Zdeno Chara has a few young Bruins defencemen to take under his big wings during the 2013 playoffs. (Bob DeChiara-US PRESSWIRE)

Earlier this year, the Ottawa Senators found themselves in a bit of a spot when they learned that Jared Cowen would miss a significant part of the season due to a hip injury. On top of that, Erik Karlsson’s season appeared to be over after the devastating injury to his Achilles back in February. As a result, the Senators had to rely heavily on a trio of defencemen from Binghamton – Patrick Wiercioch, Andre Benoit and Erik Gryba.

Of course, as the story goes, the Senators were not only able to keep the ship afloat despite injuries to key players, they defied all logical expectations by qualifying for the playoffs. While these three d-men have assumed lesser roles as guys have moved back into the lineup, their regular season contributions should not be overlooked.

Over the course of the regular season, Gryba, Wiercioch and Beniot ranked 4-6 in 5 on 5 TOI among Senators defencemen, and Wiercioch also logged the 2nd most minutes on the power play in Karlsson’s absence. In fact, Wiercioch appeared in 42 games, scored 5 goals and added 14 assists, essentially led the Sens D with a 19.15 On-Ice Corsi rating, was a +9 and chipped in with 3 PPP. Benoit scored 10 points in 33 games, including 2 game winning goals, and also boasted a 14.30 On-Ice Corsi, while Gryba’s learning curve was a bit steeper as he actually had a -3.69 On-Ice Corsi while logging some heavy shut down minutes. (numbers courtesy of Behind The Net)

What helped in this situation was a concerted effort by the Senators not only to draft well and build organizational depth, but to create an environment and a system wherein a player could and should transition seamlessly from one level to the next. As such, a defenceman playing in Binghamton under Luke Richardson would have similar demands and expectations placed on him upon arrival in Ottawa, while playing in a system under Paul MacLean that already had an air of familiarity to it.

As to how that worked out for them, well the proof is in the pudding; Bryan Murray’s work in creating this kind of system has paid off with an appearance in the conference semi-finals and a Jack Adams nomination for MacLean.

So what does this have to do with the Bruins defencemen?

Torey Krug (Meowwcat/ Wikipedia)

With Seidenberg, Ference and Redden out of the lineup, 3 young Bruins defencemen have been called to step in and step up, and that they have done.

Dougie Hamilton, of course, has been playing at the NHL level all season, but was relegated to the sidelines as the playoffs began, as Claude Julien is wont to do with rookies in the playoffs (see Seguin, Tyler: 2011). In the 5 games that he has played, however, Dougie has put together an impressive 40.31 On-Ice Corsi rating, has chipped in 2 assists, and has helped give the power play a nice look when partnered with one of his young AHL counterparts.

That man would be Torey Krug, the undrafted defenceman out of Michigan State who has made an immediate impact for the Bruins after being called up from Providence. Krug played in 63 games for the P-Bruins this season  – his first as a pro – scoring 45 points (13 G, 32 A), breaking the record for points scored by a Providence rookie defenseman in a season, and becoming a fan favorite in the process.

And in 2 games vs the Rangers, Krug as scored 2 goals (1 PPG) and added an assist, with an On-Ice Corsi of 18.95.

He has also become somewhat of a cult hero in Boston, the long-awaited for “puck handling defenceman” that can and has energized a dormant power play and boosted a struggling offense. His now famous puck kick led to the Bruins second goal in Game 2, and he is causing Bruins fans to utter something to this effect:

kruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

— Sarah Connors (@sarah_connors) May 20, 2013

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuug

— Sarah Connors (@sarah_connors) May 20, 2013

Matt Bartkowski has also made in impact for the Bruins in these playoffs, notching his first career NHL goal in Game 7 vs the Leafs, and thwarting a Derrick Brassard attempt in Game 2 vs the Rangers that led to a Bruins goal at the other end to make it 4-2. Bartkowski was drafted in the 7th round of the 2008 Draft by the Florida Panthers, and was acquired alongside Seidenberg in March of 2001. He has been quietly developing his game in Providence over the last few years, and was thought to be a piece going to the Calgary Flames in a potential deal for Jarome Iginla. Based on his play to date, the Bruins must be feeling good about retaining his rights, and he is fitting in nicely among the ranks of Bruins defencemen.

