Boston Bruins: 3 takeaways from wonderful Game 3 win over Capitals

Boston Bruins: 3 takeaways from wonderful Game 3 win over Washington

By Sam Minton | May 20, 2021

May 19, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Washington Capitals goaltender Ilya Samsonov (30) , right wing Garnet Hathaway (21) and defenseman Justin Schultz (2) skate off the ice as the Boston Bruins celebrate the winning goal by right wing Craig Smith (12) during the second overtime in game three of the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /

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Boston Bruins defenseman Mike Reilly (6) (Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports) /

2. The Boston Bruins can’t clear the puck

Another problem area for the Bruins has to be their inability to clear the puck. This isn’t a new problem but it once again showed itself on Wednesday night.

The second goal of the game for the Capitals was a direct result of Boston’s failure to get the puck out of their own zone. It almost resulted in the Bruins walking home with a loss in their first home playoff game since Boston’s Game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup Finals.

There were also multiple times where the Bruins nearly gave up goals because of the failure to clear the puck. Boston needs to have clearer exits out of their own zone and be smarter with the puck.

When an opponent is able to get significant time in your zone, they are bound to score at some point. Throughout Wednesday’s game, there were times where it seemed like Boston was on the penalty kill even though it was 5 on 5.

The Bruins need to get their puck out of their own zone or they will start to lose games. It’s a problem that they need to fix fast.

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