Patrice Bergeron Shows Full-Ice Impact In Single 31-Second Sequence
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Patrice Bergeron showed in his dominant effort on Thursday how much he impacts the game for every inch of the 200-foot rink. He illustrated that full-ice impact in a single 31-second sequence that led to Anders Bjork's first goal of the game, which we will break down below.
The only thing that Bergeron didn't execute perfectly here is the faceoff, which he lost to the Canucks' Alex Burmistrov. The Bruins gained the offensive zone anyway, but when the Canucks attempted a quick breakout, Bergeron blew that up by anticipating the puck's movement up the half boards and easily regaining possession by simply being in perfect position:
Then he carried the puck all the way back into his own zone to set up the next play, executing a smooth give-and-go with Charlie McAvoy through the neutral zone. Three Canucks defenders over-committed to stop a pass up the side boards, which gave Bergeron easy entry.
After getting off a shot, Bergeron beat everyone to the loose puck in the corner and chipped it to Bjork behind the net to maintain possession.
Seconds later, Bergeron was at the right point to cover for a pinching McAvoy. He found a passing lane for Brad Marchand and fired the feed toward the net in hopes of a rebound chance for Bjork.
And of course, Bjork finished the play when the opportunity arose:
SEE ALSO: Marchand-Bergeron-Bjork Line's First Triumphant Outing Had Everything But Cake
Bergeron elegantly and efficiently showed how tough he is to play against in that single shift. Even though he lost the faceoff, he still smothered the opponent on defense, transitioned smoothly through the neutral zone, won puck battles, and made his linemates better. Those areas were all problems for the Bruins in their first five games of the season, and Bergeron did a lot to solve them.
The sequence was a microcosm of how much a game-changer the 32-year-old still is.
Matt Dolloff is a writer/producer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, CBS, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