(Bruins D numbers courtesy of Behind The Net)

Really, this all shouldn’t come as much of a shock. As anyone who saw what happened in Ottawa this year can attest to, the model of developing players in the AHL and creating systemic continuity between the two pro levels can and has bred an environment where players are set up to succeed after making that jump. The Bruins are also proving that to be true with the way that Krug and Bartkowski have stepped in after logging heavy and significant minutes in the AHL this season (like Johnny Boychuk and Adam MacQuaid did before them), and one can’t help but wonder if young Dougie may have been well served with some time in Providence as well.

If anything, it all reinforces the notion that teams should be populating their AHL squads with good, young talent rather than blowing their stacks on players already at the NHL level (something that contributed to Redden becoming a Bruin in the first place), or pushing players to succeed at the NHL level too early in their careers.

As the Senators and Bruins have shown, the creation of an environment and a system where a player can transition seamlessly from one level to the next can serve the organization well when the need is greatest, and both clubs are reaping those rewards to the tune of an appearance in the second round of the NHL Playoffs.

While any one of Hamitlon, Krug and Bartkowski will be forced to sit once Seidenberg, Ference and Redden are ready to return, these young Bruins defencemen have helped the team amass a 2-0 lead over the Rangers, and that’s all that can be asked of them for now.

(For more on this AHL link, please read this great post on Stanley Cup of Chowder – Dear NBC: Time To Acknowledge The AHL)

Follow Ian on Twitter for more hockey updates and commentary.

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Ian C McLaren

Lead Boston Bruins writer for The Hockey Writers. Also contributing to the THW Next Ones NHL Draft prospect profile series. Previously created & edited a sports-based website called Score Nation, and has also written for THW Combine.

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In recent years, Bruins fans may have grown accustomed to playoff overtime games. Thursday night’s Game One victory over the New York Rangers was just the latest in a memorable string of post-season overtime victories for the Boston Bruins franchise.

With Game Two approaching, now seems like a good time to take a moment and reflect on some of the most memorable overtime playoff victories in Boston Bruins history.

–

#10: Miroslav Satan April 21, 2010

Late season acquisition Miroslav Satan gives the underdog Bruins a 3-1 series lead over the Northeast Division champion Buffalo Sabres.

#9 Glen Murray, April 13, 2004 (Double Overtime)

Boston took a 3-1 series lead (that they would eventually squander) after some “slight” embellishment from Montreal’s Alex Kovalev.

#8 Nathan Horton, April 23, 2011 (Double Overtime)

After trailing the Montreal Canadiens 2-0 in the 2010 Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals, Boston rallied to tie the series in Montreal before taking their first series lead in double overtime thanks to Nathan Horton.

#7 Bobby Schmautz, May 21, 1978

In the 1978 Stanley Cup Final, Montreal was poised to take a commanding 3-1 series lead over Boston. That is until Bobby Schmautz sent the Boston Garden crowd into a frenzy and tied the series 2-2.

#6 Adam Oates April 21, 1992

Blink and you might miss it. Adam Oates takes a shot right off the faceoff and ties the Adam Divisions Semi-Finals at one game a piece.

#5 Marc Savard, May 1, 2010

In his game-day return from a career threatening injury, Marc Savard scores what would come to be his final NHL playoff goal.

#4 Nathan Horton, April 27, 2011

The Boston Bruins franchise was one goal away from a significant re-tooling, but instead was launched into a Stanley Cup run that would culminate in the franchise’s first championship in 39 years thanks to a point shot from (who else?) Nathan Horton.

#3 Brad Park, April 24, 1983

With a sea of bodies crowding the front of the net, Brad Park takes a slapshot that sends Boston to the Prince of Wales Conference Finals and provides one of the more memorable goal calls of Fred Cusick’s career.

