| 27 May 2011
Sitting upstairs looking down on the Garden tonight has me quite a few things; anxious, excited, believing, thankful and reminiscent. The 10-11 season has had it's shares of ups and downs, joyful moments and heartaches and in the end it's been an amazing ride and one, as a Bruins fan, I don't want to see end.
From the start overseas to the ruts the team saw mid season through the playoff push, deadline moves and opening rounds, this season has been more of a ride than most of us expected. One where we've shaken our heads at times but mostly, has us excited; excited about the possibilities that tonight presents and the possibilities that come with our future. Yet before we start dreaming of line ups for next season (I mean we have all summer to do just that) I'd like to take a moment and do two things- say thank you and give the keys to tonight's game.
So to start, thanks. Thanks to the Bruins- you guys have made it quite the season, have pushed hard, battled injury, rough patches, negative attention at times and your fair of set backs, yet you've pushed on and pushed on hard to make quite the drive so far. Let's keep it going tonight and give this team the opportunity to battle it out with Vancouver for the Cup. Thanks to the fans- the ones you have come every night, supported the team through the ups and downs, been there for the good and the bad, stressed and discussed and gone over board following this team. Without the fans, this team doesn't exist. Thanks to the writers who follow and relay what they learn about this team. You keep everyone up and throw out new ideas. Sure sometimes you think your influence reaches beyond what it really does, but it's the media that pushes ideas and those sparks can sometimes lead to great things. Thanks to this organization for doing all they can to make this year a reality and for stocking the system with some incredible talent so that we can have this excitement year in, year out. Thanks to the Bruins marketing department for making some awesome jokes- even if Tampa fans aren't appreciative. And finally, thanks to the writers on Something's Bruin- you guys are great in pushing the insights and discussions that make me and hopefully most out there enjoy this sport even more.
On to the pregame thoughts:
No one needs to say how big tonight is to this team, organization and city. With the last Stanley Cup appearance happening 21 years ago, the last cup win well before that, the Bruins are poised to make the push that many have dreamed of. All it will take, is 1 win tonight.
To get that win though will be a challenge as every game in this series has been. The Lightning are a quality opponent, one who the Bruins have respected and battled through 6 games evenly. To topple them won't be an easy task. It is a task though that will start in the Bruin's own end. Defense will be critical in this match up. The Lightning last game showed that they're capable of coming out and putting up the numbers needed to win most games. With a number of talented scorers capable of turning a mistake into a goal for the opposition and a deadly power play, the Bruins will need to be careful and cognizant of Tampa's offensive schemes, attempts to stretch the ice and presence down low. The Bruins will need to keep the front of the net clear, keep Thomas from getting run over when possible, and work to quickly move the puck out of the zone.
With the home ice advantage, the Bruins do have the ability to focus on shutting down the Lightning with their choice of match ups. Look for Tampa's top lines to be challenged consistently by Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg. The Boston defensive pair has been relied upon for all of the playoffs and will be looked to again tonight. The pair will have to be physical in their own end, keep Tampa to the outside and look to make quick clean plays to begin the transition.
Additionally, Boston will need to stay out of the box. Game 6 showed what can happen when Tampa's power play comes to life. While prior to game 6 the penalty kill was rather effective, it's better to not take the chance and seeing what the Lightning will do. Keeping them off the power play will also allowed a better flow to the 5 on 5 game- something that benefits the Bruins as the home team and can be beneficial in exploiting match ups.
Through center ice Boston will be forced to keep up with a continually changing system. Tampa will likely come out with the 1-2-2, attempting to force Boston into jams and dumping the puck or taking the puck and forcing play back up ice before Boston can filter the puck to the outside. On top of that, many are aware of the 1-3-1 that Tampa will resort to especially when guarding a lead. The system requires a different method of attack, often having a Bruins puck carrier move laterally to open up lanes and drag the deep man to one side so that play can be pushed back into open areas. Boston will need to watch for the changes and adapt their attacks so that they do not play into the systems. As noted earlier, a mistake- especially in the neutral zone against Tampa can very quickly lead to a goal going up under the visitor half of the score sheet.
Up front, Boston needs to play Bruins hockey. They need to be hard and fast, attacking the defenseman on the forecheck, forcing turn overs and continually making Tampa look over their shoulders for the hit. If they can do this often and early, they will be able to force Tampa slip ups in their own end, gain possession and through a consistent and sturdy possession game, create quality chances.
The possession game will be critical; Tampa often looks to apply pressure in numbers on the puck to win battles and begin quick transitions. Boston will need to watch for this and either 1. look to win the puck quickly and move it to the open man forcing Tampa to scramble or 2. provide the additional support to counter the measure and maintain possession before generating chances. The battles on the boards tonight will be huge- expect Lucic, Bergeron and Marchand to be key in this area.
In the end though, the game will be won in front of the net. The question of, can the Bruins get enough traffic in front of the Tampa net to get screen goals, tip ins and rebounds will need to be answered to determine the outcome. If Boston can do this, then they have the ability to send themselves on to the Cup Finals. This will be in the end a game of chances- can Boston generate enough chances and get down low to finish them without giving up enough power plays and mistakes for Tampa to capitalize.
60 minutes of play are in front of these two teams. 60 minutes that I hope lead to at least 2 more games this season in Boston. The time to execute is now. The time to fight for everything is now. The question is, who is going to make the most of tonight and make sure that they push on to face Vancouver. Bruins fans, let's hope that this team can do what needs to be done tonight.
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