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Bruins coach on Game 7 resume: “You’ve got to like the experience you have”

juliengetty

The Boston Bruins seemed oddly calm about being down 3-2 to the Washington Capitals, but the reasoning was pretty simple: they’ve been there before. Speaking of which, the Bruins’ core has certainly been through the tensions of a Game 7 a lot lately. Counting this first round matchup, four of Boston’s last five series* went the distance, so Claude Julien didn’t deny the potential benefits to Stephen Whyno.

“There [are] no guarantees but you’ve got to like the experience you have,” Julien said.

While the Bruins’ recent Game 7 memories are mostly warm and fuzzy, the Alex Ovechkin-era Capitals haven’t fared as well in those decisive showdowns:

2007-08: Lost to Philadelphia Flyers in Game 7
2008-09: Won seven game series against Rangers, then lost miserably in Game 7 to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
2009-10: Lost a tight seven game series to the Montreal Canadiens.
2010-11: No seven-game series.

So if history is a harbinger of things to come on Wednesday, then the Bruins should be confident. That being said, aside from blowing out the Vancouver Canucks to win the Stanley Cup, last year’s Game 7’s probably turned quite a few Bruins fans into chronic nail-biters.

Then again, it would only be fitting if there was next to no margin of error considering how this series has gone, right?

* - Actually, five of their last six, but something tells me that the Bruins probably won’t use that infamous reverse sweep loss to the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers as a bullet point.