Talking Points: Bruins dominate after a slow start

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GOLD STAR: Danton Heinen has been gathering momentum as of late with the playoffs just around the corner, and the rookie winger had one of his best games in a while with a game-winning goal and two points in the B’s win. It was Heinen leading a 2-on-1 break with Ryan Donato in the second period before he faked pass, and then snapped off a far top corner sizzler against Daniel Taylor to give the Bruins a two-goal lead at the time. Heinen also assisted on the empty net goal from David Backes in the closing seconds to ice the game, but both plays really put an emphasis on how much Heinen put into his 11:42 of ice time. The rookie winger finished with five total shot attempts, a hit and a takeaway along with a plus-2 rating, and now has goals in two consecutive games after falling in a bit of a first year malaise over the past month prior to getting going recently.

BLACK EYE: It’s fair to say that Daniel Taylor probably didn’t look like an NHL caliber goalie after this one was all over. He let up four goals on 34 shots after being spotted a one-goal lead in the first period and didn’t look great doing it. Certainly the first Bruins goal wasn’t on him as it was a perfect pass to a perfect one-timer chance from David Pastrnak in the left face-off circle. Taylor didn’t have a shot of stopping that one. But then it was a couple of longer distance shots off the rush from Tommy Wingels and Danton Heinen that got by Taylor, and then a Noel Acciari breakaway where he went five-hole on Taylor to truly put the game out of reach. Credit the Bruins for scoring the goals, but at least a couple of those probably don’t go in if they’re facing a playoff-caliber goalie next week.

TURNING POINT: The Bruins were down 1-0 after one period and really weren’t playing all that well, and they looked very much like they did for most of the last three games against Philly, Tampa and Florida. But that all changed in the second period when the Bruins finally got on the power play, and then scored a whopping five seconds after they took possession on the PP. It was a David Pastrnak screaming one-timer from the face-off dot and it effectively buckled the Senators as they allowed another goal to Boston just 51 seconds later. It was at that point when the Sens completely lost momentum in the game, and opened things up for the Black and Gold to take it the rest of the way. The B’s power play is going to have that kind of potential to break games wide open in the playoffs if they can get it going, and it’s just a matter of getting some chances to get the man advantage warmed up.

HONORABLE MENTION: Patrice Bergeron wasn’t great in the first period and would definitely admit as much. But No. 37 really came around in the final 40 minutes of the game, assisted on the David Pastrnak PP strike that got things moving and finished with eight shot attempts and 12-of-20 face-off wins. Bergeron did finish a minus for the game and truly hasn’t been his complete, 100 percent outstanding self in the last couple of weeks since coming back from the fractured right foot. But things got better in the final 40 minutes after the B’s coaching staff and the top line had a chat about spacing and supporting each other, and the rest was history for the Black and Gold in a game they dominated after the first intermission.

BY THE NUMBERS: 10 – the number of goals for Noel Acciari this season after getting his breakaway score in the third period to help ice the game. Give the Rhode Island kid credit for hitting double-digit goals as a gritty, hard-hitting fourth liner that brought plenty to the table this season.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We’re in a position to take [the Atlantic Division and the No. 1 seed], and that’s a credit to the guys. We’ve worked hard to get here. This wasn’t by accident." –Bruce Cassidy, on the chance to clinch the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed in a Sunday night showdown with the Florida Panthers.

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