Ferland destroys Matt Grzelcyk in the opening moments of Game 2.

You could really feel Matt Grzelcyk's pain on this one.

The 25 year old Boston Bruins defenseman probably had a game plan coming into Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final but I think it is safe to say that, whatever that plan may have been, it was disrupted very early on. That's because either deliberately or through sheer bad luck Grzelcyk was the target of some truly huge hits early on in the game.

The one that really rattled him however came courtesy of Carolina Hurricanes forward Micheal Ferland, a player that has really come into his own this season especially when it comes to the physicality he brings to the game. Ferland caught Grzelcyk battling for the puck along the board and it seems that based on Grzelcyk's body language that he never saw the big Hurricanes forward coming. 

The resulting impact was a massive hit right in front of the Bruins bench, which meant that Grzelcyk's body was slammed into the edge of the board. I think it was for that reason that Grzelcyk was so shaken up on the play, but whether it was the blow for Ferland or the position on the boards, it was obvious that Grzelcyk was feeling it. In spite of the fact that he got hammered right in front of the Bruins' bench, it took him several long moments to get back onto that bench and recover. In fact Grzelcyk seemed to be struggling considerably when he tried to go over the boards, and in the replay you can actually see his teammates helping to pull him over as he struggles to make his way onto the bench.

The Hurricanes would quickly lay two more solid hits on Grzelcyk once he got back out onto the ice, but this one from Ferland was definitely the one that hurt. To his credit though Grzelcyk would not only remain in the game following the hit from Ferland and the other hits that would follow, but he would also go on to pick up the very first goal of the game. It was a bit of a soft goal to give up from Hurricanes goaltender Petr Mrazek, but tremendous grit displayed by Gryzelcyk nonetheless.