With Zdeno Chara's ability to speak hampered by an ailing jaw, it was Patrice Bergeron who delivered a pre-game speech that resonated with multiple Boston Bruins teammates.
"It made us all want to run through a wall," forward Jake DeBrusk said, according to Conor Ryan of the Boston Journal.
"It was exactly what we needed," defenseman Charlie McAvoy said of Bergeron's message, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli, adding that his first playoff run has been an emotional roller coaster.
McAvoy said Bergeron spoke to the team about everyone dreaming as kids about winning a Stanley Cup and not letting it end yet, according to the Washington Post's Isabelle Khurshudyan.
The message clearly hit home with the young blue-liner.
"I've been dreaming of this my whole life," McAvoy said, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
DeBrusk, 22, and McAvoy, 21, are enduring the one-of-a-kind Stanley Cup grind for the first time in their careers, but are fortunate enough to have a handful of veteran teammates at their disposal who've been through the wringer before. Bergeron, Chara, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, and Tuukka Rask are the remaining members from Boston's last Stanley Cup in 2011.
Both McAvoy and DeBrusk played integral roles in Boston's 5-1 win. McAvoy, who led all Bruins skaters in ice time, made what at the time looked like a potential game-saving play when he batted a puck that got behind Rask out of midair and harm's way. DeBrusk, meanwhile, picked up the lone assist on Brandon Carlo's game-winning goal.
Game 7 goes Wednesday night at TD Garden.
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