Bruins look playoff ready still have plenty to prove.
BOSTON — A week ago, the Bruins appeared to be in trouble again as Hampus Lindholm skated to the penalty box. Just 57 seconds into overtime against Washington, he was whisted for a four-minute, double-minor for a high stick that drew blood.
It seemed like the latest misfortune in the middle of a Bruins’ rough patch. They’d lost three out of four games in regulation and now faced killing a 4-on-3 penalty for all but three seconds remaining in overtime. It felt bleak.
But in the four minutes that followed the Bruins not only didn’t allow a goal, but only allowed four shots.
They survived overtime and forced a shootout that went to the fifth round before a Kevin Shattenkirk goal and a Jeremy Swayman save gave the Bruins a victory.
The win put Boston back in first place, but more importantly back on track. It was the first game of a winning streak that reached four consecutive victories with Saturday’s 3-2 overtime win over Florida.
“Ever since we killed that four-minute, 4-on-3 off in Washington, not only our penalty kill, but our group has gotten a lot of confidence from that,” Montgomery said. “We pulled out a win. Now it’s four games in a row where we’ve pulled out wins in the third.”
There have been ups and downs all year. At their best, the Bruins have been a very good regular-season hockey team this year. This week against two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, Boston has started to look a lot like the best version of itself again.
“We’re just trying to put together our best team. We’ve played a lot of good teams here recently. For us, it’s not so much about the opponent, but ourselves. We’re trying to round into form,” said Charlie McAvoy, who had one of Boston’s three goals in Saturday’s win. “It’s fun. It’s emotional. You don’t want to cross over, But sometimes it’s fine. It’s hockey. You’re allowed to get emotional. Try and let that bring out the best in you. You can step to the line. Just don’t cross it. I thought both teams played hard
