Now that they’ve got their first line looking lethal, the next question for the Boston Bruins is whether or not they can execute a quick kill.
The big trio of David Krejci between Milan Lucic and Jarome Iginla hadn’t really hit its collective stride through three games against the Detroit Red Wings, but that changed in Game 4 when Lucic popped the tying goal and Iginla was the last person a pin-balling puck touched before it eluded Jonas Gustavsson for the overtime winner.
The Bruins now find themselves in the exact same first-round situation they were in last year: heading home with a 3-1 lead after an overtime victory in Game 4. Twelve months ago, the Bruins nearly let that advantage slip before storming back to shock the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7. Suffice it to say, the B’s would like much less drama as they attempt to knock off Detroit.
For a team with legitimate designs on winning the Cup, dusting early-round opponents as quickly as possible is key. After narrowly escaping the Leafs last year, Boston made short work of the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins, winning rounds two and three in a combined nine games. Strong as the Bruins are, they have to know that’s unlikely to happen again and they’d be doing themselves a huge favour by winning Game 5 on Saturday to avoid dragging things out versus a banged-up Wings squad.
Boston’s previous three first-round series have all gone to overtime of game seven and the Bruins have won four winner-take-all showdowns in the past three years dating back to their 2011 Cup run. They obviously have what it takes to succeed when the stakes are at their highest. What they don’t need right now is another opportunity to prove it.
Eastern Conference notes:
- On Friday night, a post-season that’s seen some pretty shoddy goaltending (nine puckstoppers currently posses a save percentage of .904 or worse) will get a new starter. Philadelphia’s Steve Mason, who came in for seven minutes of mop-up duty in relief of Ray Emery in game three, will make the fifth playoff start of his career when the Flyers try to square their series with the New York Rangers. As you might guess, given his previous NHL stop was in Columbus, Mason’s career playoff mark is 0-4, accompanied by an .878 save percentage in those starts. The 25-year-old has fought hard to re-establish himself as a dependable backstop since landing in Philadelphia just over a year ago, and Mason, who was sidelined by an upper-body injury at the start of the series, could take a huge step toward enhancing his reputation with strong play against the Rangers.
- Sticking with Pennsylvania goalies for $500, a recent conversation around the Sportsnet office centred on whether or not Penguins coach Dan Bylsma is laying the groundwork to make Marc-Andre Fleury the scapegoat should Pittsburgh clunk out again. The theory was based on a couple things, starting with the assumption one or both of Bylsma and Fleury would be run out of town should the Pens get knocked off by the Columbus Blue Jackets. As you may have heard, Bylsma was pretty honest in his assessment of Fleury’s play after the overtime loss in Game 4, noting the goalie made a mistake coming out of the net to play a puck that had been rimmed along the glass. Now, truth is the ultimate defence against libel and we’re certainly not going to take Bylsma to task for giving an honest appraisal of the situation—it was actually quite refreshing to hear—but with the heat rising around the Pens, you’d think the default move for any coach not named John “25 percent rule” Tortorella would be to unconditionally back his tender. Maybe Bylsma—who rarely rocks the boat—is justifiably sick of covering for Fleury and thinks the 29-year-old needs some tough love. Or maybe he knows, if this thing goes south again, heads are likely to roll and he’s trying to get his version of events on the record before the axe falls.