BOSTON — With 6:48 left in regulation, two third-period goals by the Bruins had cut a four-goal deficit in half, and suddenly, the TD Garden crowd, searching for a reason to make noise all night, had something to shout — and sing — about.
Joining in for the chorus of Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer,” the sellout crowd belted out: “We’re halfway there.” And indeed, in a 4-2 game, the math checked out.
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But there would be no more offense from the B’s the rest of the way. Their two goals, scored within a span of 3:30, would be the sum total of their attack on this night, leading to a dispiriting 6-2 setback to the Florida Panthers, who took a 2-to-1 lead in their series.
As has been their habit for the last handful of games, the Bruins started slowly. They managed just three shots on net in the first and only five more in the second, while spotting the Panthers a 3-0 head start.
“We’ve had a couple of games where we started slow,” conceded coach Jim Montgomery. “We’ve got to get better.”
That much was obvious on the scoreboard and on the stat sheet, where the Bruins were outshot by more than 2-to-1, 33-16. Over the last two games, the margin is every bit as lopsided, with the Panthers outshooting Boston 66-31.
A big part of the issue, as was the case when the Panthers stunned the Bruins in a shocking first-round upset, is Florida’s relentless forecheck. The Panthers use both size and speed to hound the Bruins in their own end, pinning them behind the goal line and slowing exits.
“When they’re coming with that much speed and that amount of bodies, obviously it’s hard for any D-core to break out,’’ said Jake DeBrusk, whose third period tally brought the Bruins to within striking distance, however briefly. “I think that’s what they’re so good at; everyone talks about their forecheck for a reason. I think if that we manage the puck better through the neutral zone, even in the offensive zone, I think it gives our defense that extra half a second to make a play. And then as wingers, we have to be outlets, we have to be better at our positions. (We can try ) chipping pucks out and trying to get in races, so they might think twice.
“I think we need to slow them down as much as possible, but that’s obviously their biggest strength. We knew that coming in and we’re seeing (the consequences) when we don’t do it right.”
Even when the Bruins are able to escape their own zone, the Bruins have been sluggish on their attack, failing to generate much in the way of speed in the neutral zone. On the occasions when they gain the Florida blue line, they’re doing so without much momentum.
“It seems like they’re getting speed and we’re not as forwards,” said DeBrusk. “That’s on all of us, including myself obviously. That’s what I’m best at, is forechecking and getting in there. I’ve got to do a better job finding lanes, reading the play — all the things that they do.”
The Panthers have bottled up the Bruins sufficiently in the last two games that Boston’s offensive zone time has been slight, and that has to change if the B’s are to climb back into the series.
“(We need) to play behind them as much as possible,” noted defenseman Brandon Carlo. “I feel like 5-on-5, when we get some pucks behind them and generate some offense and some zone time, that’s when you see us starting to make some more plays and have some opportunities at their net.”
But for the Bruins to get creative and put pressure on Florida netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, it starts with their breakout. At times, the Bruins have been a little too fancy attempting to exit their zone. A return to basics is in order.
“It dumbs down to winning more battles,” said Carlo. “From out standpoint, getting to pucks first as defenseman and moving it to our guys as fast as possible and winning your one-on-one battles. They’re on top of us a lot, they’re getting good sticks on pucks. That’s one of their strong suits, so we’ve got to work our way around that and I think we can.”
