Boston Bruins: Torey Krug shows no rust in his first game back from injury

Torey Krug was back in the Boston Bruins lineup Thursday night against the Minnesota Wild. He missed the previous five games with an injury.

Although players usually show signs of rust after an injury, that was not the case at all with Krug. In fact, he was one of the best players on the ice.

Krug was a difference-maker for the Bruins, as he finished with one goal and two assists in a little over 20 minutes of action.

His biggest impact came in overtime when he beat Wild goalie Alex Stalock to secure the extra point and send Bruins fans home with smiles on their faces.

The overtime winner was quite an impressive play from Krug. He grabbed the puck from behind his own goal and carried it all the way down the ice. For whatever reason, the Wild players didn’t protect the middle, so Krug took advantage.

A goal like this looks easy given how the Wild defended, but it’s one that few defensemen will actually score. Not many have the confidence that Krug does to take open ice. He has elite offensive awareness, and this certainly paid off in overtime.

The overtime heroics aside, Krug was great in regulation as well. He picked up two assists, including one of the more clever ones you’ll see.

Late in the second period, with the Bruins down by two, Krug purposely shot the puck wide of the goal to reach Brad Marchand in front. The puck banked off the boards, then Marchand collected and slid it into the net.

An assist like this requires a lot of skill, ingenuity, and luck. Fortunately, Krug had it all going against the Wild.

Krug’s second assist of the night came late in the third period when the Bruins rallied to tie the game at four. The Bruins got one final power play opportunity to tie it, and Krug and company wouldn’t let it slip away.

Krug only had the secondary assist on David Krejci’s game-tying goal, but he helped set things in motion on the power play. Boston’s power play is simply on a different level with Krug out there, and we all saw that tonight.

All in all, Krug looked awesome in his first game back from injury. He showed why he’s such an important piece for the Bruins now and moving forward.

With his contract status, we’ll continue to hear his name thrown around in rumors until the trade deadline. But, can the Bruins afford to go on without him in the lineup? Games like this show why that answer is no.