Bruins D Kevan Miller Sends Message To Miles Wood, Devils

Boy, the Bruins missed Kevan Miller!

After their goalie Tuukka Rask was on the receiving end of goalie interference calls and constant liberties by New Jersey Devils winger Miles Wood, the Boston Bruins promised they would not let that become a trend for the Devils or any other opponents. Just 19 ticks into regulation today, Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller made sure to make that message clear to Wood, the Devils, and the East Division by absolutely pummeling the Devils speedy winger. Give credit to Wood for taking the beating and now let’s see if he and his teammates got the message.

Kevan Miller drops the gloves with Miles Wood. pic.twitter.com/rxTtWD8eJY

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) January 16, 2021

While the Boston Bruins made the Devils pay on the scoreboard in their 3-2 shootout win Thursday by scoring on both subsequent powerplays from Wood’s goalie interference calls, Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy made it clear after the game that he would address the runs at his goalie with his players to make sure it wouldn’t happen again.

“Clearly that will be talked about tomorrow; that part of it because that’s not something we want to be a trend and we have plenty of guys in our lineup that can take care of business in that regard,” Cassidy acknowledged after Rask came up huge in the final minutes, overtime and in the shootout for a 3-2 Bruins win.

Rask also expressed his frustration but did so with veiled warnings.

“I hope not because we’re going to play them seven more times so I don’t know,” Rask said with a sarcastic chuckle. “It seems to be what. …every single time but [Wood] does that every single game anyway because he’s so fast. So, I dunno; you gotta ask them, I doubt it. But. …I dunno. Not a fan obviously.”

The Boston Bruins play the Devils and all East Division teams eight times so it’s imperative for them and all East Division teams to set the boundaries early in the season. Cassidy understood the type of player Wood is but also wasn’t forgiving his recklessness.

“But that’s how [Wood] plays a little bit so it’s typically him; it’s the one guy going to the net hard. I think there was one late but that was more of a breakaway, a guy chasing an angle that I think is a hockey play,” said Cassidy. “Like I said, Wood tends to go to the net hard, and first of all, we gotta get in his way, and second of all, we gotta discourage that.”

As for Wood, he tried to play innocent following the game Thursday.

“Yeah just self-awareness, know where you are,” Wood said. “I thought I had Grzelcyk beat there but obviously I didn’t. That was just my thought process, obviously just to cut in front of him and you know. …stuff happens. That was not my intention to take him out. That’s never my intention, but in a fast-paced game, stuff happens.”

Miller made sure stuff happened to Wood early on Saturday.