The Boston Bruins have lost seven of their past nine games, and most come down to one common reason.
The Boston Bruins have lost seven of their past nine games, and most come down to one common reason.
BRIGHTON, Mass. – The Boston Bruins have a problem. In four of the past six games, Boston has entered the third period holding the lead only to wind up losing the game.
The Bruins’ two most recent games – a 3-2 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks and a 4-3 shootout loss to the Seattle Kraken – followed the same script. Losers in seven of their past nine games, the Bruins understand their mindset needs to change when it comes to how they play while holding leads.
“You can’t do that in this league,” Bruins captain Brad Marchand said on Wednesday. “Teams are too good, and when you’re down, teams push and they come at you hard, and when you sit back you give them that opportunity, so it’s about having that attack mindset and continuing to push and close out games instead of sitting back and seeing what they’re gonna bring.”
The good news, Marchand said, is that the problem is within their control; the team can change its play style to address the issue. But after four such instances occurring in the past week-and-a-half, it’s easier said than done.
Against the Canucks on Saturday, the Bruins built up a 2-0 lead in the second period but Vancouver held a significant edge in offensive zone possession which ramped up intensely in the third. The Canucks outshot Boston 16-5 and had a Corsi For Percentage of 80 at 5-on-5 (36-9) in the final frame.
Slipping against the NHL’s best team is one thing, but after a strong start in Seattle on Monday, Boston appeared content to sit back in their own zone in the final period and allow the Kraken back into the game, which Bruins coach Jim Montgomery acknowledged.
“Vancouver had a real good push. We don’t feel Seattle had so much of a push,” Montgomery said on Wednesday. “It was more our lack of poise with the puck and game management that allowed them to get the opportunities to get back in the game.”
Now set to face an injury-riddled Vegas Golden Knights team on Thursday, Boston has an opportunity to correct its recent mistakes. In the eyes of forward Jake DeBrusk, the solution is simple.
“The last two games it just seems like we’ve been making mistakes and keeping other teams alive in the game,” DeBrusk said. “I think the biggest thing is trying to extend the lead instead of just trying to hold on to it. You got to try to win the game, not try to lose it. I think that’s something that takes confidence, takes poise, takes experience, and we have all that in this room.”
All that’s left to see is if the Bruins will practice what they preach.
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