Is it the fatigue that is starting to make itself felt? Or are the Bruins simply incapable of finding solutions against the Panthers? Probably a bit of both, in fact.
The Bruins were playing their fifth game in nine days on Friday night, and they were never in the lead. They did have a boost of energy at the end of the match, in the last 15 minutes, but it was too late. They lost 6-2 in what was their first home game of this second round series.
To add to their woes, their own supporters booed them copiously, and not just once. This is without mentioning the “upper body” injury to Brad Marchand, who left the game after the second period. The striker appeared in discomfort after a collision with Sam Bennett in the first half.
In short, nothing went well.
“They are calm and focused. I think that tonight, they will have some juice,” Jim Montgomery told the media on site in Boston on Friday morning.
The head coach obviously erred because the Panthers dominated from the first minutes of the match. They took a 1-0 lead midway through the first period – the work of Evan Rodrigues.
But it was really in the second period, in the space of 60 short seconds, that a large part of the match was decided.
With 5 minutes left, the Bruins had a good offensive sequence for the first time in the game. At that point, Mason Lohrei hit Steven Lorentz in the face with his stick. There was blood. Result: double minor penalty for the Boston defender.
PHOTO MICHAEL DWYER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Carter Verhaeghe scores a goal.
Vladimir Tarasenko scored on the power play. Carter Verhaeghe too. It was 3-0 for Florida. Even on television, you could clearly hear the boos at TD Garden.
Not complicated: everything the Bruins tried offensively aborted before even getting to Sergei Bobrovsky’s goal. A blatant lack of cohesion.
Jakub Lauko
The only Bruins line to have had a decent game was, surprisingly, the fourth, made up of Jakub Lauko, John Beecher and Pat Maroon. Lauko, a member of the champion edition of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in 2019, was one of the few good players for the Bruins in this defeat.
At the start of the third period, the young striker was penalized for obstructing the goalkeeper during an individual attack. Chased by Aaron Ekblad, Lauko rushed to the net without braking, which earned him two minutes in the cell. At TD Garden, no one could believe it: the player himself, Montgomery, the fans who started throwing their bottles on the ice.
PHOTO WINSLOW TOWNSON, USA TODAY SPORTS
Bruins fans showed their discontent by throwing bottles onto the ice.
Once again, the Panthers special unit hit the mark.
At 4-0, the game was practically out of reach for the Bruins, who had only shot 12 times on net compared to 30 times for the Panthers. And yet, that’s when they decided to wake up.
Lauko scored his first career playoff goal, then Jake DeBrusk made it 4-2.
We know the result, but the fact remains that the Bruins finally played, in the third period, a little more with dignity. They beat Sergei Bobrovsky with two shots from distance.
In goal, Jeremy Swayman didn’t necessarily have a bad game, but he was left to his own devices. Regardless, he has just allowed four or more goals in two consecutive games. Bringing back Linus Ullmark might not be a bad decision, if only to bring a breath of fresh air.
Jim Montgomery’s men are still only 2-1 behind in the series. Nothing is decided. Let’s see if they will be able to prove that their clear 5-1 victory in the first duel was not just a fluke…