Bruins need to be better on the power play, and other Game 2 thoughts
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Bruins looked like a much better team on Wednesday. Apparently they’re trying now because it’s the real playoffs. But it wasn’t a perfect win. For a few key reasons, their Game 1 victory was closer on the scoreboard than it should’ve been.
Chief among those reasons is the Bruins power play. The B’s went 0-for-3 on Wednesday with just three shots on goal. Worse is they had one shot against on the PP – Brock McGinn’s breakaway shot that beat Tuukka Rask and tied the game 2-2. Rod Brind’Amour gifted them a PP with an unsuccessful challenge and got a fine for his troubles after ripping the refs. But he actually failed upward, because his team tied the game instead of getting buried.
When it’s a shorthanded breakaway goal, you have to wonder not about the goalie but whatever the hell happened with the guys in front of him. In this case, it was David Pastrnak’s pass to nowhere that led to McGinn’s shorty. That’s the kind of mistake you simply can’t make on the man advantage.
We’ve been over this. The Sports Hub’s resident Bruins master, Ty Anderson, noted multiple times heading into the series that the Hurricanes have a similar penalty kill to the Bruins’ – that is, they put two-way skill forwards on the attack, hoping to pounce on a loose puck or capitalize on a mistake. Bruce Cassidy loves to do that with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. And he also knows that his own guys need to be more disciplined moving the puck on the PP against an aggressive PK that won’t just let them run their plays.
The Bruins power play can’t afford to make mistakes like the one David Pastrnak made in Game 1. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
“I think you have to have a little more of a 5-on-5 mentality when you’re going against that, in terms of protecting a puck, maybe spinning out of a hit and get close support instead of thinking, they’re going to let us set up,” Cassidy said in a Zoom call on Thursday. “Some of it was just, we had to live it. We did. It cost us a shorty. We won the game so we’ll move past it, try to make the necessary adjustments.
“We’re going to have to simplify it and be ready for pressure tonight. Hopefully get it going again because it can be a major weapon for us.”
Cassidy also said that the power play is a little behind in terms of their preparation for the playoffs, due to Pastrnak and Ondrej Kase missing early workouts and other key players needing maintenance days. The hope is that both PP units look sharper in Game 2, and especially avoid potentially costly mistakes. If the script flips on Thursday, the Bruins will put themselves firmly in the driver’s seat in the series.
Some other things to look for in Game 2…
— The Bruins didn’t acquire Nick Ritchie to play him against Carolina. He was most certainly an addition for the likes of Washington, Tampa, or (gulp) St. Louis. They’ll need him more to combat bigger, heavier rosters and he will likely be more of a factor in those matchups, if and when they get them. Cassidy said the Bruins are likely sticking with the same lineup in Game 2, though, so Ritchie will have to find a way to impact the game – or at least avoid being a negative. He lost what should have been an easy puck battle win, then was caught in no-man’s land defensively, on the Hurricanes’ first goal in Game 1.
— Speaking of that first goal, though … that’s a shot that Tuukka Rask absolutely has to stop. And despite Reverend Mike Milbury absolving Rask of his sins on Carolina’s third goal during the NBC Sports broadcast, he had to have that one, too. Even if he was screened, he needs to be aware of how aggressive the Hurricanes’ blue liners are with their shooting and certainly take up more of the net than he did on Haydn Fleury’s game-tying goal. Rask did make some good saves in Game 1, but these goals that are flung in from 90 feet out are getting tiresome. He needs to make the easy saves when he starts in Game 2.
MORE: Bergeron line walks the walk in Game 1
— Jake DeBrusk and Ondrej Kase need to find a way to finish their chances. David Krejci looked like his 2011/2013 playoff form in Game 1, and his linemates were the beneficiary of that with five and seven individual scoring chances, respectively. DeBrusk was particularly frustrated after he couldn’t corral a pass quickly enough to tap it into an open net. It could just be a matter of time, if Krejci keeps playing the way he did on Wednesday. But if the Bruins truly want to be a more dangerous playoff team, they’ll need continued tangible production from that line. Krejci can’t do it all by himself.
Game 1 Postgame Podcast
Ty Anderson and I went over the Bruins power play and other topics in a bonus episode of the Sports Hub Sidelines podcast. Have a listen below, and check back after Game 2 Thursday night for another bonus postgame show.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
