The Boston Bruins looked dead in the water after 40 minutes on Wednesday night in Ottawa.
However, the Bruins — as they have for much of Bruce Cassidy’s brief tenure — were able to dig deep and find a way to win, scoring two third-period goals en route to a 2-1 win over the Senators in Game 1 of their Stanley Cup playoffs first-round series.
The gutsy effort was especially impressive given how bleak the situation appeared entering the third period. The Bruins registered a grand total of zero shots on goal in the middle frame, falling victim to Ottawa’s frustrating 1-3-1 neutral-zone trap.
Here are some key takeaways from Boston’s series…