The Bruins scored just four goals in their three-round robin games, all of which resulted in losses when the presidents of the Presidents’ Trophy looked to shake some rest when reporting to the NHL bubble in Toronto.
They went 0-for-9 on the power play, a far cry from the short regular season when Boston finished second in the NHL with the man advantage.
To say that the Bruins need more production with their opponents in the penalty area would be an understatement. And this is not lost on head coach Bruce Cassidy, who on Monday stressed the role that special teams could play in the Bruins’ upcoming Stanley Cup playoff series against the Hurricanes, especially considering the power-play success that Boston had then she swept Carolina in the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
“Last year, our power play was really good against Carolina, it helped us a lot – especially in Game 1 in the third period, we got on the board a few times, it helped us win games,” Cassidy told reporters during a video call. “That’s something that will become a big X-factor in this series. Can we replicate that success?
‘That, that’s somewhat unknown, because we, in the round robin, do not have much success. We didn’t have much of a chance to build it, especially with certain guys from the lineup in practice. That, that is one area that we need to be cleaner and sharper to help us fight through the days when we do not get a 5-on-5 score. ”
Boston went 7-for-15 on the power play against Carolina in last year’s playoff series. The Bruins outscored the Hurricanes 17-5 overall while punching their cards to the Stanley Cup Final, where Boston eventually finished in seven games at St. Louis. Louis Blues fell.
The B’s will enter this year’s series as the favorites despite their problems in the round robin games and the impressive three-game game of the Canes of the New York Rangers in the qualifying game. Boston remains stacked with talent and has a fight-test veteran core.
It remains to be seen if everything learned from last year’s series will matter when the puck drops in Game 1 on Tuesday night. But the Bruins will have to shake up their own game to prevent an early rise.
‘You can see what trends from last year are likely to bleed in this series. For us, we felt that when we were able to withstand the Carolina pressure with good support, good execution and good decision-making, that is when we were in the best place in that series, ”said Cassidy. “That’s going to go into our game plan. We saw a lot of that against the Rangers. That style of play. I don’t think they changed that much there.
“Again, it comes down to making the right plays at the right moment against that pressure. Who wins those field battles on the walls, who wins the foot race to win loose pucks in the neutral zone when you fight out. ‘
Boston’s performances as they dropped three straight to the Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals left much to be desired. But now, the games really count for the Bruins, who just can’t afford to rush out of the gate against a hungry, rebellious Hurricanes team.
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