BOSTON — Saturday was a night Johnny Beecher will remember for the rest of his life, even if he doesn’t fully remember the sequence of scoring his first-career NHL playoff goal in the Boston Bruins’ 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1.
“I blacked out a little bit,” Beehcer said after the game. “I was just kid of in the corner at the glass and I was just kind of screaming and the boys were all jumping on me. It’s one I’ll never forget. I was just happy to get the boys going there, get a little momentum in the first period.”
Beecher’s goal came on Boston’s first shot of the game when Pat Maroon had two Maple Leafs tied up in a board battle before he got the puck over to Jesper Boqvist to create a 2-on-1. Boqvist sent a cross-ice pass into the low slot where Beecher beat Ilya Samsonov with a redirect to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead.
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“I don’t really know if I expected to score on the first shift there, but Patty made a great play getting out of the corner, and Boqs made a great pass,” Beecher said.
The rookie forward was back-and-forth between Boston and Providence this week and responded with a strong game against a tough opponent. It was a game that earned Beecher some high praise from his coach.
“I think that’s the best game he’s ever played as a Bruin,” Montgomery said.
Beecher and the rest of the Bruins look to carry the momentum from Game 1 into Game 2 on Monday night. It’s unclear if Montgomery will tote out the same lines. But after how Beecher played alongside Boqvist and Maroon, it might be worth keeping what works together.
