When it became clear that Matt Fraser would appear in his first career playoff game for the Boston Bruins, he tried to downplay the obvious: his dream was coming true. Then again, maybe he was waiting for a more complete dream scenario: scoring the only goal of a playoff game ... in overtime ... to nab a huge Game 4 win for his team.
Fraser’s 1-0 OT goal ties the Bruins’ series against the Montreal Canadiens at 2-2.
The two teams will shift back to Boston for Game 5 and it’s difficult to imagine Fraser not being there. The 23-year-old seemed to find instant chemistry with Loui Eriksson and Carl Soderberg as their line was trumpeted as the Bruins’ best for much of a defensively rigid Game 4.
Bruins head coach Claude Julien could end up disagreeing, but it seems like Fraser’s first game will be more than just a Cinderella story.
Zee on Fraser: "It’s pretty impressive, for a guy that hasn’t spent that much time with us, filling the role on the spot" ^CS
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 9, 2014
Bruins slow the Habs’ attack
The Bruins managed to slow the Canadiens down through the first two periods in particular, keeping the likes of P.K. Subban quiet. The Habs really heated up in the third period, however, generating a 14-7 shot advantage and generally looking more aggressive.
The game headed into OT with bagels on the scoreboard in part because of near-misses, and Boston’s ability to reduce Subban’s chances.
As expected, there was a fair amount of physicality, including a big check by Douglas Murray on Shawn Thornton, a questionable hit by Jarome Iginla on Max Pacioretty and a boarding minor delivered by Alexei Emelin on David Krecji.
Here’s the hit on Pacioretty:
And here’s Emelin’s blow on Krejci:
As for the men between the pipes, they played a prominent role -- as you’d expect in a 1-0 OT decision. Tuukka Rask made 33 saves for his first shutout of the series and second of the postseason while Carey Price was nearly as good, stopping 34 of 35 for a .971 save percentage.
The Bruins and Canadiens battle for a 3-2 series lead in Game 5 on Saturday. If it’s anything like tonight’s contest, there won’t be much room for errors ... but maybe enough for another surprise hero to emerge.