The Boston Bruins live to fight another day. After all, it is what Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman guaranteed after their Game 4 loss. Upon the conclusion of the last game, he went on to say,
“We’re going to go to Florida and we’re going to get it done.”
The Bruins did just that and followed their goalie’s words of wisdom. With their backs against the wall and their season on the line, they shipped down south to Florida and took care of business. For the second game in a row, it was a one-goal contest, as the Bruins defeated the Panthers 2-1.
With the season on the line, the Bruins showed how desperate they were to start the game and they never let up. This was the best game for them from a standpoint of generating offense and it was enough to secure the victory.
Desperation Led to Victory
It was no secret that the Bruins needed to come in with a new plan to generate offense. This was a team that the game before generated eight shot attempts and two shots on goal in the third period. It was a lackluster performance that further demonstrated how much the Panthers dominated possession and controlled the game. If the Bruins were to force a Game 6, they would have to come out flying, especially in the first period. The Bruins did just that and showed tremendous pushback against the Panthers.
Related: Bruins Edge Panthers in Game 5, Fend Off Elimination
In the first period, the Bruins set the tone early, as they were unafraid to fire pucks towards the net. They finished the period with 22 shot attempts in all situations and outshot the Panthers 13-4. It was the best offensive output they’ve had all series. In addition, this was the first period in the last three games where they were the better team. They rode that desperation to score the first goal of the game and sustain the momentum on their side.
Having good and strong periods has not come often, as the Panthers have been the more dominant team. For the Bruins to capitalize early like they did was huge in this game. However, the Bruins saw the Panthers take to the attack and control the puck more. The Panthers had very few answers for the brick wall that was Swayman.
Swayman Returning to Game 1 Form
In Game 1, the Bruins won in convincing fashion, and Swayman was stellar setting a career-high in saves with 38. However, the Panthers were able to get after him the last three games, scoring a combined 15 goals. As for last night, he was on his game and returned to his Game 1 form.
The Bruins were outplaying the Panthers to the point where you saw head coach Paul Maurice lay into his team. Whatever he said to them worked, as they came out flying and eventually scored the tying goal. The second period was the Panthers’ best, as they generated quality looks. Through the second period, the Panthers generated 12 scoring chances and five high-danger attempts, and held the edge in the expected goals share 1.26-0.81. Despite their domination, the Bruins would score the game-winning goal in the period, but the Panthers’ relentless pressure continued in the third.
The Panthers continued to push back and were the more dominant team in the third period. Swayman was there to answer the bell, especially at the end of the game where he slammed the door shut on Sam Reinhart. It was the best performance he had, as he returned to the form where he’s allowed two or fewer goals in a start. When the horn sounded, he had stopped 28 of 29 shots, which was good for a .966 save percentage. Also, he was dialed in and finished the game with 1.42 goals saved above expected. As much credit as you can give to Swayman, the defense did their job as well.
Defense Limited Quality Chances
As mentioned above, the Panthers were the more dominant team in terms of puck possession. They finished the game with a Corsi for percentage of 57.52% and out-attempted the Bruins (65-48). Furthermore, they held the edge in expected goals, and also generated the most scoring chances among the two teams. As good as Swayman was in net and slamming the door shut, the Bruins’ defense deserves credit.
The one thing the Bruins did have the upper hand on in this game was limiting quality chances. In all situations, they held the edge in high-danger shot attempts (14-8) and they kept the Panthers to the lower danger areas of the ice. Given the type of firepower and depth the Panthers have, that’s a huge victory for the Bruins as well.
Throughout the entire game, the Bruins allowed only four high-danger shots. The Panthers saw 16 of their 29 shots come from the low-danger areas of the ice. Looking at the heat map, you could see just how good of a job the Bruins did limiting quality chances. However, they weren’t always perfect.
There were times when the Bruins’ defense would cough up pucks and provide costly turnovers. Fortunately, those did not come to bite them in this game but nonetheless, the Bruins defense did their job to help force Game 6.
Shipping Back to Boston
What a great victory for the Bruins to allow them to feel good about themselves. They did it without their captain Brad Marchand and did exactly what they needed to do, which was to win a hockey game.
A desperate effort paired with a rock-solid performance from their goalie sees the Bruins ship back to Boston with another day to live. The road to redemption continues and the Bruins have a chance to do what the Panthers did to them last year.
