Gardiner was a dash-five. He had two giveaways. He fumbled the puck frequently and compounded his poor decisions. His passes refused to stretch, and when they did, it was for icings. When Babcock tapped No. 51 on the shoulder, 61 per cent of the shot attempts were being blasted at the visitors’ end.
“There’s no real explanation,” Gardiner said. “I felt fine. It just seemed like everything I was doing ended up in the back of the net.”
The ultimate turning point in a contest that featured at least seven of them featured Gardiner turning the wrong way on a brilliant burst by Bruins super rookie Jake DeBrusk
“I saw he had a lot of speed. I didn’t think I could’ve kept him in front of me, so I turned, skated with him,” said Gardiner, who tried to throw a body check as DeBrusk angled to the crease. “He made a good play. I gotta get a stick on it, though.”
He didn’t. Neither did Andersen, who let the game-winner slip five-hole. DeBrusk said he caught Gardiner off-guard. The highlight was too ugly or too heartbreaking for Babcock to re-watch.