Lucic & the Bruins need killer instinct/By S. Bradley
That queasy feeling in your stomach right about now has nothing to do any lingering effects from your Easter dinner.
If you’re a Bruins backer, you have to be a little worried about what your team is going to do now the it’s going to take the ice in Montreal for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with a 3-2 games lead in the series.
After all, the Canadiens might have the Bruins right where they want them considering Boston’s recent history of not being able to finish.
Human nature tells us that we all learn from our mistakes. However, there’s no telling how many times the Bruins have to screw up before they finally right themselves. For three years, there have been a lot of mistakes and a lot of lessons taken to heart, yet those lessons haven’t translated to actions
Obviously, you start with the fact that three straight seasons have ended in a Game 7 loss. The Bruins got ahead of themselves in 2009, when they fell behind 3-1 to an underdog Carolina team before pushing that second-round series to the limit. No one has to rehash how things went last spring after the Bruins started grabbed a seemingly insurmountable lead on Philadelphia.
Even their historic collapse of last season didn’t seem to faze the Bruins this year. They’ve squandered their share of leads late in games, including famously falling in Montreal in overtime Jan. 8 after leading 2-0 with less than two minutes to play. Earlier this month, they gave up a 3-0 lead at Madison Square Garden. During the opening months of the season, it seemed like the Bruins were spotting the opposition a goal or two lead every night rather than taking the game to their foes early on.
Even in their current playoff series, the Bruins didn’t start playing their style of game and performing at an above-average level in some key aspects of the game until Game 3.
They’ve since managed to dig out of their 0-2 hole and pull within one victory of advancing to the second. A lot of the talk in the Bruins’ dressing room during the two days off between Game 5 and 6 centered around what the Bruins learned from last season. Of course, they all repeated some form of this cliché: “the fourth win is always the hardest.” Similar sentiments came from the Bruins’ mouths last spring from the time they went up 3-0 on the Flyers.
Let’s face it, though, what are they supposed to say? They have to say they believe they have the proper killer instinct, even if only their actions can prove it. They have to speak and act as though they’re not taking anything for granted, even if taking victories for granted has been their undoing the last several seasons.
Until they do put the final nail in the coffin without a struggle, the Bruins can’t be considered closers. It’s worth noting that in each of their last two season-ending series, they were the higher seed and couldn’t finish things off. Sure in 2009 they swept Montreal, but that was a Habs team in disarray playing for a general manager/interim coach that seemed to have lost a handle on the club.
Last season the Bruins closed out the Sabres in Boston without returning to Buffalo for a Game 7. That speaks to one of the most impressive characteristics of recent Bruins teams under head coach Claude Julien – resiliency. Their ability to thrive as underdogs or when others are counting them out is impeccable. They’ve battled through major injuries to the likes of Patrice Bergeron, Marc Savard, Marco Sturm and others over the years and won division titles and earned playoff berths. The Bruins are impossible to count out when the odds are against them.
Success, however, tends to sidetrack Julien’s Bruins. Satisfaction and complacency seem to easily seep in when things are going well. Perhaps before they take the ice in Montreal tomorrow, the Bruins should summon the resiliency that they tap into when the chips are down and pretend as though they’re the ones fighting for their lives rather than the club trying to close.
Because if they don’t figure out a way to end things early in Game 6, the Bruins’ season would come down to a coin-flip-like Game 7. Anyone like the Bruins’ odds in another Game 7, regardless of the opponent or the venue?
Considering the results of their latest playoff appearances, the Bruins have a right have the same butterflies in their gut that their fans are probably feeling. The only way to kill those butterflies is to turn their talk about killer instinct into some series-ending actions at the Bell Centre in Game 6.
This team really worries me we will know in the first 10 mins if the Bruins are going to win if they come out slow and lay back the habs will be flying and it will be a blow out and if we loose this game all the pressure will be on us at home and we will have to wait for next year hear me Bruins take it to them early and take it to them hard or we are cooked
In Thomas’ defense he wasn’t playing in the NHL when he was Price’s age. He played college then mucked around for years in the minors.
