Chowder and Champions
Fansided

Boston Bruins: Three keys to winning Game 3 against Washington Capitals

By Connor Floyd

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 15: Anthony Mantha #39 of the Washington Capitals and Tuukka Rask #40 of the Boston Bruins chase the puck during the second period during Game One of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs May 15, 2021 at Capital One Arena on May 15, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 15: Anthony Mantha #39 of the Washington Capitals and Tuukka Rask #40 of the Boston Bruins chase the puck during the second period during Game One of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs May 15, 2021 at Capital One Arena on May 15, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Boston Bruins tied the series against the Washington Capitals at 1-1 after a thrilling overtime win on Monday night. The series will head to Boston’s TD Garden for Game 3 on Wednesday night at 6:30 PM.

After a fairly flat and lethargic effort in Game 1, Bruce Cassidy and the Bruins made some noticeable adjustments for Game 2. The Bruins were much more aggressive offensively, fighting for pucks and absolutely peppering Caps backup goalie Craig Anderson with shots from the moment the puck dropped.

Boston Bruins must continue to be aggressive and win the SOG battle

This brings me to the first key to the Bruins winning Game 3 and going up in the series. On paper, the Bruins top two lines should overpower the Capitals, and that’s something that coach Bruce Cassidy wanted to see in Game 2 after a lackadaisical Game 1.

It’s worth noting that Capitals goalie Vitek Vanecek did not practice on Tuesday, and there’s a decent chance the Bruins face Anderson again on Wednesday night.

More from Chowder and Champions

Anderson is known to be a rebound machine. The more shots the B’s send his way, the more opportunities Anderson will give the Bruins to bury one.

I’m not saying the Bruins should fling the puck at him every time they cross the blue line, but you get what I’m saying. Continue to be aggressive in the Capitals zone and don’t be afraid to shoot the puck.

Boston Bruins must match the Capitals physicality on defense

The Capitals are a bigger team than the Bruins, especially on defense. No getting around that. Just looking at defenseman, the Capitals are, on average, more than three inches taller and more than 17 pounds heavier.

To be honest, I don’t want to even see the discrepancy between the Bruins and Capitals skaters. The Bruins will struggle to outhit a team built like the Capitals, but they can outwork them.

The Bruins need to amp up their defensive aggressiveness and physicality, but while still playing in control. Not allowing the Caps to beat them up – also known as the St. Louis Blues method – will send a message to both teams.

Boston Bruins must continue to dominate the faceoff circle

Through the first two games, the Bruins have won a whopping 61.5 percent of their faceoffs. That is a truly ridiculous number, even in a matchup that, on paper, heavily favors the Bruins to begin with.

Next. 3 players who need to step up in 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. dark

However, with how tight these teams have played each other through two games, the Bruins can’t afford to give the Capitals any more chances to set their offense up in front of Tuukka Rask and the Bruins zone.

Home/Boston Bruins