| 28 October 2011
The first match up of the season with Northeast rival Montreal left the Bruins with another sour taste in their mouths and again lacking 2 points in the standings. While they were able to out play the Habs physically for most of the contest and dictate play, they were unable to convert more chances in this one and come away with the W. Give credit to Tim Thomas for his play tonight as he performed excellently. Give more credit though to his counterpart from Montreal who was the difference maker in this one with 34 saves.
It's hard to say what the Bruins didn't do other than convert in this one- the physical play was there, the pressure down low, the speed up the middle and the work on the boards. If there was one aspect to point to it would be the dismal power play efforts. Outside of the fluke goal by Bergeron to start their 2nd power play, the B's extra man effort was disappointing. Montreal was able to force the dump in at the blue line in most instances and then win races and battles for the puck. A 3 man puck pressure attack with the extra hanging out on top of the crease defending warded off the Bruins hope of pushing themselves ahead in this contest.
If this team is going to succeed then they need to show the same effort and ability on the man advantage as they were in earlier games. More puck movement, more skating, more creativity. They seemed too focused on maintaining a net front presence against Price which isn't a bad strategy except when it hinders your ability to keep a flow going. If you can credit the B's with anything specifically wrong in planning for this one it may be that they overplanned for this one.
Highlights of the night:
-Brad Marchand showed that he's not going to back down to anyone and will do what it takes to lead this team. From being a question mark on a Bruins roster ever at the start of last season to the first line 2 way wing he's become, the progression of Marchand's game has been impressive and enjoyed by Bruins fans.
-Shawn Thornton and Benoit Pouliot both deserve recognition in this one. When the team was at it's lowest both stepped on the ice with the aim of bringing them back and raising the energy. Thornton's skating possessed and hitting of Subban gave life to the crowd and the team and helped turn the flow of the game after Montreal goals. This could have been a much uglier affair without their effort on the ice.
Lowlights:
-David Krejci was rough to watch tonight. It seems as though he's not comfortable on the ice yet after coming back from injury. His play at this point is hesitant, it's a bit lost and is hurting his line. A number of shifts by his line lead to extended stays in the Bruins own end as moving the puck forward appeared to be impossible. What he needs in order to get back to his puck possession, offensive, matrix like self is uncertain. It is certain though that this team is hurting without him being a factor on every shift.
Friday 5 Questions:
-What does Julien need to do in order to make sure this team plays a complete game and gets the most out of all his players?
-How important is the Bergeron line really to this team? How else can the team build around that unit to succeed?
-Would anyone dare to split up Lucic and Seguin at this point in order to make Seguin a center again?
-How will this Bruins team respond Saturday night as the home and home heads to Montreal?
-Finally, would you be willing to make a call up from Providence to shake things up and try to make a difference or build chemistry?
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