The Boston Bruins had a horrible start to game 2. They came out flat and it proved to be their downfall. If the Bruins want to win game 3 they are going to have to play much better.
They always say you can’t win them all. Even if the saying is true you want your team to win every time they touch the ice. The Boston Bruins started off the series with a bang. They were clearly the better team and headed into game 2 with all the confidence in the world.
It seemed that the Bruins may have had too much confidence. They came out as flat as Kyrie Irving’s Earth and would end up losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in game 2.
The Bruins are now back in Boston and looking to regain control of the series. It may be early, but you don’t want to see the Bruins go down to the Lightning. They are a dangerous team and if they are able to get hot the B’s are as good as gone.
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This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be confident. The Boston Bruins are the better team. They match up great with the Lightning. It seems crazy to say, but the Toronto Maple Leafs are a much more dangerous team than the Lightning. At least in the Bruins case.
It will be a crazy atmosphere in Boston (as it always is). This has been a great series early on. Both teams have been physical and have been going up and down the ice.
If the Bruins want to win game 3 they are going to have to play much better. Here are the 3 keys to defeating the Lightning in game 3 and regaining the series lead.
The Bruins need to start strong
Anyone who watched the game on Monday saw that the Bruins had a horrible start to the game. They were unable to get anything going in the offensive zone and were just playing passively.
Everyone knows that the Bruins are known for their physical play. Adam McQuaid, Kevan Miller, Charlie McAvoy, David Backes, and the 4th line are known to lay some people out. On Monday the Lightning were the ones on the offensive.
Ryan Callahan and many other Lightning players were delivering some big hits. Every time a Bruins player was near the boards they were getting hit. Who can forget Callahan’s hit on McQuaid? It was like a train ran over “Quaider.” You don’t see players doing that often. It was a play that all hockey fans can enjoy.
So on Wednesday night the Bruins need to come out with a bang. They are back at home so they will be fueled on by the crowd. The Bruins need to be banging bodies and getting things going in the offensive zone. Most importantly the Bruins just need to get shots on net. You can’t score if you aren’t hitting the net.
Playing smarter
The Bruins made way too many mistakes on Monday night. All across the ice there were mistakes made. Let’s start in the offensive zone.
Patrice Bergeron is probably the best faceoff taker in the history of the NHL. In these last two series something has been up with him.
I don’t think it is “Bergy’s” fault, but he needs to be smarter in the circle. He is a supreme talent at winning faceoffs so he doesn’t need to be pulling out all the stops in the circle. He just needs to fight hard once the puck is dropped. I think this is more on the zebra’s than Bergeron, but if he is smarter in the circle he will hopefully not get kicked out as much.
Now in the defensive zone the Bruins are playing too loose with the puck. Brad Marchand had a horrible turnover, and the Bruins are still struggling to get the puck out of the zone. The Bruins need to limit Tampa’s time in the zone if they want to win. I want Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos out of the zone as quick as possible.
Finally Tuukka Rask. Buddy, what happened? On the Lightning’s go-ahead goal halfway through the 2nd period, Rask was horribly out of position. You can’t be that far off on a shot. Don’t get me wrong Rask had a great game. He single-handedly kept the Bruins in the game, but that can’t happen.
If the Bruins want to win they are going to need a lights-out performance from Rask.
Get to work in the offensive zone
Finally, the Bruins have struggled to gain serious time in Tampa Bay’s zone. Their lack of shots wasn’t completely due to missing the net. The big problem is that the Lightning dominated possession.
On Wednesday night the Bruins need to get a ton more shots on net, but also they have to spend more time in the offensive zone. If they are able to do this they will get more scoring chances as well as higher quality opportunities.
The Bruins need to cycle the puck and look for the best opportunity. Once you make Andrei Vasilevskiy start sprawling all over the place he will get nervous and that’s when the Bruins will score some goals.
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There is no need to worry as a Boston Bruins fan. The B’s played one of their worst games of the season and almost were able to steal a win. I expect them to start much better on Monday night, and hopefully they will be the team on top when the final horn sounds. These two teams have played some exciting hockey, and it will only pick up as the series progresses.