But I do think Price is a good goalie and honestly seems to have done a nice job so far. I hope the B’s have gotten inside his head, but I fully expect him to come out tonight with his game face on and mentally focused. The Habs want this win as much as we want it for the Bruins.
it’s going to be a close game tonight and I don’t think Price will be the difference but I do see him giving up a 4 spot with those D pairings in front of him and the B’s getting an (EN) -Boston 5 – Montreal 3
it’s weird how bad Price is at home compared to on the road – it’s like the old saying about how some players can’t play in Fenway or Yankee Stadium.
The Price hating is easy to do. For one, you do actually have statistics on your side. He had a very bad series with Boston a couple years ago. He also had a pretty bad season last year while Halak was temporarily the greatest goalie on the planet.
But this year has been a breakout season for Price. He’s been a leader for the players and more importantly, has been a leader on the ice. Even if the Habs lose tonight, it would be hard to blame the series loss on Price just like it was not really reasonable to blame the first two games solely on Thomas. So despite his past failings, his performance in this series has been fine in spite of the losses. If the habs aren’t scoring, they aren’t winning…simple.
Price is approaching the 100th win of his career and he’s only 23 years old (Thomas has ~160 and he’s 37 years old).
Saying he hasn’t won anything at the NHL level is somewhat unfair given his age. They can’t all come in like Patrick Roy did in 85-86. Also, these Habs teams have been pretty mediocre.
I think he has a great career ahead of him and I hope he has another great game tonight.
Giddy-up my friend! Giddy-up.
Oh, I think he is a good goalie, just not when it matters. Guilty until proven innocent!
In any event, the real point is I hope is a matador tonight. I know we can agree on that!
Point taken. Still, I think he’s a much better goaltender then those #’s show and I think that he’s proven that this year. Again, we’ll just have to agree to disagree.
I will help
He has a career record of 7-14 in the playoffs, with a save percentage just over 90%. In fact, in the only meaningful run the Habs have made in Price’s career, Price lost the job and was not part of it. In the 4 games he did play last year in the playoffs, he was 0-1 and had a save percentage of 89%.
He doesn’t exactly have a great pro track record in the playoffs. That is my point.
Show me his NHL stats in the playoffs. That is when it matters. Not in the juniors.
I am sure he looks at that Calder every day. Congrats to him.
“He has collapsed at every other opportunity in his career when it really mattered.”
2007 Calder Cup
2007 Calder Cup MVP
2007 World Jrs Gold
2007 World Jrs MVP
Just sayin’…
Don’t get me wrong, I hope he folds faster then one of Milbury’s suits, I just don’t see the sense in railing the guy when he has clearly had a pretty good hockey career so far.
I am not talking about running guys or gooning things up. I am talking about finishing checks every single time by every single person. I am talking about planting them in the boards at every legit opportunity. Physical play will take the Habs out of the game. Cute passing does the opposite.
My reference to agreeing with your post was that the Habs are not going to roll over and that they are coming out flying. We obviously differ on the approach to the game.
We also obviously disagree about Price. He has done nothing to impress me. He had a good game in game 5. Good for him. He has collapsed at every other opportunity in his career when it really mattered.
Hal Gill had 57 shifts in the last game to Subbans 60…
You are right that these guys will be tired.
While I do think the Bruins need to make sure they finish their checks and play a physical game, it needs to be a disciplined one-taking yourself out of the play to lay on a big hit for the highlight reels aren’t going to win the game. I think more than smashing the Habs physically the B’s need to make good passes out of their zone. Turnovers are what killed the B’s in the first two games-limiting turnovers is the real key to winning.
I think exploiting defense is important. The top defensive pair has been logging minutes like mad-fatigue at some point will hopefully kick in. Their third defensive pair is slow and they will likely be without another. I think Hamrlik has been prone to lapses as well.
Not giving Montreal too many power plays is just sound strategy. That may take away some extra physicallity but you can still use your size for puck battles. With over 20,000 refs at the Bell you’ve got to play smart.
GR90 – priceless! I’d love to see that one stick!
MCK, that is the exact thing that my post says that they need to avoid. Hit them when it’s there and it won’t take you out of position, but don’t go out of your way looking for it. That’s what happened in games 1 & 2.
