| 18 October 2011
The first period found the B's coming out strong against the Canes with the top 2 lines dominating play early. The Bruins had 3 scoring chances all within the first minute of the game coming from the sticks of Rich Peverley, Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin. While it looked as though they would be the ones to strike first in this outing, Cam Ward held strong and the guys in front of him found a fortunate puck down low and put one by Tuukka Rask, coming from the stick of Anthony Steward.
The feel of the first few minutes were replicated throughout the period- strong pressure by the Bruins for multiple shifts with scoring chances only to have an off shift where Carolina was able to bang it through the neutral zone and create a chance down low. While the effort when the shifts have been positive has been good, the B's have received failing scores on their bad shifts.
Not receiving bad marks in the first tonight: Tyler Seguin. Continuing with the rocket start he's had for his sophomore season, Seguin has created a number of chances- in the first minute of the period, the last minute and a few in between. The young center has seemed to become more comfortable playing with left wing Milan Lucic and his chemistry with Horton still grows. Many have said that he's been the Bruins best player this season and it's an argument that holds strong. Outside of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Tim Thomas, there aren't many that can claim to have brought more to the ice than Seguin. With David Krejci's continued stint on the sidelines the question in the minds of many is now, what do you do when Krejci comes back?
Going into the second the Bruins need to become a more physical team once more and bring the force that drove them through the playoffs on every shift. They may even need to step away from the puck possession game and start playing some dump in chase just to give themselves the opportunity to create havoc in the offensive end and wear out the Carolina defense. Also look for the team to step up slightly more in the neutral zone so that they can turn the puck around quicker and trap Carolina in their own zone and away from the change. Finally, be cognizant of changes in the forecheck where the Bruins may start sliding a forward into the slot to attempt to catch a Cane's defenseman using a lane previously opened for the outlet pass. They've been successful with this in the past against Carolina and may very well present the same trap tonight. The challenge of Ward will still remain though- and that will be a tough challenge to overcome.
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