#2 Patrice Bergeron, May 13, 2013

Down 4-1 midway through the third period of Game Seven, all seemed lost for the Bruins. That is until Nathan Horton, Milan Lucic, and Patrice Bergeron help pull off one of the greatest comebacks in NHL history, capped by Bergeron’s overtime goal.

#1 Bobby Orr, May 10, 1970

“Orr, behind the net to Sanderson…SCORE!! BOBBY ORR!!!”

–

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Wayne Whittaker

Wayne Whittaker has been a Boston Bruins Correspondent for TheHockeyWriters.com since 2010. As a Berklee College of Music graduate, and Massachusetts native, Whittaker has been around Boston, the Bruins, and the game of hockey his entire life. His work has also been featured in Sports Illustrated, Huffington Post, CBSSports.com, and Yahoo.com.

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

The Boston Bruins are developing a good bad habit. The past three playoff wins for Boston have come in overtime, most recently a 3-2 win in Game 1 over the New York Rangers. They’re learning how to win games when they matter most, even if extra hockey is required. With a next goal wins mentality, the Bruins are showing that they can play their best hockey when their backs are against the wall. Closing out a game with a win in 60 minutes hasn’t happened since Game 3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but there’s no denying the momentum that’s on the Bruins side right now.

(Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports)

On Thursday night, fans were treated to 60+ minutes of hockey between two teams days removed from a grueling seven-game series in the first round of the 2013 NHL postseason. For the first 40 minutes of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, it was pretty obvious that both the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers were feeling the effects of their Game 7s played on Monday night. It was sloppy hockey from two tired teams in a game that seemed to be headed for irrelevancy, surely not to be remembered in playoff folklore for it’s thrilling moments and edge-of-your seat exciting.

Things changed in the third period, but hey, that’s nothing new–especially for the Bruins.

Credit the Rangers for coming out on fire to start the third period. It only took 14 seconds for Derek Stepan to break the tie and put the Rangers on top 2-1 early in the third period. Capitalizing on the same momentum they used to close out the second period, when Ryan McDonagh ripped a snap shot from the point past Tuukka Rask to put New York on the score sheet with less than two seconds remaining, the Rangers kept pushing.

The Bruins pushed back.

It started with a power play goal from Torey Krug, the recent Providence call-up to the injury-depleted Boston blue line, that tied the game for the Bruins. Krug fired a shot from the point after a heads-up hockey pass from counterpart Dougie Hamilton sailed across the top of the offensive zone.

“I’ve said before that my main goal is to come in here and try to help the team win,” said Krug after the game. “I was fortunate enough to do that.”

In overtime, it was all Bruins. At one point after the Bruins’ power play in extra time, it became evident that the Bruins were going to pull through and win the game. Maybe it had to do with the 16-5 shot advantage the Bruins had, or the immense amount of pressure they were putting on Henrik Lundqvist. Eventually, you just knew that the Bruins would break open the game for the win.

It made perfect sense that the cast of characters responsible for the game-winning goal were the most important Bruins’ on the ice during Game 1. Zdeno Chara, after notching the first goal of the game and already logging an insane 38 minutes of ice-time, poked an errant pass away from Derick Brassard in the Bruins zone, leading to a two-on-one where Patrice Bergeron fed a perfect pass onto the stick of Brad Marchand for the goal.

It was poetic that the hero from Game 7 passed the clutch crown to Marchand, who had already played his best game of the postseason, to become the hero in Game 1.

“It’s kind of a blur,” said Marchand after the game. “From the second it goes in to see everybody jump on the ice and surround you, it’s a bit of a blur. Obviously, a huge adrenaline rush and very exciting.”

The Bruins know how to play when it matters most and have shown that they can deliver positive results when tested. While consistency always remain a question, it’s easy to understand that this team is playing with as much heart and determination as they have all season.