Regarding Price, obviously you see things differently, but I’ve nothing but the utmost respect for him. He’s been nothing but professional throughout this season, last season, and through this series. Not to mention that his play has completely reversed my way of thinking about him. Let’s face it, what he’s doing with the depleted defensive personnel in front of him is pretty impressive, IMO.
btw, what do Bruins fans think of Chris Lee? By most accounts I’ve read, every team thinks he’s the worst ref in the league. How did we end up with him for such an important match?
Smashing them might not be a good idea. You guys picked up 3 straight wins with pretty disciplined hockey.
Gooning up because it worked in the regular season might not be a good strategy in the playoffs on Montreal ice.
These are tight games. Just hang on to your chair and hope for the best.
PS…if you want to win, exploit Spacek…and Stopel. They are incredibly slow.
Agreed, PCL. The Habs are not going to roll over. They are going to come out like crazy people. The way to beat the Habs is to smash them. They hate contact and don’t have a single player who can match the extremely physical nature that the Bs can play with. My game plan would be to hit everything in sight and then pick up loose pucks for easy goals. If you smash them, they wilt. It is how the Bs overran them in the 2 high scoring games at home in the regular season.
The Bs have shown little, if any, real physical play so far. Come out with a smashmouth mentality and it will be 2-0 Bs at the end of 1.
While the Habs in general will not wilt, we all know that Price will. He is a wuss and a mental midget of epic proportions.
I think the Habs are going to be swarming like bees.
I think the Bruins need to be prepared for this and they need to create their own swarm. I think history and the fact that the B’s are known as chokers may be enough to keep them in the fight for this one. Not to mention a close in Montreal would be awesome.
I think this team can beat the Habs, but it isn’t going to be easy and there hasn’t been a single game in this series that makes me think the Habs are going to roll over. The B’s need to close and my fingers are crossed that the game 7 will not be necessary.
You have to figure that the Habs are going to come out flying. Not going for the big hit, but trying to stretch the game out from blue line to blue line as much as possible early in the game. It’ll be important for the B’s to not run around looking for the big hits, but to play a solid shut down game early and take the body, while keeping solid positioning as much as possible. Then counter with a solid, hard checking dump and chase game, wearing down the weary, and maybe even more depleted, now that “B” James Wisniewski may be out, back end of the bleu, blanc, et rouge.
If the Bruins continue to work the puck in the high triangle, they will win. There great short passing in the previous game was critical.
These guys are going to come out and be all over the habs. They have been feeding off of the canadien’s home crowd. They are going to want to destroy the competition because these guys HATE the canadiens. They have come out publicly verbalizing their hatred. They have over come adversity in the series and in each and everyone of their individual wins. As long as the defense stays aggressive yet solid, and Thomas doesn’t let any weak goals in…. the series will be wrapped up tomorrow night.
Is it bad that when Bojangles wrote “DK”, I thought he meant Donkey Kong, and my first thought went to Horton?
b’s still have the momentum unlike last year’s flyers series. i want to see these guys bury their golden chances early. get the puck up.
Lots of teams having trouble closing in these playoffs. Still, I feel like the Bruins have, for perhaps the first time this season, followed up big wins with bigger ones in this series rather than having duds. I hated the 0-2 deficit, of course, but I think this team may gain from the fact that none of their success has come too easily.
Oh–stop the negativity y’all…This time the B’s have six different game-changers they didn’t have in the past. Gentlemen, presenting the six for game six: Marchand, Horton, Kelly, Peverley, Kaberle, and Seidenberg. When does Ronde 2 commence?
I’m as high on Bs as anyone, but they are going to have to BRING IT tomorrow. They played well in game 5, but also owe a virgin to the hockey gods for how many pucks bounced off Bs players, plus a less than decent shot by Gionta on that 2-on-1.
Sorry guys.. not trying to be a downer, just calling them as I see ‘em.
We’re going to get chances to score, because I think those little bastard CHs will being going for broke, and taking some chances to get breakouts, but if we don’t take advantage and bury the puck (talking to you, Looch, DK and Marchand) the pressure is really going to be on come game 7.