Bruins rookies ready to make playoff debut against Maple Leafs

BOSTON -- When most kids dream of being the hero in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they are out on ponds, or in backyards, or in local rinks.

When Matt Grzelcyk pretended he was scoring the game-winning goal for the Boston Bruins in a playoff game, he often was on TD Garden ice. His father, John, worked at Boston Garden and TD Garden on the Bull Gang, the group that changes over the arena, and Matt would often get the chance to skate at the Bruins' home rink after games.

"I think every kid when they're stick-handling by themselves, they're thinking about playing in these types of games," Matt Grzelcyk said. "Sometimes after some of the playoff games when the building cleared out, you'd get to go over there, maybe late at night, just kind of wheel around. These are the kind of scenarios that you put yourself in. It's pretty fun, and it's pretty cool to think about."
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Now the Bruins defenseman will be doing it for real.
Grzelcyk is one of three Bruins rookies expected to play their first playoff game when Boston plays the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round at TD Garden on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVAS, NESN).
Forwards Danton Heinen and Jake DeBrusk also are expected to get their first chance in the postseason. Forward Ryan Donato likely won't play Game 1, but could later in the series.

"It's going to be lots of fun," DeBrusk said. "It's going to be crazy."
Rookie defensemen Charlie McAvoy and forward Sean Kuraly made their playoff debut last season in the six-game first-round loss to the Ottawa Senators.
McAvoy, who played in Game 1 against the Senators two days after signing with the Bruins following the end of his sophomore season at Boston University, said he will have a greater appreciation for the playoffs this time around.
"I kind of forgot to take in everything," McAvoy said. "This year I'm going to try and have a different approach, really try and enjoy it. Because you work so hard, now I have this feeling of really what it takes to get here. You've got to go through an 82-game grind to put yourself in a good position, and we have done that. So you take a second to be excited about that."
And watch as some of your teammates get to experience it for the first time.
DeBrusk was 6 months old when his father, Louie, made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut with the Edmonton Oilers against the Dallas Stars on April 16, 1997.

Louie, a forward, played 15 postseason games with the Oilers and Phoenix Coyotes in his 11-season NHL career. With a deep run in the playoffs, Jake could pass that number this season. So he's been asking around, gauging what it's like.
"From what I've heard it's really intense but it's a lot of fun and brings guys close together," said Jake DeBrusk, whose father scored two playoff goals. "[My dad] said that it's pretty crazy and every play matters. The little details of the system and of your game are amplified. Obviously at the same time it's really fun. And when you score it's the best feeling in the world. I'm looking forward to that."