from Christopher L. Gasper of the Boston Globe,

Phil Kessel is a man of few words and, when it comes to facing his former team, a man of even fewer goals.

Give Kessel credit. The former Bruin spoke postgame on a night when his silence on the ice spoke volumes about his reputation as a faux franchise forward. Turned into white noise on skates, Kessel could only watch as the Bruins roared to a 4-1 victory over his Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at TD Garden Wednesday night.

The Bruins don’t want to say it. They don’t have to. You can see it. They’re in Phil the Thrill’s head. It’s like when they sent him to Toronto in 2009 they put a hockey hex on him. He sees the Spoked-B sweaters and becomes an Empty Kessel.

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