
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The Broad Street Bullies had a chance to level the playing field after the Bruins blew their doors off in Game 1. But Krejci prevented things from getting interesting when he took an OT feed from Horton and ripped a shot past backup netminder Sergei Bobrovsky. The goal needed replay to be confirmed, but it was abundantly clear that Krejci lit the lamp.
Tyler Seguin Game 2 vs. Lightning
A risky roster move proved to be a great one by head coach Claude Julien, who added the 19-year-old Seguin to the active roster to start the Eastern Conference finals. Seguin scored in his first career playoff game, but the goal went by the wayside as the Bruins suffered an ugly Game 1 loss.
The same wasn’t said for Seguin’s second postseason tally. With Boston trailing by one early in the second period of Game 2, the 2010 second overall pick took a stretch pass from Ryder, threaded the needle between two Tampa Bay players, sent Dwayne Roloson flying with a deke and roofed the puck on his backhand. It was a goal scorer’s goal from Seguin, who netted two in Boston’s 6-5 victory.
Nathan Horton Game 7 vs. Lightning
Horton came up big in the series finale. Sound familiar?
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Exactly one month after breaking the Canadiens’ hearts, Horton did similar damage to the Bolts. Roloson and Tim Thomas stood on their heads for two-and-a-half periods in Game 7 at TD Garden, but the former finally broke when Krejci found a streaming Horton for an easy tap-in. That was all the Bruins needed in a 1-0 win that punched their ticket to hockey’s biggest stage.
Brad Marchand Game 3 vs. Canucks
Twelve years before becoming Bruins captain, Marchand put his name on the map with a brilliant performance in the ’11 Final. Included was a shorthanded tally that rivaled Seguin’s in terms of beauty.
After gaining possession near center ice, Marchand issued a self-pass along the boards before putting a little shimmy on Roberto Luongo and lifting the puck over the Vancouver goalie. An elated Marchand leaped for joy after a highlight-reel goal that opened the floodgates in an 8-1 win.
Brad Marchand Game 6 vs. Canucks
Down 3-2 in the series, the Bruins needed a hot start at home in Game 6 to put pressure on Vancouver.
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Boston received exactly that thanks to Marchand, who had Luongo’s number in the Final. The pesky winger didn’t enter the Canucks’ zone with an advantageous angle five-and-a-half minutes in the opening period, but the lefty shot nonetheless beat the rattled netminder’s glove side. Drawing first blood set the tone in a season-saving 5-2 win.
Patrice Bergeron Game 7 vs. Canucks
Bergeron allowed Bruins supporters to breathe on one of the fanbase’s tensest nights in decades.
Boston owned a 2-0 lead with a few minutes to play in the second, but Vancouver threatened to steal some momentum on the man advantage. That was until Bergeron scooped up a pass along the boards, evaded a pair of Canucks and pushed the puck past Luongo as he tumbled to the ice. The gritty goal took all of the air out of Rogers Arena and allowed Black and Gold diehards to start making championship parade plans.
Featured image via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
