What Bruce Cassidy had to say about the Bruins’ Game 1 comeback
"That's a credit to the veteran guys in the room."
After surrendering a second goal of the night a minute into the second period, the Bruins finally woke up in Game 1 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. For Tuukka Rask, his job suddenly got a lot easier.
“I was pretty much a spectator after that,” Rask said after the 4-2 Boston win. The stats reflect Rask’s description.
The Blues managed just two more shots in the entire second period. And over the final 8:16 of the second, St. Louis had zero shots. The Blues’ scarcity of shots was contradicted by the Bruins’ abundance of opportunities. Boston’s 18 second period shots led to two goals, erasing the 2-0 deficit and changing the momentum of the game.
“Both their goals [came in] behind us, so when we started managing it better and breaking out, I think that limited their opportunities,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. The turnaround happened when Boston started getting back to what the team does best.
“Typically, for most of the year, we play good team defense. So it starts with that. That’s our identity,” Cassidy explained.
The third and fourth goals arrived after continued pressure in the third period. But the Blues continued to struggle creating scoring chances.
A 38-20 Bruins’ advantage in shots during Game 1 tied a Stanley Cup Final record for greatest disparity, according to TSN’s StatsCentre. Considering that each team had eight shots in the first period, Boston’s dominance with and without the puck in the next two periods showcased what Cassidy labeled “winning” attributes.
“We know how to play winning hockey when we need to and limit teams’ chances,” Cassidy noted, “and that’s a credit to the veteran guys in the room.”
The key factor in Boston’s improved fortune during the second and third periods started with avoiding turnovers.
“I thought we broke pucks out better as the game went along,” Cassidy noted. “They’re a forecheck team. That’s how they establish territory and it’s part of their offense. Certainly their second goal was a big part of that.”
Looking ahead to Wednesday’s Game 2, Blues coach Craig Berube knows his team has to do more offensively.
“We’ve got to be better,” said Berube.
On the Bruins’ defensive approach, Berube realizes that St. Louis is going to have to acclimate to Boston’s effective system.
“They’re going to continue to do that,” Berube explained. “That’s the way they play. They’re a good defensive hockey team.”
