The Boston Bruins find themselves down 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Stanley Cup Playoff first-round series that they could easily be up 3-0 in if they knew how to hold a lead. Boston has led Buffalo in all three games so far, but their uneven play late in games has cost them. Still, that’s not the only reason the Bruins are trailing at the midway point. Let’s discuss.
Boston Bruins Must Improve in 3 Key Areas
If there’s any good news, it’s that the Bruins proved they’re capable of outplaying the Sabres. They finished 3-1-0 against Buffalo in the regular season, and have been the better team throughout a substantial portion of the first-round series, thus far. If they can clear up these following three shortcomings, the Bruins can still come back and win this series.
Play a Better Game in the Third Period
Playing poorly in the third period of games in this series, has been the Bruins biggest weakness. While Boston showed they can play a full 60 minutes of solid hockey in their 4-2 win over the Sabres in Game 2, they have been outscored 8-3 in the final frame so far. What’s worse? Boston struck first in all three games and squandered a two-goal lead in Game 1.
Credit Image: © David Santiago/Miami Herald via ZUMA Press Wire
Per Natural Stat Trick, the Sabres outscored the Bruins 7-4 when Boston had a lead in the regular season, so this has been an issue all year. But this series has all but implied the Bruins hardly have an answer for the Sabres in the third period. It’s one thing to give up two goals late in the third period when you’re up 4-0. That was the case in Game 2, and by the time Buffalo scored, Boston already put the game out of reach.
Right now, their options are to either jump out to a substantial lead in Periods 1 and 2, or find a way to stop the Sabres in the final 20 minutes. The latter is Boston’s better option, especially if they’re ultimately interested in making a deep playoff run.
Stop Handing Buffalo So Many Opportunities
The Bruins have struggled with giveaways all season, committing an average of 16.4 per game. They have turned the puck over even more in the first three games against the Sabres, handing Buffalo the puck 52 times, or 17.3 times per contest. By contrast, Buffalo has coughed up the puck just 37 times, and they have been more aggressive in the offensive zone.
Giveaways have been one reason the Sabres outshot the Bruins 101 to 72. Boston’s Corsi For at 5-on-5 is just 43.2, and they have been forced to take 68.4 percent of their faceoffs in the defensive zone. That’s going to wear a team down. And given Boston’s performance in the third period so far this series, they have felt the pressure late in games.
During the regular season, this wasn’t as much of a glaring issue. Boston’s Corsi For was 49.5 percent, and their offensive zone starting percentage rested at 46.8. Against the Sabres, their offensive zone starting percentage sat at 53.3 or better in three of their four regular-season contests. Their Corsi For also encroached 50 percent twice in those four meetings, and it never dipped below 45.7. The Bruins need to get back to those more respectable numbers.
Dominate on Special Teams
The Bruins penalty kill has been perfect against the Sabres through three playoff games. Buffalo has found itself on the power play 14 times, and 14 times, they came up empty-handed. The problem is that the Bruins have let the Sabres stifle them on the man advantage.
In the regular season, Boston’s power play ranked ninth in the NHL, converting 23.4 percent of the time. Over the first three games, the Bruins are two-for-12, good for just a 16.6 power-play percentage. While the Sabres boasted the fourth-best penalty-kill unit in the league at 81.9 percent, the Bruins have been here many times before. They need to lean on that playoff experience to bust them out of this slump on the man advantage.
That said, figuring out the Sabres penalty kill has been an issue all year for Boston. They converted just 1 out of 11 power-play opportunities against the Sabres in the regular season. Overall, they’re a lowly 3 out of 23 in the regular season and playoffs combined. Those are inexcusable numbers for such a good unit that proved it could score on almost anyone.
Main Photo Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
