The Boston Bruins are staring down elimination as they head into Game 5 of their second-round series against the Florida Panthers. After an auspicious start in Game 1, it has pretty much been all downhill for the team since then. While there have been some questionable (and that’s putting it lightly) reffing decisions, at the end of the day, the Bruins have not been the better team in this series.
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There are some positives as the game approaches. Game 5 will be played in Florida, and so far in the postseason, the Bruins have played their best games on the road. Jeremy Swayman continues to be very solid in the net, and both the team and the fans should be very comfortable with him being the team’s goalie for the foreseeable future.
But overall, the Bruins have to really step up if they want to move on to play a Game 6 back in Boston. If they don’t want bad reffing to have an impact, then they need to play better and not let those calls be as big of a factor as they were in Game 4. The team is going to need to be bold to emerge victorious.
Brandon Carlo Scores a Goal
Brandon Carlo has been arguably the Bruins’ best defenseman this postseason, and I don’t think it is really that much of a debate. The new dad energy has certainly been a factor in his play this series, as he currently has two goals in four games, which is a lot for a guy who is more of a stay-at-home defenseman who had only four goals in 76 games during the regular season and has never had more than six in a season.
With Carlo’s goal in the Toronto series included, he’s at three for the postseason, and with the level he’s playing at, it just feels like he’s going to match that regular-season total. He’s been doing all the right things on the ice to score goals in this series, and it’s been showing. The Panthers are arguably winning this series in spite of Sergei Bobrovsky in goal, not because. He has not looked particularly strong this series, and both of Carlo’s goals have shown that.
The problem is that the Bruins are struggling to get shots off, so the more they can get guys like Carlo firing shots in from the blue line, there is a good chance that one will go in. He did it in Game 4, and I think there is a good chance it’ll happen again in Game 5.
Game 5 Goes Into Overtime
Despite what the shot count may suggest, Game 4 was not as lopsided as it may have seemed. If the Bruins come hungry and ready to play in Game 5, there is a very good chance this could go to overtime. It hasn’t yet, but two of their four regular season matchups went into overtime, so it feels inevitable that one should in this series as well.
One thing the Bruins will have to be cautious of is letting the Panthers get too many goals in quick succession. In their three losses this series, Boston has given up two goals less than five minutes apart. Given their own issues with scoring, if the team lets Florida do that in Game 5 and falls behind, it would be hard for them to crawl back to force overtime, let alone win.
Still, the Bruins went to overtime twice in the first round, including Game 7, when they were facing elimination. Boston won’t go down quietly, and the Panthers are clearly a ferocious opponent. This will be a close game, maybe even a low-scoring one, and I think it’s inevitable that it will go into at least one overtime.
Bruins Come Out on Top
This is certainly a bold take after their up-and-down performance this entire postseason so far. While the Bruins have had some flashes of greatness, there has also been a lot of disappointing hockey. But I don’t think they’ll go out in five games. There have been plenty of things for the team to rally around in the last few days, from Brad Marchand’s injury to the questionable calls in Game 4 to the fantastic play of Swayman.
The Bruins have their backs against the wall, and like they did in Game 7 against Toronto, I believe they’ll find a way to win this game. As I said above, the Panthers’ goaltending has not looked particularly strong this series. Shooting more will go a long way for the Bruins and could put a win within reach. They also need to be more disciplined, with fewer turnovers and staying out of the box.
Whether they can win Game 6 or Game 7 and complete a 3 – 1 comeback to move onto the Eastern Conference Final is another story. But I do think they will emerge victorious in Game 5 and bring the series back to Boston for Game 6. While the playoffs are an entirely different beast, it is also important to mention that Boston did win all four regular-season matchups, meaning that they are capable of finding the winning formula against this team, and I think it will show in the upcoming game.
Bruins Must Get it Together
The Bruins have a lot to think about as they head into Game 5, and Jim Montgomery needs to devise a plan to help the team get more shots on the net. The team has not shot well this entire postseason, and goals can’t be scored if shots aren’t taken. The more the team can get shots on Bobrovsky, the higher the chance they have of extending this series.
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Despite the Panthers being the better team, the Bruins have had winnable games in this series. Swayman is continuing to play like an MVP in net, and it’s just the guys in front of him who need to be better about shutting down their own zone and getting shots on goal.
It is not out of the realm of possibility that Boston can win this game. As mentioned, they have shown flashes of great promise in the postseason and are obviously coming off of a great regular season. It’s just a matter of getting it together in time.
