In Newark, the Boston Bruins showed the benefits of veteran leadership and age on Monday.
Tuukka Rask made 20 saves and the Bruins shutout the New Jersey Devils, 3-0, to clinch the final playoff spot in the East.
“This is a great accomplishment. It’s definitely not easy,” Rask said. “You look at our division, it’s tough, there’s no room to have slumps. You got to be able to keep up with other teams. We’ve had our ups and downs, but I think lately we’ve kind of found our game and our identity and kind of stuck to it.”
Nick Ritchie opened the scoring for the Bruins for a 1-0 lead in the second period.
“It’s always a challenge, physically and mentally, but I think we got to be proud how our team handled this past month when we’re playing every other night or back-to-back situations,” Rask said. “The physical aspect has been the most challenging for me.
“Every game is different, and with experience and age, you kind of see a lot of things happen. You don’t need more or less shots … you kind of take them as they come.”
Patrice Bergeron padded the lead to 2-0 with a goal in the middle frame as well.
“I knew [Marchand] was going to come around the net and I was just trying to get open and get the pass from him,” Bergeron said. “I just tried to get it high.
“It’s always the goal during the regular season to get your ticket in and go from there. Obviously, we know we’re a great team. I know where we’re at and I know we can keep improving. We’ll use the last few games to work on our game and make sure we’re ready to for Game 1 of the playoffs.”
Matt Grzelcyk scored at 17:17 of the final frame to to make the 3-0 final.
“They were clicking with every line,” Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said. “They were winning face-offs, they had puck possession. I think their speed exposed us a little bit; our gaps weren’t good. We couldn’t take enough ice away from them.”
Scott Wedgewood made 39 saves in the loss.
“They put the pressure on early and kept us under for the first 10-15 minutes,” Wedgewood said. “That’s a strong team with a strong push early. We were back on our heels and we’re trying to tilt the ice the other way for the rest of the game.
“They obviously had a goal (of clinching a playoff berth) and they were attacking it.”
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