“I think I heard someone say, ‘Suck it up and play.'”
Bruce Cassidy didn’t seem offended by a harsh directive he overheard during the Bruins’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Lightning in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series Friday night.
“That’s what we’re trying to do,” Cassidy told reporters after Boston’s crushing defeat that gave Tampa Bay a 3-1 series lead. “We’re trying to suck it up and play.”
The consistently controversial officiating, however, is complicating the relatively simple task. During Game 4, Boston was upset with two third-period calls: the hooking penalty against Bruins forward Noel Acciari for a hit on defenseman Victor Hedman and the lack of penalty against Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov for grabbing defenseman Charlie McAvoy.