The Boston Bruins missed the opportunity to end their first round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 5 on Tuesday. There wasn't much positive to say about Boston's performance, but the Bruins won a key head-to-head matchup that could help them in Game 6.
The Boston Bruins missed the opportunity to end their first round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 5 on Tuesday. There wasn't much positive to say about Boston's performance, but the Bruins won a key head-to-head matchup that could help them in Game 6.
BRIGHTON, Mass. – The script writers are getting lazy.
Just like last year against the Florida Panthers, the Boston Bruins once again find themselves heading back on the road for Game 6 – this time against the Toronto Maple Leafs – in the Eastern Conference First Round after squandering a chance to close out the series by losing Game 5 in overtime at home.
After strong showings in Games 3 and 4 in Toronto, the Bruins regressed in Tuesday’s 2-1 overtime loss. The Maple Leafs outshot Boston 11-2 in the first period, but the Bruins managed to score on one of those two shots, which ultimately allowed the game to reach overtime.
With his team trailing 1-0, Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk – who returned to the lineup for the first time since Game 2 and looked rough to begin the game – sent the puck up ice for Jesper Boqvist to chase on the forecheck. A hard-fought battle from Boqvist led to the puck falling to the front of Toronto’s net, where Trent Frederic was perfectly positioned to tie the game at 13:54 of the first period.
“I just did what I’m supposed to and it led to a goal,” Boqvist said on Wednesday. “So it was a good read by [Pat Maroon], too, and get the bounce to ‘Freddy’ in a good spot too, so we needed that, I feel like, and hopefully we can get a couple more of those.”
The Bruins did not play winning hockey on Tuesday, but in addition to Jeremy Swayman playing well in net, one other factor put Boston in position to potentially steal the game.
Despite Toronto outshooting Boston 33-28 and generating more scoring chances at 5-on-5 (24-20), the Bruins managed to produce 12 high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5 compared to Toronto’s five, according to Natural Stat Trick. That includes a 7-1 discrepancy in favor of Boston during the third period.
Even with this advantage, it doesn’t mean much if only one goes in, which is what Bruins coach Jim Montgomery wants his team to focus on in Game 6.
“We got to possess more pucks,” Montgomery said on Wednesday. “We have to attack inside the dots and we have to screen. We gotta stop and screen the goalie.”
Joseph Woll made 27 saves for Toronto in what was his first start of the series. The Boston College product relieved Ilya Samsonov in Game 4 and showed poise in a tough spot, making his first start of the series in an elimination game.
The Leafs also managed to win Game 5 without star center Auston Matthews, who had previously been dealing with an illness but now appears to be dealing with other issues. In the end, with the deck stacked against them, the Maple Leafs' desperation won out.
Toronto will have its back against the wall once again in Game 6. The Bruins will have to match that, which they struggled to do during the regular season against teams on the playoff bubble, or else risk repeating what happened last season.
“They’re probably the more desperate team there,” Frederic said after Tuesday’s loss. “Like I said, it’s hard to end someone’s season, so you got to be desperate.”
A stronger start and finding ways to capitalize on the chances they’ve already been creating on Woll will be the keys to putting the series to rest. Will this year’s Bruins flip the script or will it be a re-run of last year? Stay tuned.
Other Links:
How Will The Bruins Mentally, Physically Approach Game 6?
Boston Bruins Fail To Show Up In Game 5, Fall 2-1 In Overtime