Follow Mike on Twitter for more Bruins updates, news and commentary

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Mike Miccoli

Mike Miccoli has covered the Boston Bruins for three years with TheHockeyWriters.com and is a credentialed member of the media for all Bruins' home games. As a former player, coach and official, Miccoli has been around the game of hockey since the age of three. Along with his work on THW, Miccoli has also been published in the New England Hockey Journal, Improper Bostonian magazine and on BostInnovation.com. You can follow him at twitter.com/mikemiccoli.

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals matchup between the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins will be officiated by Chris Rooney and Brad Meier. Tonight marks the first time this duo has worked together for a playoff game this season.

Chris Rooney (#5)

Rooney came into the league in 2000.  A Boston native, he has donned the stripes for 710 regular season games including the 2010 Winter Classic. He has officiated 35 playoff games, including last season’s Stanley Cup Finals.

Rangers captain Ryan Callahan leads all players in this series with six power play goals in the regular season. Will he tally his first power play goal of the playoffs?  (Rich Kane/Icon SMI)

Rooney has worked six games in the postseason, including two for Rangers/Capitals and once for Bruins/Maple Leafs. In those games – a game 1 loss to the Caps and the game 7 series clincher –  the Rangers went 1-1 (average of 8.0 minor penalties per game).  The Bruins defeated Toronto 5-2 in Rooney’s only game of that series, Game 3 in Toronto, calling 12 minor penalties in the game.

In the regular season, the Rangers went 3-0 in games officiated by Rooney, including a 4-3 overtime win against Boston.  The Bruins, for whatever reason, struggled in Rooney-refereed games, going 0-4 in the regular season.

One of those Rangers’ wins came in the game that formally eliminated the Devils from playoff contention. Rooney’s presence was a factor in that game, according to David Garrison over at Pucks and Pitchforks:

The referee that made all of the bad calls was Chris Rooney. Rooney is notorious for favoring teams and blowing games. He also has many websites with all of the bad calls he makes, just search his name. I never like to blame refs, they are an easy scapegoat for the team losing, but this time it got in the heads of the Devils and they could not play the game to their best ability.

Rooney called an average of 7.5 minor penalties per game in the regular season and 9.3 in the playoffs, a number likely inflated by his officiating partner. He opened the first round paired with the less-tenured Steve Kozari.  The two racked up some mileage on their whistles, averaging 12 minor penalties called per game over their first four games.  Since then, Rooney has shared the ice with some more experienced referees, namely his partner for last year’s Cup Finals Dan O’Rourke and veteran Wes McCauley.  In those two games, calls dropped to an average of just four per game.

Brad Meier (#34)

Like Rooney, Meier is a veteran zebra, having joined the league in 1999.  He has 810 regular season games under his belt, along with 32 playoff games. He’s officiated five games this postseason, including one overtime game in each series that led to this matchup.   He officiated the Rangers’ Game 5 overtime loss to the Capitals as well as the Bruins’ Game 6 overtime loss in Toronto.  Both we called tight, with penalties split closely down the middle.

Chara was sixth in the league in shorthanded time on ice, averaging 3:12 per game in the regular season (Andy Martin Jr)

In five postseason games, Meier is averaging 6.2 calls per game.  This is down from his regular season average of 7.5 penalties per game.  In the regular season, the Bruins went 1-2 and the Rangers were 1-3 in games officiated in part by Meier.

We can only hope Meier doesn’t remember the comments John Tortorella made back in 2002 when he was behind the bench in Tampa.  After a late penalty resulted in a game-tying power play goal, Torts said of Meier, as reported in the St. Petersburg Times, “He’s a bad referee, plain and simple. He has got no feel for the game.  It’s not the reason we lose the game, but to me it’s an awful call. He’s a terrible referee.”

I’m not sure about you, but I’m going to guess that Brad Meier hasn’t forgotton about this exchange.  Let’s hope he’s professional enough to not let it show in his officiating.  But if there’s that one critical call at one key point that just might decide a game…?  Nevermind. I’ll leave the referee conspiracy theories to someone with a little more time on his hands.

