I'm sick and it's raining here so I decided to look into Ratelle's playoff performances.
1976- LA series
Game 1: Boston wins 4-0 vs LA. Ratelle dominates with 2 goals and 1 assist. He scored to make it 2-0 in the first period (a huge goal), assisted on the goal under a minute into the second period to make it 3-0 (another big point) and scored to make it 4-0 in the third (probably a meaningless goal).
Game 2: LA upsets Boston 3-2 in overtime. Ratelle scores to give Boston a 1-0 lead then assists on Bucyk's goal to give Boston a 2-1 lead. However, Butch Goring scores 27 seconds into overtime to win it for LA. It's not Ratelle's fault as he delivered 2 pts in a crucial contest.
Game 3: LA wins 6-4. I have a scoresheet but no write-up. Ratelle appears to be invisible (0 points) as Boston blows a 2-0 first period lead.
Game 4: Boston wins 3-0 on the road to tie the series at two. Jean Ratelle scores a goal to make it 2-0 about 4 minutes into the second period.
Game 5: Boston wins 7-1. Ratelle scores yet another goal. He assists on the game-winning goal, scored by Schmautz at 00:55 of the second period. He has 5 goals, 3 assists so far (as far as I can tell).
Game 6: LA stays alive with a 4-3 win in overtime. Can't find anything about this game.
Game 7: Boston wins 3-0 to advance to the third round (they had a 2nd round bye). Ratelle makes headlines with yet another dominating night. He records 2 goals and an assist. Ratelle scored the first goal on a 4-on-3 powerplay midway through the second period. Ken Hodge scored off a Ratelle rebound a few minutes later, and Ratelle scored on a breakaway to make it 3-0 six minutes into the third.
Clearly, Ratelle was a dominant force against the Kings, with 7 goals and 5 assists (Globe & Mail, Tuesday, April 27, 1976) in the 7-game series. More importantly, he scored or assisted on many game-winners for the Bruins. He was a dominant force in at least 4 games in the series.
1976- Philly series
Ratelle is listed as the key to the series, and Boston's MVP, in the pre-series analysis.
Game 1: Boston wins 4-2. Jean Ratelle assists on the game-winning goal in the third period as the Bruins take a 1-0 series lead.
Game 2: Philadelphia wins 2-1 in OT. Ratelle assists on the game-tying goal in the third with under 7 minutes to go. Reggie Leach scored the OT winner because the puck took a bad bounce off of Ratelle and landed right on Leach's stick. Ratelle might deserve some blame here, but it was a fluky bounce from a Joe Watson shot.
Game 3: Philadelphia wins 5-2. Ratelle scores a goal in the first period, tying the game at one. Philly scored 3 goals in the third to win. (Interesting side note: Bobby Clarke played 34:40).
A newspaper article after game 3 says that Ratelle is "playing the best hockey of his career". (Tuesday, May 4, 1976, page 38). Don Cherry says that Ratelle is able to fit into the Bruins' tight defensive system more effectively than Esposito would have. (Ratelle and Park were traded for Espo earlier in the year). Boston's coach Don Cherry says that Ratelle "leads the team" and "people don't realize how good he is". Ratelle is "the same type of player as Jean Beliveau" and has "brought class to the team and the guys respect him".
Game 4: Philadelphia wins 4-2. Jean Ratelle had to go to the dressing room due to an upper back injury. As far as I can tell, he was held scoreless. Don Cherry hinted that Ratelle would miss game 5. Ratelle is quoted as saying that the Bruins didn't match the Flyers' aggressiveness.
Game 5: Philadelphia wins 6-3. Ratelle played but was in "obvious pain". He registered 1 assist. The Flyers' Leach scores 5 goals, and the Bruins season ends.
Ratelle was somewhat less successful against the Flyers, with 1 goal and 3 assists in 5 games. He was playing through injury for 2 games though.
Overall, Ratelle's playoff run in 1976 was an overwhelming success. He was regarded as a classy, veteran leader who bought into Cherry's defensive system. Ratelle played through injuries, was a dominant force versus LA, and a solid scorer against the Flyers.