Bruins win even without Bergeron
Top-line centrepiece last-minute scratch ... Babcock knows him well
Patrice Bergeron complimented his linemates profusely after being nominated for the Selke Trophy for a record seventh time.
But on Thursday, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak recognized that while they play their respective roles, Bergeron is one of the handful of elite players in a class by themselves.
“He does everything I can’t,” Marchand said prior to Thursday night’s 3-1 Game 4 win in their opening-round playoff series against the Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre.
“The way he pushes himself every day to be better … we have to push ourselves to be at that level. He expects us to be good, he expects us to be better. It’s fun just watching him in practice, the way he works on his game. He’s a guy who could (end practice) early, but he’s not built that way.” Bergeron was a shocking scratch for Thursday’s Game 4, out with an undisclosed injury. When he’s healthy, he’s the best two-way player in the NHL. He still works on little details, especially with his shot — developing a quicker release in the slot in particular.
Bergeron, who has won three of the past four Selkes as the NHL’s top defensive forward, was nominated along with Sean Couturier of the Flyers and Anze Kopitar of the Kings this time, and the Bruin is seen as the frontrunner to make it four out of five — despite missing 18 games because of injuries.
On top of 30 goals and 63 points, close to his career highs, he remains one of the NHL’s very best faceoff men — fifth at 57.3 per cent — and average 1:49 a game on the Bruins’ thirdranked penalty kill. On faceoffs when the Bruins were shorthanded, he won 58.3 per cent.
Bergeron’s dominance is also reflected in advanced stats, especially Corsi for at five-on-five — in which, at 57.6 per cent, he ranked first among 220 NHL forwards who played at least 800 minutes. Those who know him both on and off the ice praised Bergeron’s work ethic, including Boston coach Bruce Cassidy and Leafs counterpart Mike Babcock, who first coached Bergeron as an 18-year-old at the 2004 world championship in the Czech Republic. That team won gold, as did Canadian sides featuring Bergeron at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2016 World Cup, all coached by Babcock.
The familiarity between Bergeron and Babcock is an interesting subplot to the series.
“(Babcock) is very good at adjusting,” Bergeron said. “He adjusts to things every game. That’s what we’ve seen so far in this series, and we’re trying to adjust to things, too.”