Charlie Coyle ‘Excited’ For Bruins Game 7 Vs Maple Leafs At TD Garden
The Boston Bruins failed to eliminate the Toronto Maple Leafs in back-to-back opportunities, but Charlie Coyle doesn’t find the losses in Games 5 and 6 deflating.
“It’s not deflating at all, honestly,” Coyle told reporters on Friday, per team-provided video. “… It doesn’t matter how we got to this Game 7. Doesn’t matter if we lost the last three or won the last three games. We’ve won three games, they’ve won three games. Now, you wash that away, it’s a one-game series. We like our team and we’re excited for this chance to play at the Garden for a Game 7. There’s nothing better.”
Being at home at TD Garden gives the Bruins an advantage because the Black and Gold faithful will be just as energized as the players donning the Spoked-B.
“It’s awesome. There’s nothing like it,” Coyle said about the atmosphere at TD Garden. “We know our crowd is going to be into it and bringing the juice, getting us going. We’ll give them something to cheer about too.”
Coyle continued: “Excitement comes to mind. That word, I know we’re always excited, but especially playoff time, the Garden picks up and Game 7 … I mean, they’re smart hockey fans in Boston. They love it. They love the game, and they love the big moments and the big games. They’re going to be on their feet. They’re going to be loud, and we can’t wait to have them behind us.”
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In the six games against the Leafs, Coyle has two assists and 11 shots on goal, while averaging 18:17 minutes of ice time. In the opening-round series, the veteran center is 47.3% in faceoffs, down slightly from 51.6% in the regular season. The Bruins started the series winning 57.4% of the faceoffs taken, but the Leafs slowly took over bringing Boston’s percentage to 37.0 in Game 6.
“We can always be better there,” Coyle said. “It starts with the centermen, and then you have your wingers there to help, too. That’s the first battle of any shift. We have to take a little more initiative to win those and fight for those and tie up if we have to. It’s all five guys out there at that point, but it’s the centermen. We have to take ownership there and really battle in. (The Leafs) do a good job on faceoffs. That’s one area we can definitely get better.”
The two Original Six franchises have faced each other 16 times in the postseason with each club winning eight times. However, the Bruins have won the last six, including two Game 7s in 2013 and 2019.