Boston Bruins’ Game 5 loss to Tampa Bay Lightning saw the team eliminated from the Stanley Cup competition. The loss happened in a highly dramatic fashion, namely a 3-2 defeat in double overtime.
During the post-match press conference, center David Krejci had the following to say: “It just kind of hit me after the game that the core group, a few of us, we have one or two, three years left.”
“With the pandemic going on, you never know what’s going to happen. So, I just got a little sad right now. At the same time, I don’t regret coming into this bubble and fighting for the Stanley Cup. If I would have to do it again, I would.”
The team’s aggregate age has been an underlying concern for the Bruins, particularly since much of their core lineup is nearing retirement age.
Among these players is captain Zdeno Chara, who is now 43 and a pending unrestricted free agent. He is currently the oldest player in the NHL.
Despite losing 4-1 to Tampa on aggregate, the Bruins impressed throughout the match. Manager Bruce Cassidy was particularly proud of his team, stating: “We thought we were the better team tonight and we wanted to play on. We put ourselves in a hole, obviously, but we felt we played well enough to win tonight, get it to Game 6 and then see what happens from there.”
