Bruins DieHard: Smiles All Around After Game 3 Victory
BOSTON (CBS) - Sometimes, you just feel it.
Sometimes, you just know something good is going to happen, when everything you do will make you or someone else smile throughout the day.
That's what it was like for the just about everyone on the Boston Bruins on Monday night, as they took Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final Chicago Blackhawks 2-0 at the TD garden to take a 2-1 series lead -- and make everyone smile.
There's been no place like home for Boston during these playoffs, winning all but two of the nine games played on Causeway Street. That home-ice advantage continued once again on Monday night. Chicago couldn't do much with the minimal amount of time and space the Bruins allowed, and when they did, Tuukka Rask continued his out of this world goaltending. Daniel Paille -- who scored the overtime game-winner Saturday night in Chicago -- also potted the game-winner Monday, as his line with Chris Kelly and Tyler Seguin proved once again to bring the energy that head coach Claude Julien is always looking for.
That's part of the system he has employed from day one, and no matter how maddening outsiders seem to think he should change, it is simply not his way. He believes in what he does and he believes in his players to carry out that system. On Monday night, they worked it to perfection. The 'Hawks had 28 shots, but most were from just over the blue line. That made it extremely easy for Rask to see nearly every shot, and rebounds were cleared with ease.
The Bruins also dominated the dot on Monday, winning 40 of 56 faceoffs. If you win faceoffs, you start off with possession of the puck and the other team has to chase you for it. Patrice Bergeron not only score a power play goal for insurance, but at the faceoff dot he won an amazing 24-of-28 -- an amazing 86-percent.
Read: Bergeron May Be Mr. Perfect And Other Leftovers
Think about that; you win the faceoff and your opposition spends the next 20-30 seconds trying to get the puck back. That made for a frustrating evening for the Chicago forwards.
Monday night was just a solid, top to bottom win for the Bruins from start to finish. They scored first, which is always key, especially at home, and they never let down. Chicago had a flurry at the end of the game when they pulled Corey Crawford, and even got a puck past Rask, but it hit the left post and bounced out behind him on the right.
So there where smiles all around the Bruins locker room after the game, but Julien was quick to make sure they don't get too big. "Yes, we will enjoy this tonight, but never lose sight of the future and put our minds right back to the next game, because the Hawks have are a good team," he said after the game.
Julien knows what he is talking about, as Chicago stormed back from a 3-1 deficit in the second round of these playoffs against the Detroit Red Wings.
"So let's refocus and continue with we are doing," the coach added.
There was a thunderstorm before the game, and a double rainbow hanging over Boston just before puck drop. Rainbows usually bring smiles to everyone that sees them, and Monday night's victory brought smiles to the 17, 565 fans that saw the Bruins win their 14th playoff game.
Two more rainbows and... well, you know!
Ric Duarte has covered hockey and the Bruins for various media outlets since 1986. You can follow Ric at BruinsDieHard.com and at twitter @bruins_diehard.
