The Boston Bruins advanced to the second round of the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs by defeating the Detroit Red Wings 4-2 in Game 5 of their first round series.
Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask was selected as the number one star of the game with 31 total saves, and defenseman Torey Krug was selected as the number three star with two assists and a plus-one rating.
“That series was much tougher than maybe the results showed,” Bruins captain Zdeno Chara told The Associated Press. “I think that we handled it well, we came into this series ready and we got the job done.”
Detroit, usually a perennial favorite when it comes to playoff time in NHL hockey, struggled to make the playoffs this year and wound up with an eighth-seed rank and playoff battle versus the league’s top team, the Boston Bruins.
“We’re not there yet,” said Red Wings coach Mike Babcock. “The last two years, we battled to get into the playoffs. To me, that’s a measure of where we are. Instead of battling for the Cup, we’re battling to make the playoffs.”
The Boston Bruins twitter page had numerous responses from the head coach and players about their Round One victory over the Detroit Red Wings:
Julien: "we had to play really well to beat this team…we really had to earn our wins" ^CS
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 26, 2014
Coach: "We'll enjoy the win today, and the series win, and we'll regroup" #NHLBruins
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 26, 2014
With two minutes left in the game, fans were heard chanting “We want the cup.” The Boston Bruins will face the Montreal Canadians, which swept Tampa Bay, in the second round of NHL playoffs.
Bruins forward Iginla said, “Guys were never ever really talking about Montreal. We know they’ve won their series and they’re going to be next, but the only talk today was about thinking about Detroit and getting this series over.”
Boston finished with 54 wins in the regular season this year, with 117 points for best in the NHL. They also had the best Goals-For to Goals-Against ratio, scoring 261 goals and only allowing 177, for a differential of 84.
The Canadians are busy prepping for another chapter in the historic rivalry between the two organizations.
Montreal defenseman Josh Gorges said, “When you play this team, you know you’re in for a tough night. Nothing comes easy against Boston.” He added, “You have to fight for everything. They’re very well structured. They don’t give you much. You have to fight for your real estate, to get on the inside, to get second chances in front of the net. They have some big bodies and a lot of talented players on that team who can create things out of nothing.”
The Bruins have home-ice advantage in the series, the dates of which have not yet been announced.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
