When David Krejci scored on the power play late in the second period Wednesday to tie Game 5 at 1-1, it initially looked like he didn't react at all.
That would have been fitting. Krejci rarely shows much emotion on the ice. He can be the most intense player on the ice between whistles and the calmest and quietest after them.
But then a replay revealed what Krejci's actual reaction was: He was laughing.
That was also fitting. It turns out Krejci had kind of accidentally knocked the puck into the net. Replay showed that he had tried to settle the loose puck and then slide it in. Instead it had bounced right off his stick, and just happened to still reach the intended destination.
The laugh was for the good fortune, but it could have easily been for the fact that seemingly everything Krejci touches turns to gold right now, even when he gets the touch itself wrong.
Krejci finished the Bruins' five-game first-round series against the Hurricanes with a series-high eight points on three goals and five assists, including a goal and an assist in Wednesday's series-clinching 2-1 victory. He was arguably the best player in the series from start to finish, though Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy warrant mention as well.
4️⃣6️⃣ is feeling it.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/fmNeq3xjzi
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) August 19, 2020It's another chapter in the book of "Playoff Krejci," the story of a perpetually underrated player who almost always raises his game when it matters most.
"We all love playoff Krech," David Pastrnak said after the game. "He's unbelievable."
Going into this postseason, it was fair to wonder if there was even going to be another chapter, or if Playoff Krejci was a thing of the past. The 34-year-old center was good for most of the postseason last year, but then he went cold in the Stanley Cup Final, registering zero goals and two assists in the Bruins' seven-game series loss to the Blues. He also went cold in the second half of this regular season, putting up zero goals and four assists in the Bruins' final 14 games before the pause.
His past chemistry with left wing Jake DeBrusk had seemingly evaporated, and his planned chemistry-building with right wing Ondrej Kase hit a three-week delay as Kase was "unfit to participate" for all of training camp as well as the first week of bubble hockey in Toronto.
Playoff Krejci was nowhere to be found in the round-robin either -- which makes sense in retrospect since the Bruins clearly didn't treat those games like the playoffs -- and secondary scoring lingered as perhaps the biggest question mark for the Bruins. But then the real thing started, and there he was. Playoff Krejci had arrived, his chemistry with DeBrusk had returned, he and Kase looked like they had been playing together for years, and the Bruins had their secondary scoring.
When Pastrnak missed three games due to injury, it was Krejci's move to the top power-play unit that got that group going. Even when Pastrnak returned to the lineup on Wednesday, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy decided he had to keep Krejci on that top unit and moved Charlie Coyle to the second unit instead. It paid off with two more power-play goals in Game 5.
All of it was another reminder that underestimating Krejci is a fool's errand, even though it's so easy to do. When it comes to the Bruins' veteran core, the group still left from the 2011 Stanley Cup team, Krejci is usually the one who's talked about the least. Not forgotten or ignored; just a bit overlooked.
Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara rightfully have their legacies set in stone. One day they'll both be in the Hockey Hall of Fame and have their numbers hanging from the TD Garden rafters.
Tuukka Rask has a Vezina Trophy and is always at the center of Bruins discussions, especially in the playoffs, and especially right now given the events of the last week. Brad Marchand is an elite scorer whose talk and on-ice antics often land him at the center of discussions as well.
And then there's Krejci, who just quietly goes about his business both on and off the ice. No trash talk. No taunting. No boisterous quotes. No controversy. He doesn't quite have the Hall of Fame resume of Bergeron and Chara either, though there is at least an argument for retiring his number (but that's a column for another day).
He was once the Bruins' leading scorer, but hasn't been that since 2013-14. He was for many years in a 1/1A center situation with Bergeron, but has been the clear No. 2 for at least the last several years, and at times this year even looked like the No. 3 behind Charlie Coyle as well. Of course, it hasn't helped that he's had a rotating door of wingers since the departures of Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton, while Bergeron has gotten to consistently play with Marchand and David Pastrnak.
Even his style of play doesn't really jump out at you. He's a good skater, but certainly not fast. He has a good shot, but not quite a great one. He's not afraid to get physical, but he rarely fights or throws bone-crunching hits. He's a very good defensive forward, but not Bergeron-level elite. His passing is elite, but passing isn't as sexy as scoring and hitting.
The one superlative he has had since 2015 is that he's been the highest salary cap hit on the Bruins, which has certainly contributed to the idea at times that he's overrated or that the Bruins should try to trade him, especially as he's now more of a fringe top-five player on the team rather than a top two or three player.
But it's not like Krejci did anything wrong by cashing in back in 2014 after one of the best seasons of his career. And focusing on his contract and him being the highest-paid player on the team but not the best ignores the fact that what he brings is still really valuable.
Krejci does everything well, and he always seems to do it all even better in the playoffs. When you do that year after year, you end up with a resume of consistent production and places on Bruins all-time lists that just don't lie.
Seventh in franchise history in games played with 911 over 14 seasons. Eighth in points with 686. Fifth in playoff games played (140), sixth in playoff goals (39), second in playoff assists (73) and points (112), trailing only Ray Bourque in those latter two categories.
And you end up with recognition and respect from those who matter most -- your teammates and coaches.
"Well, I've learned that he's a big-time player," Cassidy said Wednesday night. "I've seen it in the playoffs now every year I've been here. Don't over-analyze maybe some regular-season games at times if he's not put in key situations. I know that we've used him last minute a lot since I've been here with Bergy and Marchy, on the right wing, and again he always rises up in those occasions.
"He's a real competitor, good team guy, well liked in the room, quiet, I think a good hockey mind. You can always talk to him about the game and get good responses and good dialogue, and a guy that loves the game. He just doesn't show it maybe like some other people would because he is kind of more of a composed guy that way, but certainly one of the fiercer competitors in terms of inner drive that I've been around here."
Of course, Playoff Krejci doesn't become a thing just because of a good first round. The Bruins need Krejci to keep playing like this in Round 2 and beyond. But with the first round just ending and at least a few days before the second begins, let's take a moment to appreciate this.
