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Seven begins with Boston's first

April 24, 2012, 8:31 PM ET [19 Comments]
Ty Anderson
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • RSSArchiveCONTACT
For almost six whole games, and with the Bruins left staring down the barrel of a gun named elimination, the Boston Bruins waited for signs of life from their top-line scorers.

David Krejci, Milan Lucic, and the 20-year-old Tyler Seguin, players that accounted for 78 of Boston’s 260 goals this season (Or 30% for those math enthusiasts out there), were held to almost zippo as the B's arrived in Washington.

Limited to just two assists despite 35 shots on goal through five games and fighting for their playoff lives in a volatile Verizon Center, headlined by almost 19,000 rabid Caps fans rocking their patented red, the Bruins’ top line finally had their say. And for a team with a penchant for playing it close to the vest, with a Game 7 slated for Wednesday night in Boston, should you really be surprised that the Bruins' best have saved their magic for last?

Scoring the initial go-ahead marker when Krejci put one by Braden Holtby on the power-play off a feed from Lucic, the trio had their say on the next go-ahead goal when a rush up ice led by Seguin concluded with Andrew Ference recycling the puck into Holtby's cage. But it was an overtime frame that displayed the trio's collective talents all in one fell swoop of a series-tying goal.

The interception by Krejci on an attempted d-zone clearing pass from Nicklas Backstrom? Something the Bruins have been looking for all series. Krejci's feed to Lucic and his ability to go up along the half-wall, drawing Roman Hamrlik towards him? A missing element from Boston through six. And Seguin's ability to blast through Dennis Wideman and by Holtby? A thing of freakin' beauty for Boston fans.

"We really thought going into tonight’s game we need to get production," Seguin said after Game 6. "Not many good bounces so far in the series so [to] see it happen tonight and see the guys finally be rewarded is definitely nice."

Finally off the schneid, combining for two goals and six assists in the win, the outburst gave Boston a trifecta of offensive contributions from a series that's frequently left the Spoked-B bewildered by the 22-year-old Holtby.

The series began with offense from the Bruins' third line of Chris Kelly, Benoit Pouliot, and the 39-year-old Brian Rolston. It then shifted towards Boston's second line featuring Patrice Bergeron and the speedy Brad Marchand and Rich Peverley. And now, in an upward trend, it may be time for Boston's top three to put it together in an effort to close out the Caps and move on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the fourth straight season.

"Our secondary scoring has kept us in this series and allowed us to move forward," Claude Julien told the media after practice, adding, "Now it’s up to the [top line] to take over, and they have."

To suggest that they're 'taking over' after one strong showing may be a bit of a hyperbolic statement from Boston's bench boss, but it does do something undoubtedly beneficial for the Black-and-Gold heading towards tomorrow's showdown. Something that may be criminally underplayed on the eve of battle.

The emergence of the Krejci line, or rather its perceived awakening from a five-game slumber, completely changes the dynamic of the Bruins' offense for Dale Hunter and the Capitals. With three lines clicking -- albeit with the Bruins' second line being at a slight disadvantage given Bergeron (upper-body) shifting to the wing opposed to his normal (dominant) spot at the center position -- the Bruins have an offensive attack that can leave Hunter's club shortening his defensive bench based on match-up's alone.

"This is what you need from guys like that and coming around has just given us that option," Julien said of the offensive edge the Bruins can develop through their depth. "Although they're still only one-goal wins, now you’re not relying just on the third and fourth lines, but also on the first two. Now we’re talking about scoring that’s spread out and now other teams have to decide which guys, or which lines, they want to shut down."

Already at a bit of an unfavorable spot given the defensive struggles of Wideman, who has been on the ice for almost all of Boston's even-strength goals throughout the series to go with a minus-4 rating, the problems don't end with the woes of No. 6 for a battered Washington defense.

Coupled with the own-zone problems of offensive-defensemen Mike Green, and the rink-rust of John Erskine after nearly three full months off the ice, there's no doubting that the Capitals will have to answer the bell with what will have to be their best defensive effort of the season. Something that the Caps are certainly ready for.

"Our commitment has been there since Game 1, you see guys sacrificing their bodies every period of every game," Washington top-pairing d-man John Carlson, who's second to d-partner Karl Alzner for time-on-ice per game, adding, "Every game is a battle out there."

Entering Boston without the benefit of the final change given their seeding as the road club in this winner-take-all match-up, the change to the visitor's bench doesn't scare a Washington club's that taken two of three in Boston this round.

"Boston's a tough rink to play in," Holtby told reporters at practice this morning. "But it brings us down to a level where we don't try to do too much or be too fancy."

But for all the projections, gameplanning, and ideas that come with an even series, Game 7 is a wild card, something both teams know and acknowledged. "We don’t make things easy," Julien cracked when asked about the team's approach towards the playoffs and Game 7's.

"You learn from all Game 7s. Learning is one thing, I think it’s experience, how much you learn when it gets down to Game 7 and we’ve seen it go either way," Julien, who's gone 3-3 in six Game 7's with Boston said, adding, "There’s no guarantees in Game 7s. The only thing you can hope is that your experience of playing through them will help you stayed composed and do the right things."

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