In interviews with Chris Ryan, the Bruins, MVP candidate, Brad Marchand discusses how his teammates made his game winning goal possible and that he expects that the rest of the games in the series will be as hard fought as the first three have been; Craig Smith, who scored the first Bruins goal in Game Three, talks about the excellent play of his linemate, Taylor Hall; Goaltender, Tuukka Rask describes his mindset when the game is on the line; Bruins Head Coach, Bruce “Butchie” Cassidy assesses what a successful hockey team needs to have to win the Stanley Cup; David Pastrnak reflects on his hat trick in Game 1 with a packed TD Garden against the Islanders; defenseman, Charlie McAvoy also shares how the team responded to having fans in the arena again; and Captain Patrice Bergeron explains how David Pastrnak has the ability to rise to the occasion in a big game.
Playoff hockey is physically and mentally exhausting. Brad Marchand gives credit to Bruin Goaltender, Tuukka Rask and the Bruins defense for holding off an offensive barrage by the Islanders. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy moved the puck to the Islanders blue line and shoveled a short pass to Marchand, just as he came in on a line change. Marchand then rifled a sharp angled shot on goal for the win.
Marchand states that he expected a tough series with the Islanders.
“We knew that it was going to be a long series. They’re a good team. They compete very hard, and they’re very structured defensively.”
Taylor Hall is a talented forward which the Bruins acquired from the Buffalo Sabers just before the trading deadline. Hall‘s backcheck and pass set up Craig Smith’s first period goal in the 2 to 1 Bruins victory in Game 3.
Craig Smith describes Taylor Hall this way, “He’s a special kid, a special player. From Day 1 from the start of his career, I think he’s had exceptional speed and an exceptional mind for the game. T o see the plays that he’s made and the way he talks on the bench, how smart he is and looking for opportunities to score and make things happen, one of the best players I’ve played with.”
Tuukka Rask, the Bruins netminder, had a shaky Game 2, which was won by the Islanders in overtime, but he came up big in Game 3. In the interview, Tuukka describes how he stays calm while shots are being fired at him.
“I try to stay patient and calm in there. It doesn’t matter what the situation is. You just try to make that save and give your team a chance to win.”
The Head Coach of the Black and Gold, Bruce “Butchie” Cassidy believes that for a team to get through the grueling playoffs and win the Stanley Cup, that team needs the following: a team’s best players need to excel during the playoffs; a couple of other players need to play beyond what they are usually able to do; players need to make personal sacrifices for the good of the team; and of course, it helps to be lucky—avoiding injuries, getting calls, and good bounces of the puck.
With an excited, packed house at the TD Garden for Game 1 of the Islanders series, Bruins forward, David Pastrnak delighted the crowd with three goals, a hat trick. In the interview, Pastrnak shares how excited he and his teammates were to be playing with fans in the building again.
Charlie McAvoy, who scored the game winning goal in the Bruins 5-2 Game 1 victory, describes the emotional lift which the team received by having the Garden full of passionate fans for the first time in fifteen months. For Charlie and the other players, it was as exciting as their first NHL games.
Finally, Captain Patrice Bergeron explains how David Pastrnak likes the big moment and feeds off the energy in the crowd, so it was no surprise when Pastrnak tallied three goals in Game 1 in front of a big crowd.