Nobody was happy when the Bruins fell behind the Canadiens 2-0 in their first-round playoff series.
Perhaps they should have been.
After this weekend’s win in Game 5, Boston has taken a 3-2 series lead. All signs point to them eliminating a broken Habs team in Game 6.
Assuming that happens, this has been the perfect series for the B’s.
After last year’s disaster, Boston needed to show itself, its fans and the rest of the league that it has what it takes to dig deep in the postseason. In 2009-10, they folded like a tent.
Now they’re flying.
Sure, an easy series against Montreal would have been nice. Rest is huge in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and you don’t get much when you fall behind early in a series.
But what the Bruins are doing now is far more important.
They’ve won by scoring, and they’ve won by saving. They’ve gritted out an OT victory, and they’ve eked out a 5-4 slugfest.
And they’ve done it all with their backs against the wall.
This series surely gave some B’s fans gray hairs. But when they get through — and they likely will — they’ll have been well worth it.
