Beer & a Breakdown: Switch Flipped

Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Beer:  Elder Betty – Magic Hat, Vermont.   A tasty, fruitful concoction brewed with real elderberries.  A unique twist that’s rare to match.

Breakdown:  No need to call the electric company because the juice is flowing full blast.  After a bit of a shaky start, the Bruins found their playoff stride and didn’t look back.  They took advantage of a young team, particularly goaltender James Reimer, and exploited their inexperience to the max.  The B’s won the small battles, especially in the corners and neutral zone and were able to turn them into a barrage or scoring chances.  Boston was physical, fast, and dominant on special teams.  Wade Redden proved his worth by factoring in on both of Boston’s first two goals, while also playing the body in the defensive end.  The biggest show of grit?  Nathan Horton and David Krejci’s unofficial “assists” on their own goals. Pay attention to both tallies, you’ll notice each guy set the table for another Bruin, only to be rewarded for not giving up and crashing the net.  It’s that kind of dogged presence that makes the difference come Playoff time.  Tuukka Rask played strongly, making the stops he needed to in order to keep the B’s on top.  Toronto’s shenanigans at the end of the game, with the goon line taking blatant shots at the B’s, shows a clearly desperate team just one game into this series.  With two days to rest, Boston needs to keep the energy flowing while James Reimer swats imaginary pucks in his sleep.