Sean Kuraly, Kevan Miller, David Pastrnak, and Zdeno Chara celebrate after a third-period goal against the Maple Leafs in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round Thursday night. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Bruce Cassidy's Bruins thumped the Maple Leafs 5-1 to open their first-round playoff series last night at the Garden.
B's scored three times on the power play and were a perfect three-for-three on the penalty kill against a Leafs club that ranked second in the N-H-L during the regular season with a 25-percent success-rate with an extra skater.
"Puck management was a point of emphasis for us as much as anything against a fast-break team that can score quickly," Cassidy said. "So that was our goal, and physicality goes along with that. It's there, take it, don't chase it."
David Krejci had two points on the man-advantage. What was his secret?
"We had a good last couple of days," he said. "Especially yesterday, we were in practice and we had a video about the PK, kind of what to expect. We ran some plays, tried it today, it works. Get back at it tomorrow, look at more video, look at more stuff we can do, and hopefully we can keep it going on Saturday."
The power play really was game-changing, especially the last five minutes of the second when Boston scored twice.
More positives - Sean Kuraly scored in his first game back from injury, and Rick Nash played for the first time in nearly a month.
"I felt like my speed was a little off, but overall, it was a successful return," Nash said.
Game 2 will be tomorrow at 8 p.m.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Adam Kaufman reports