The Bruins set a tone for the series with relentless, smash-mouth play in Saturday’s 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road.

David Krejci nearly notched another playoff hat trick in his 20 minutes of ice time, proving that his role in last year’s first round exit was merely an aberration; this is indeed the dominant Krejci we have come to expect. Nathan Horton assisted on both goals and added one of his own on a wide open net in the third period.

Tuukka Rask brought the Penguins’ high-powered offense to a screeching halt with 29 saves in his first career playoff shutout. It’s worth noting the last Bruin to record a playoff shutout was Tim Thomas, in Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. On the other end of the ice, Tomas Vokoun showed just why he’s the Penguins’ backup goaltender, allowing three goals on 30 shots.

Things got heated at the end of the second period after Sidney Crosby gave Rask a Sean Avery-esque bump, which drew the ire of 6’9″ captain Zdeno Chara. The two exchanged heated words, while Patrice Bergeron and Evgeni Malkin dropped the gloves. Bergeron left the ice covered in blood, while Chara and Crosby continued to chirp one another. Did Crosby sincerely believe he had a chance?

Perhaps the least surprising part of last night’s game was Matt Cooke’s game misconduct for boarding Adam McQuaid, who was visibly shook up after the play. No matter how many times the Pittsburgh press exalts Cooke’s supposed change, the proof is on the ice. And though Cooke has not received a suspension in nearly two years, one can go without punishment and still be a dirty player. After all, Cooke received no suspension for the hit that ultimately ended Marc Savard’s career.

Granted, Brad Marchand’s hit on James Neal was just as dangerous, if not more so. At the very least, he should have received the same penalty Cooke did. But as it has been demonstrated throughout these playoffs, the officiating has been woefully inconsistent. It just so happened to land in the Bruins’ favor last night. Luckily, the Bruins’ penalty kill was perfect, shutting down the lauded Penguins power play four times. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh did the same.

Twitter, as it often does, brought out the worst in sports fans last night. Some Pittsburgh fans took to Twitter to vent their frustration with their team’s impotent play, wishing another bombing upon the city of Boston. Jordan Kuruc, lead singer of the band “Forebearance,” tweeted, “NHL is f—–g rigged! Matt Cooke made a clean hit. I hope your city gets bombed again Boston.” He has since deleted his tweet and made numerous apologies.

Curt Sangriff tweeted, “Drop another bomb in boston right on the bruins arena. #dontgiveaf–k hate boston so much.” His account has been suspended after numerous users forwarded the tweet to the FBI’s Boston branch.

As callous and moronic as these idiots were, it’s important to refrain from generalization. Not at all Pens fan wish this upon us, just as not at all B’s fans called for a lynch mob to round up Washington Capitals’ forward Joel Ward.

Meanwhile, ESPN only further proved how little it cares about hockey.

It was hardly a steal. And it’s Tuukka, by the way.

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