What Does It Mean?

Tonight’s game will be managed by two veteran officials who have been here before.  While some games in the first round had lots of power play opportunities – thanks in part to younger officials a bit more whistle-happy – expect these two to let them play.   Aside from the obvious calls that result in loss of scoring chances or the unavoidable puck-over-glass penalties, Rooney and Meier will likely have their whistles in their pockets.   If things start to get rough, watch for matching minors to both sides to try to retain order, a technique both have used in this year’s playoffs.

Look, neither team is particularly powerful on their respective power play.  The Rangers went 2-for-28 (7.1%) in the first round, while Boston netted only one more goal with the man advantage, going 3-for-20 (15.0%). New York has taken the second fewest penalties in the postseason (6.0 PIM-per-game) and was the least-penalized team in the regular season (9.2 PIM-per-game).  Boston’s been a bit less disciplined, picking up 9.1 PIM-per-game in the playoffs and 12.2 PIM-per-game in the regular season, both around the middle of the pack.  All those factors point to the fact that special teams will not play as large a part in this series as they did for the Rangers against the Capitals.  A timely power play goal could tip the scales in an otherwise close game, but that’s not what this matchup is about.

This is a series that will be played out – and won – based on even strength play.  That’s something that Rooney and Meier are likely to ensure plenty of in tonight’s game…  along with maybe even a voice-crack or two:

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Josh Smith

Josh is a life-long hockey fan. He grew up as a fan of the New York Rangers, but thanks to their general mismanagement and years of mediocrity, developed a great appreciation for every team across the league. He’s been writing about hockey on various sites since 1995. Follow him on Twitter at @joshsmith29 or reach him via email at joshuasmithTHW@gmail.com.

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You, lone sir / madam, need to get to Vegas ASAP.

The common sentiment midway through the 3rd period of Game 7 was that the Bruins were indeed finished, on the cusp of dropping a decisive game on home ice for the second year in a row. I think I tweeted something along the lines of “it’s the end of the B’s as we know ‘em“, figuring that there would be some changes ahead for this group over the summer, the only question being whether small or big.

The Bruins celebrate after an improbable come from behind win over the Leafs. (Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports)

After the game, Milan Lucic admitted as much, saying in an interview on CBC “if we lost this game I doubt this team would stay together.”

Or, as Tuukka so eloquently put it in this frame-worthy post-game quote:

Tuukka Rask on playing in OT in a Game 7: “It’s do or die. You’re either a hero or an asshole.”

— Mike Cole (@MikeColeNESN) May 14, 2013

Even when Nathan Horton scored to make it 4-2, many a tweet was sent out pointing out that it was Phil Kessel who was now in line to get the series winning goal – how fitting.

Suspended Belief

Look, there were several reasons to legitimately and logically believe that this game and this series was over, beginning with the fact that these Bruins had failed to rise to the occasion time and time again during the regular season, and hell, even in Games 5 & 6 of the series.

While many had thought that this series would be a cake walk for the Bruins, it was, in reality, a 4 vs 5 match-up, meaning that whatever recent history existed between these two particular teams, either could win, a point proven through the first 6 games.

On top of that, and with the grand exception of 2011, the Bruins and their fans had been subject to bitter Game 7 disappointments in 4 of the past 5 playoff seasons, so this was to be nothing new.

All that aside, and with the score being what it was at that point in the game, simple math dictated that a Bruins comeback was seemingly impossible, especially considering the fact that they were playing without 3 of their top 6 defencemen from the beginning of the series.

Yesterday, Tyler Dellow crunched some numbers to estimate the odds of seeing a comeback of that magnitude, and this was his conclusion:

Once every 4757 years, your favourite team will go out of the playoffs like this. Given that it’s a 30 team league, if I’ve done my math right, you’ll see a team go out like this once every 159 years. It’s about twice as rare as a Halley’s Comet sighting. (mc79hockey.com)

In that context, to say that people “quit” on this team is a stretch; find me someone who literally said that they were walking away from the Bruins forever as that game was going on. Even as some fans broke the cardinal rule of never leaving a game before the final whistle, one can’t deny that the frustration was palpable enough to warrant such a reaction.

