In 22 career games against the Bruins, Kessel has three goals, six assists and a minus-22 rating.
BOSTON - Many factors came into play during the Boston Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup championship.
Tim Thomas was a brick wall. Rookies Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin answered the bell. Nathan Horton was a playoff hero then served as motivation after he went down with a concussion against the Vancouver Canucks, and the defensive corps led by Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg helped Thomas be lights out.
The Chara-Seidenberg duo became one of the Bruins’ best shutdown weapons, logging big minutes, hits and clears out of the zone.
Heading into Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday night, the Bruins are looking for Chara and Seidenberg to set the tone and help become their old shutdown selves.
“I can tell you Zdeno Chara is one of the best shutdown (defensemen) in the league, and that’s what we utilize him for,” said Bruins coach Claude Julien.
The Bruins captain led his team in ice time during the regular season with an average of 24:56 per game. Seidenberg (23:47) was right behind him.
But most importantly, Chara has been a brutal pest for ex-Bruin Phil Kessel.
Since being traded to Toronto in September 2009, Kessel has three goals, six assists and a minus-22 rating in 22 games against Boston. He has no points against the Bruins this season.
More than three years since the historic deal went down, it’s safe to say Boston is the clear winner, as the draft picks received became forwards Tyler Seguin (2010) and Jared Knight (2010), and defenseman Dougie Hamilton (2011).
The Bruins know how important it is for their blueliners to show up for the playoffs.
“Obviously you want (Chara) to be firing on all cylinders, so like the rest of (the team), he’s got to get his game back,” Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said. “With Zee it’s about a strong defensive game, nothing fancy, big shots, a lot of straight lines. He is, obviously, important to the team, and what he does, a lot of guys follow. He’s got a lot of experience, and we expect him to get his game where it has to be.”
BEARD-A-THON: The Bruins’ annual “Beard-A-Thon,” is helping raise money for victims of the tragic Boston Marathon bombings.
Beard growers for the duration of the Stanley Cup playoffs can raise money for the Boston Bruins Foundation to benefit The One Fund Boston. All proceeds will be donated on behalf of the Foundation directly to The One Fund Boston. For more information, visit www.beardathon.com/bruins.