TAMPA – If there’s one area where the Bruins can be demonstrably better in their series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, it’s in the starts to their playoff games.
Certainly, it looks and feels like the Lightning have been the better hockey team for the balance of the series anyway, and a good start really doesn’t ensure the Black and Gold of anything.
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But after allowing the first goals in each the past three games that have turned into playoff losses to fall down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, changing things up and actually scoring first might be worth investigating. The Bruins are 4-1 when they score first in this postseason and. amazingly. the Bolts have only had two of their eight postseason games thus far where they allowed their opponent to score first.
One of those games was Game 1, their only victory of this second-round series, when Rick Nash scored for the Bruins on the power play.
“To get everyone involved and focused while continuing to go toward the pillars of our success is what we need for a fast start,” said Bruins winger David Backes, who was dropped to a fourth line role in the Game 4 loss to Tampa. “The rest of the game we’ll take it minute-by-minute and shift-by-shift after that, but certainly the first 10 minutes [of Game 5] are going to be huge, and it hasn’t been ideal by any means over the last few games. We’ve been spotting their team one or two goals in the first 10 minutes, and then we’re climbing uphill after that.”
The actual start at the drop of the puck hasn’t always been the issue for the Bruins in the three losses, but it’s been much more about the opening half of the first period. Bruce Cassidy has preached starting on time to his players, but even he admitted it’s probably more about simple execution than his players not being ready to go at this time of year with everything on the line.
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“You take the positive and work on the stuff that we need to get better,” said Cassidy, on his approach to Game 5 after a gut-wrenching and soul-crushing overtime Game 4 loss at TD Garden. “That’s our starts. We need to be on time tomorrow. We’ve talked about it for, what, three games in a row now? That’s something we definitely to be ready at the puck drop. And I don’t even know if it’s being ready. I think our guys are ready. It’s more just about being able to execute.”
Boston Bruins
It sounds as if the Bruins are intent on playing mistake-free hockey while exerting their on today's game in Tampa just like they did in long spurts of Game 5 in Boston and perhaps they will find the Lightning easing up with a commanding lead in the series.
Let’s also not forget the Black and Gold had a 3-2 lead in the third period of Game 4 before another controversial non-call did them in prior to their overtime loss.
So, just to be sure the Bruins should play perfect hockey in the first 10 minutes and then go ahead and try and play the perfect game against a quality opponent to stay alive in the postseason. It’s easier said than done, but that’s the roadmap laid out for the Bruins as they get ready for a do-or-die Game 5.
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