Based on my Twitter timeline, there seemed to be a collective “welp” among Bruins supporters, a shrug of the shoulders signifying that this team, despite all the expectations that come with being a true Cup contender, had somehow managed not only to drop the ball, but give it a swift kick onto the school roof like, in Tuukka’s words, a bunch of “assholes.” It was an acknowledgment that, in all likelihood, Kessel and Kadri had indeed hammered the proverbial nails into the Bruins coffin with a pair of 3rd period goals, just as the reaction from Toronto suggested.

But, the Bruins experience kicked in, they were able to flip that good old switch, and they elevated their game in the most opportune of ways. First Tuukka thwarted a Lupul breakaway attempt, then Lucic scored to make it 4-3, Patrice Bergeron tied it up with 51 seconds to go, and the comeback was made complete at 6:05 of the 1st OT after Bergeron buried another one.

And at some point during all of this, belief was restored. Bruins fans, who just 30 real minutes prior had every right to believe it was over, now had every reason to be the happiest hockey fans in the world.

On to the Next

So what does it all mean moving forward? Well, for one thing, the Bruins are now lined up to host the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals on Thursday night, with the dream of another Stanley Cup still very much a reality.

There are, however, significant questions about the state of the blue line (with undisclosed injuries to Andrew Ference, Dennis Seidenberg & Wade Redden), as well as an overall lack of offensive production up front from anyone not named Lucic, Krejci & Horton (Bergeron’s heroics notwithstanding.)

(Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports)

Despite having home ice advantage, the Bruins may well be considered underdogs in this series, a status that may suit them just fine. At the end of the day, this series – much like the last one – may come down to goal tending, with Vezina candidate Henrik Lundqvist looking to continue to hold off the younger Tuukka Rask – Boston’s unquestioned best player in round one – in his attempt to rise to “King”(or dare I say True Bruin) status.

No matter what happens, Game 7 proved is that hockey (like life) can’t be viewed through clear-cut, black and white frames. Folks who expected the series vs the Leafs to be a continuation of Boston’s recent dominance over Toronto were buying into an old narrative, and those who say they would have wholeheartedly “believed” in their team in that same position don’t possess the same contextual and historical viewpoint as today’s average Bruins fan.

And for those questioning whether this comeback was fair or right, and whether the Bruins deserved it because of their “dishonorable” play, I would direct you to Ellen Etchingham‘s brilliant piece called “Hockey Isn’t Fair“.

As Bruins fans have been witness to over the past few years, anything can happen, especially in the playoffs. And with every new opportunity, and with every new scenario, it’s worth looking to the words of a younger Tyler Seguin, a tweet that may just become the perennial mantra of the Boston Bruins and their fans moving forward:

believe. one more time.

— Tyler Seguin (@tylerseguin92) June 14, 2011

If the first round proved anything, it’s that all bets are off for this team moving forward. Based on their overall effort in round one, the injury concerns, and the fact that the remaining field is incredibly deep, there’s no telling how far (or not) this team can go.

Two things are for sure, though: 1) that comeback can’t be taken away from the Bruins and their fans, and will be remembered as an all-time moment regardless of how far they go, and 2) never count ‘em out, even when the odds seem insurmountable.

Follow Ian on Twitter for more Bruins updates and commentary.

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Ian C McLaren

Lead Boston Bruins writer for The Hockey Writers. Also contributing to the THW Next Ones NHL Draft prospect profile series. Previously created & edited a sports-based website called Score Nation, and has also written for THW Combine.

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This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

I’m still not 100% certain that actually happened.

There’s no way. This team? They’re the ones that blow 3-0 leads. They’re the ones that underachieve, collapse under pressure, that rally late but come up empty. This was the team that was supposed to lose Monday night.

But instead, here we are, two nights away from Game One of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

How the hell did this happen?

