Thornton With Toucher & Rich: Physicality Gets Turned Up As Playoffs Go On
The Bruins take on the Capitals in Game 4 of their first round series Thursday night. The B's are up in the series 2-1 after a 4-3 win in Washington on Monday night.
Bruins forward Shawn Thornton joined Toucher & Rich to discuss the series so far, including Washington defenseman Karl Alzner, Dale Hunter's comments about Nicklas Backstrom and the performances of the Capitals.
Alzner made a crybaby gesture in Milan Lucic's direction in Game 3 and now he's trying to explain it was just a joke. It was also reported that he waited by the Bruins bus to apologize to Brad Marchand about a high elbow.
Has Thornton ever heard of a player waiting by another team's bus to apologize and what if one the Bruins was acting like Alzner?
Capitals head coach Dale Hunter has come out and said that he believes the Bruins have been targeting Nicklas Backstrom's head. What does Thornton think of the comment?
"He's protecting his players standing up for them, so I get it. I'm sure our coach would probably stick up for our teammates too."
The first two games of this series with the Capitals were very tight, but the third game really opened up and the physicality was really ramped up.
"I think that happens everywhere as playoffs go on though, especially when you're playing a team that's not in your division. As playoffs go on you kind of learn traits from each other and physicality gets turned up a notch, it does all the way through the playoffs."
All these games so far have been decided by one goal. What are the Capitals doing defensively that is giving the Bruins trouble?
"They do a good job of blocking shots for one. They do a good job of protecting the front of the net and not letting people stand around to be able to get the second and third opportunities."
Plus, they discussed some of the other playoff match ups around the NHL.
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