Bruins coach on Phil Kessel getting himself back in the line up after he had been a healthy scratch in games 2, 3 and 4. Ironically Kessel scored the Bruins first goal in game five in Montreal.
Counting on Kessel - With only five goals in the first four games, the Bruins needed a trigger-puller Thursday, leading to Phil Kessel making his return after being scratched the last three games. Julien scratched Jeremy Reich, the fourth-line winger and penalty killer, and put Kessel on the second line alongside Milan Lucic and Marc Savard.
But Julien made sure he put Kessel in the right situations. For several key faceoffs in the neutral and defensive zones, Julien replaced Kessel with Petteri Nokelainen, a more responsible two-way player. In the second period, when Canadiens defenseman Roman Hamrlik was nabbed for holding, Kessel was set up at his preferred space along the left boards, and the rookie didn't hesitate to snap a rebound of his shot between Carey Price's pads for the tying goal.
While some players might have been lost after a three-game benching, Kessel didn't dwell on the disappointment, instead using it as motivation.
"I think it's pretty obvious that we saw Phil Kessel determined to get back in the lineup and make a difference," Julien said. "I think everybody who's seen him play this year would say that was one of his best games. He was strong on the boards, strong on the puck, all those things that we've been working with him to get better at. He's shown us that he's capable of doing it. It couldn't happen at a better time than [Thursday] night. Was I pleased with his game? Absolutely. Do we need more of that? We certainly do."
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