About a half hour after the game came to a close, a sullen faced John Tortorella took to the podium looking to add to the annual renewal of the "Rangers coach attacks reporters questions show". Yet less than three days after requesting that the media kiss his a** Tortoralla neglected to use the press conference as an opportunity to vent his anger, actually answering the questions of the reporters gathered before him.
Now while some of those comments are debatable, one of his excuses that he insisted were not excuses was in fact correct. While Boston's stars exploded onto the stage, many Rangers did not, the most notable of which being Henrik Lundqvist. Throughout the series, King Henrik was one of the biggest roller coaster stories of the playoffs allowing 8 goals in the first 2 games before locking down and surrendering just 6 goals in the final 3 games of his second round loss to Boston.
Yet on the other side of the ice, pounding 4 of those combined 14 goals allowed past Lundquvist was a 22 year old rookie that, save for the scouts and intensely die hard Bruins fans, was unknown to the world. But 10 days after the series began, Torey Krug has now become the first defense men in NHL history to score 4 goals in his first playoff series. Through thick and thin, Krug demolished both Lundquvist and his shot blocking defense on his way towards scoring in addition to those 4 goals an additional assist to account for 5 points and a plus minus of +3.
Between the struggles of Henrik Lundquvist and the scoring punch of the Bruins defense and point men, Boston pulled out 4 wins in 5 games to skate to only their 4th conference finals appearance seance 1987.
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