Really. (Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports)

This Boston Bruins team was very, very dead. This fact can’t be overstated. They were down 4-1 on home ice, halfway through the third period in a Game Seven. Their second best defenseman played all of 37 seconds thanks to an injury. Their trusted veteran depth D-men were watching from the press box. Their goaltender tried to bail them out for what seemed like the hundredth time this year, but the dam was bursting.

Fans took to twitter, not so much to rant about which players needed to be traded or who should replace Claude Julien (all of this would have come later), but to eulogize their team. Timelines were filled with tweets like, “Congrats Leafs fans, enjoy this”, “Awful. Awful.”, and “It’s called Bruins…” even after Nathan Horton cut Toronto’s lead in half.

When Tuukka Rask scurried to the bench, the countdown to the offseason had begun. This was most certainly the end of the Boston Bruins as the world knows them. A shakeup was inevitable, and the “core group” was about to be redefined.

Then Milan Lucic powered his way to the front of the net, and made it a 4-3 game. All at once encouraging and infuriating a fanbase who, for reasons of mental self-preservation, didn’t want to believe in this team again.

Patrice Bergeron tied the game, and by now you know the rest. One of the most historic and memorable comebacks in Boston sports history was complete, and a Bruins team once labeled “chokers” may have finally rid themselves of that moniker.

It was hysteria in Boston. A hysteria that is still lingering the day after. No one in this city can get enough of this story. The Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the 3-1 series lead, Toronto’s resurgence, the “plane malfunction”, the 4-1 deficit, the comeback.

And now, the Rangers.

(Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)

For the first time since 1973, Boston and New York will meet in the post-season. Both teams battled through seven games to advance, and both teams were penciled in as Eastern Conference favorites long before the season began.

Can the Bruins really win this series?

Try for a moment to forget about “The Comeback”. Take a step back and look at this Boston Bruins team. It’s not the prettiest of pictures. A mix of streaky and slumping scorers, frustrated and fatigued grinders, and a beat and battered defense corps.

Andrew Ference was reportedly seen sporting a walking boot and crutches prior to Game 7. Wade Redden missed two games in round one. And most glaringly, Dennis Seidenberg’s mysterious Game 7 injury left the Bruins blue-line tattered, and forced rookies Dougie Hamilton and Matt Barkowski to see extended ice time in an elimination game.

How far can a team go with their top defensemen playing 30+ minutes a night? Especially in a playoff series that promises to be more physical and more grueling than the one they just escaped.

Unless two of the three injured veterans are able to return for Round Two, Boston’s defensive depth will be tested severely. Bartkowski was phenomenal in Game 7, and may actually have an edge over Hamilton on the depth chart.

Beyond the rookies, who else could be called upon to try and plug the defensive holes? Aaron Johnson? Torey Krug? Yikes.

The Rangers aren’t exactly the picture of health either. Ryan Clowe, Marc Staal, and Darroll Powe are all question marks heading into the series.

So in a seven game series between two physical, battered teams, who could be the difference maker? More than likely, Henrik Lundqvist.

Boston’s Next Task: Henrik Lundqvist (Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports)

The perennial Vezina trophy nominee was once again outstanding in round one, shutting down and shutting out the potent offense of the Washington Capitals to help his team advance. Tuukka Rask will have his work cut out for him if he plans on trying to keep pace with #30 in blue.

Forget the seedings, forget home-ice, the Bruins can be considered underdogs in this series and they should embrace that role. Injuries and fatigue have already taken their toll on Boston players, and it could be tough for them to overcome it this time around.

Then again, maybe there’s a little magic left.

–

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Wayne Whittaker

Wayne Whittaker has been a Boston Bruins Correspondent for TheHockeyWriters.com since 2010. As a Berklee College of Music graduate, and Massachusetts native, Whittaker has been around Boston, the Bruins, and the game of hockey his entire life. His work has also been featured in Sports Illustrated, Huffington Post, CBSSports.com, and Yahoo.com.

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.