Bruins Notes: Boston Defensemen Step Up In Key Game 2 Win Vs. Hurricanes

BOSTON — The Bruins are looking pretty sharp two games into the Eastern Conference finals.

Boston routed the Carolina Hurricanes once again with a convincing 6-2 victory in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series Sunday afternoon at TD Garden. Much of the Bruins’ success came from solid play courtesy of their defensemen.

Matt Grzelcyk scored twice for the Bruins in the Mother’s Day match, while Torey Krug had three assists.

Grzelcyk, who took a monster hit from Michael Ferland early in the first that knocked him into the Bruins’ bench, was pleased with the way Boston competed against the hard-hitting Canes on Sunday.

“I think we were expecting a very physical game out of them,” he said. “We don’t get fazed by that game and I think we responded really well. We knew how important it was to take advantage of home ice, so I’m glad we got the win today.”

Krug lauded the team’s scoring depth throughout the 2019 postseason.

“Guys are coming to play at the right time. I think depth scoring is so crucial for playoffs … and that’s what wins you games and wins you series,” he said. “So we have (the depth) right now. We want to continue to bottle that up and continue to use it to our advantage.”

Head coach Bruce Cassidy believes having the defensemen step up in Game 2 was huge for the B’s.

“Listen, they want to get up there and make plays when they’re available. And I think today both the goals were (scored by) guys that (are) good skaters, can get up the ice and recover if it breaks down,” he said.

The Bruins will look to extend their 2-0 series lead when they head to Raleigh, N.C. for Games 3 and 4 of the series.

Here are some more notes from Hurricanes-Bruins Game 2:

— Three of the Bruins’ six goals were scored by Boston defensemen. Grzelcyk potted two goals on Sunday while Connor Clifton netted one. It was Clifton’s first-ever goal in the NHL.

—  Thanks to Clifton’s goal, 19 different Bruins have now scored for Boston in the 2019 postseason, the most by any NHL team currently in the playoffs. It also matches a team record set back in 1988.

— The Bruins scored 10-unanswered goals against the Canes in the first two games of the series before Justin Williams netted Carolina’s first goal of the series halfway through the third period.

— It took the Hurricanes 34 minutes to land 10 shots on net, a telling number in their crushing loss to the Black and Gold.