Now, they must lean into that identity to come back from a Game One loss and take over their series against the Springfield Thunderbirds
The Springfield Thunderbirds upset the Providence Bruins 3-2 in Game One of the Atlantic Division Semifinal. It was a shock considering the Bruins finished the season with 38 more points than the Thunderbirds and are expected to win the Calder Cup as the team with the best record in the American Hockey League.
The Bruins are suddenly trailing in the series against a feisty Thunderbirds team. They are a battle-tested group and talented enough to overcome deficits. Now, they must battle back to win this series and the Calder Cup.
Bruins Must Find Comeback Mentality
Comeback victories were a common occurrence for the Bruins this season. Whether it was 2-0 or 3-1, they would still stick to their structure and find a few goals to end up on the winning side of things. It looked like another comeback was in the works on Friday night as they cut the deficit to one goal after relentless pressure in the final minutes. The effort was too little and too late.
The Bruins have the roster to battle back. It’s a veteran group with many of them returning after coming up short in the playoffs last season. When they trailed 2-0 in the Semifinal to the Charlotte Checkers, they battled back to force a Game Five. This team knows what it takes to win a series and win the Cup. It’s why the first game, while tough to digest, doesn’t faze them.
They trail 1-0 in the series but it’s far from over. It’s a best-of-five, and the Bruins are expected to come out firing in Game Two. They didn’t control the play until it was too late, and they’ll look to win puck battles and keep the puck in the offensive zone.
The veterans set the tone, and they’ll come prepared after a rough loss. “There’s a lot of pride in our room. When you have guys like Brown and Sweezey, these guys who hold everybody accountable, it just makes this job a lot easier,” Bruins head coach Ryan Mougenel mentioned in a conversation with The Hockey News following a Mar. 4 comeback win over the Hartford Wolf Pack. The message still applies as they turn the page towards Sunday’s game.
Bruins Will Have Reinforcements
The Boston Bruins were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Friday night by the Buffalo Sabres. With the loss, some players who were on the AHL team by the trade deadline are eligible to return to Providence.
One of the big names expected to return is Lukas Reichel, a 23-year-old forward who plays well on both ends. He’s the spark that the Bruins need, especially with how they looked in their recent game.
The other player fans wondered about was James Hagens, the top prospect in the Bruins system. Unfortunately for Providence, he can’t return because of the entry-level contract he signed in April. Instead, he’s heading to the IIHF World Championship in Switzerland, something Mark Divver confirmed on Friday night.
While Hagens won’t join the AHL team, they’ll still get a jolt, and it comes at a good time.
Why Springfield is a Tough Out
The Bruins and Thunderbirds faced each other 12 times this season. In the AHL, teams play 72 regular-season games, so these teams have essentially spent a seventh of the season playing each other. With the surplus of matchups comes a built-in familiarity. The Thunderbirds might be a worse team but they know the Bruins well and have a great scouting report on them.
This Thunderbird team is also better than its record indicates. They are a well-coached team and have been since Steve Ott took over. Plus, they have the top-end talent to go up against anyone, whether it was the Charlotte Checkers in the previous round or the Bruins in this series.
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The expectation is for the Bruins to win this series. They were the best team in the AHL all season and look to prove it, starting with this matchup against the Thunderbirds. That said, it won’t be easy.