Bruins ‘took five minutes’ to celebrate historic regular season ahead of playoffs
"We know that there’s a bigger goal in mind."
The Bruins enjoyed one more regular season win on Thursday, defeating the Canadiens 5-4 in the final game before the playoffs begin on Monday (where Boston will face the Panthers in the first round). David Pastrnak notched his 61st goal of the season to give the Bruins a late lead:
Also on Thursday, the Red Sox lost to the Rays 9-3 as Tampa Bay completed the three-game sweep (tying an MLB record since 1900 with a 13-0 start to the season). Boston will now host the Angels in a four-game series starting tonight at 7:10 p.m.
The Bruins marked the end of a special regular season: With the win over Montreal in the regular season finale, the Bruins finished with an amazing record of 65-12-5.
Boston set NHL regular season records for most wins and most points (both of which were secured even before Thursday’s win).
But as much of an achievement as it is, the Bruins are obviously intent on a more important priority: Winning the Stanley Cup.
“We took five minutes and celebrated it, then we moved on,” Boston goaltender Jeremy Swayman said after the game. “We know that there’s a bigger goal in mind.
“That’s definitely a feather in our cap for what we’ve accomplished so far,” Swayman added, “and we’re going to take that confidence into the playoffs. That’s important because we trust in our abilities. It’s going to get us through games when the going gets tough, but at the same time, this is something where we’re playing for bigger and better things. This is going to be good experience for us moving forward.”
Swayman and Linus Ullmark collectively won the William M. Jennings Trophy, which is given to the goaltenders who play at least 25 games for the team that yields the fewest goals in the league.
The Bruins now turn their attention to the Panthers, and the pursuit of postseason success.
“Well, I mean, there’s numerous statistics and metrics that you can look at that makes this season special,” said Bruins coach Jim Montgomery. “But for me it’s how much those guys care about playing for each other. That’s what was special.”
Trivia: According to ESPN Stats & Info, Jonathan Toews is one of just five players in the NHL over the last 40 years to captain a team to at least three Stanley Cup wins. Can you name the other four?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: Penguins, Devils, Red Wings, Oilers.
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On this day: In 1967, the Red Sox were in New York for the Yankees home opener. Starting for Boston was a 21-year-old rookie, Billy Rohr, in his Major League debut.
Rohr pitched a brilliant game, out-dueling future Hall of Fame Yankees starter Whitey Ford. Incredibly, he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning, where Carl Yastrzemski made a leaping catch to record the first out and preserve the Rohr’s historic bid.
But as he was one strike away from his no-hitter, Rohr misplaced a pitch and New York catcher Elston Howard looped a single into right-center field.
In the end, though he had finally yielded a hit, Rohr still helped the Red Sox to a win. He promptly retired the next batter after Howard to preserve the 3-0 shutout.
Daily highlight: Dmitry Orlov helped the Bruins get a win on Thursday by roofing the puck to score during the second period.
Trivia answer: Sidney Crosby, Scott Stevens, Steve Yzerman, Wayne Gretsky
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