Following an 8-1 loss at the hands of the Washington Capitals on April 11, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney knew he needed to do something to improve his roster if his club had any thoughts of getting into the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs and making a run.
Sweeney wasted little time in making additions to his roster with a pair of trades. In adding two forwards and a defenseman, the Black and Gold had a new look and strong finish to the regular season. Despite the strong finish to the 56-game season, there were still some questions as to whether or not the additions could carry over their play to the postseason when it mattered most.
In their first series, over the same Capitals team that routed them on April 11, the results were just what Boston hoped for in what they were getting in return at the trade deadline in a five-game series victory.
Bruins blueline addition fit right in.
The first deal Sweeney made late in the night on April 11 was acquiring defensemen, Mike Reilly, from the Ottawa Senators for a draft pick.
Against the Capitals, Reilly was paired with Brandon Carlo. After collecting eight assists following the trade to the Bruins, Reilly picked up two in the five games against Washington, but they might have been the two biggest in the series by anyone.
In the second period of Game 5, he set up David Pastrnak for the first goal of the game, then later in the same period, he picked up the primary assist on Patrice Bergeron’s first of two goals in the series-clinching win.
The 27-year-old left-shot blueliner, who is a free agent this summer, average just over 20 minutes a game against the Capitals and fired 10 shots on the trio of Washington goalies in the series. Not too bad for a draft pick.