B's Camaraderie Has Become A Calling Card

BOSTON - Tuukka Rask had had just about enough.
When Tampa Bay forward Cory Conacher barreled into the Bruins net midway through the second period, the backstop decided to take matters into his own hands - quite literally.
Rask stormed out of his crease and whacked away with a couple of swats at Conacher as chaos began to ensue around him. It was an unusual sight for the 31-year-old netminder, but one he felt was necessary to make a statement.

"I just felt like they were pushing our guys into me. I felt like I had to do something," said Rask, who made 26 saves to extend his personal points streak to 10 games (9-0-1). "It was an emotional game I got into it…two good hockey teams battling for points and yeah it was a playoff game, it was fun."
That it was. And it was not the only defining moment in Boston's thrilling 4-2 win over the Lightning on Thursday night, which propelled the B's into first place in the Eastern Conference.
In the end, five penalties for 10 minutes were handed out for the fracas, which nearly included a full-on goalie tilt when Andrei Vasilevskiy skated the length of the ice to get a piece of Rask, before being stopped by an official.
"I think you always want to be calm, but you want to be in the game too and protect your crease and yourself," said Rask. "Good thing I was emotionally engaged I guess."

He wasn't the only one. In addition to Rask's best Rocky Marciano impression and a bevy of other heated scrums over the course of 60 minutes, David Pastrnak also dropped the gloves with Tampa's Dan Girardi en route to his first career Gordie Howe Hat Trick.
"It was an awesome game," said Pastrnak, who added a goal and an assist on the evening. "That's why we play hockey, for this kind of game. It's a lot of fun and it just shows how good of a team we are. And the guys - you could see that everybody was on board tonight…that's why we play hockey, for these kinds of games and it's fun."
It was a season defining type of game for the Bruins, who not only ousted the Lightning from first place in the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division for the first time since Oct. 18, but also put on full display the camaraderie and desire that has helped them overcome a season full of adversity.
"It's our team right there in a nutshell," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. "We stick together, and I think we've done that all year, no matter who is in the lineup. We trust our players to go out and do the job and have each other's backs. That's what makes it a special group.
"You wouldn't suspect - I mean, goalies get into it every once in a while, but Pasta getting the Gordie Howe or Cam Neely hat trick…he's not the guy I would have picked before the game, but good for him. It looked like he handled himself well."

Perhaps, the best display of sacrifice came from Noel Acciari, who twice put his body on the line with a pair of massive blocks on Tampa's power play late in the second.
"He does it every night. Every night," said Cassidy. "Every game I've coached this kid, probably from Providence on. I mean, I've seen him block a shot with his face, a one-timer, and it broke his jaw. I think it was in Lehigh Valley. It's the way he plays, and it wasn't like he threw it in front of him, but he put himself in harm's way. It's what Noel does, and it's why his teammates love him."
It is that sense of brotherhood that prompted Rask to unload on Conacher after the forward toppled over onto Brandon Carlo in the crease. And why Pastrnak - who admittedly had never fought at any level - felt the need to defend linemate Patrice Bergeron (goal, two assists) after the pivot took a heavy hit from Girardi in the neutral zone in the third period.
"I think the rest of the game, too, there were plenty of willing combatants that were stepping up for each other, sticking together. And when the other team sticks together like that it feels like there are eight guys on the ice instead of just five and that's a good feeling to have in this room," said David Backes, who returned after missing the last five games with a leg laceration and didn't hesitate to get into it with Cedric Paquette in front of the Tampa bench midway through the third, leading to matching roughing penalties.
"It was a good character building and good team building sort of game, where we stuck together, we killed penalties when we needed to, made plays and made sacrifices for each other and that's all winning characters of a team."
It was a night that felt like a postseason primer. And with the Stanley Cup Playoffs now just six games away, the Bruins appear more than ready to get things started.
"We're in the entertainment business, first of all, so we want to win, and we'd like to win with what Boston fans appreciate: hard work, blue collar, and a certain level of pace and skill," said Cassidy. "They've become accustomed to that here…[the fans] pay a lot of money to see us play, and I think our guys have performed well in this building, and hopefully they're happy with the product."