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"Yes, you have to send more pucks to the net," said Brind'Amour, his "Canes" convincingly outperforming 11-4 in the first two games of the series at TD Garden. "We know that, but for us, it's all about things, we want to end the game, win or lose, and be able to say," It was our match … at least we felt good about what We were not doing it yet. "
Brind'Amour said the Bruins had a lot of merit, as the combination of Boston's strong defense, Tuukka Rask's superb performance and the timely and balanced mark were just too much for the Hurricanes in the first two games . As the Canes struggled to find their game, the Bruins were counting on the momentum and the power play prowess, they set victories in Toronto and then Columbus.
Only a year ago, after knocking out the Leafs in the first round, the Bruins quickly found themselves back in their series against Tampa Bay. They dropped the Bolts in the first game, and then saw their attack go dormant in the next four games of what turned into a brutal 4-1 series dismissal.
"In the end, if you lose in favor of a better team, that happens," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said before the showdown. "I think that's what happened to us last year. I thought Tampa had baffled us at key moments – I did not think it was a bloodbath, so to speak, it's dominating us. But that's a little what happened. They played the pieces at the right time and we did not. So, it has a lot to do with that. "
In the absence of the ability to play havoc around Rask's net, Brind'Amour's only move was to insert substitute goalkeeper Curtis McElhinney in place of Petr Mrazek. Mrazek, the former Detroit goalkeeper, has allowed 10 goals on 52 shots in the first two games, a .808 save percentage that has left Brind'Amour little choice but to make the change in the game. hope of creating a different effort.
In short, Brind'Amour had to hope to have the same team, a better effort, more disciplined and a different result.
"You can not do that kind of thing," said Brind'Amour, referring to "crash-the-please" tactics at school. "We can not really face a team that has a numerical advantage like her."
The Bruins were 2 for 5 on the lead in the first game and followed with a 2 for 2 effort in the second game. In less than 10 minutes of play in two games, the Bruins were a crushing 4-on-7.
"So your mentality is that you have to play hard," said Brind'Amour. "You have to play whistling to whistle and you have to make sure you do not take that little extra penalty because it can be the game to the letter." Right? Everyone says, if you're the losing team, "Oh you need to go more to the net, but … "
The Canes took a 2-1 lead – their only lead in both Causeway St. matches – on Greg McKegg's goal midway through the second period of Game 1. Only 49 seconds after the Early in the third period, Jordan Staal was whistled for boarding, paving the way for Marcus Johansson's power play equalizer at 2:26. Ex-Bruin Dougie Hamilton was then whistled for being mistreated only 15 seconds later. That's Patrice Bergeron who cashed the winning goal just 13 seconds after Hamilton sat in the penalty box.
"We can not have the spirit of, you know, we have to be a bit more aggressive," said Brind'Amour. "It will not work."
Instead, the Canes and Bruins, although they positioned themselves as polar opposites after two games, entered the night with a mantra almost identical to their game plan.
"You have to understand that margins are meager," said Cassidy, whose club had to defeat the 2-1 deficit of the series against Toronto and Columbus to reach the Eastern Conference finals. "The goal of starting at the time and playing with the lead role is very important in this regard. Because it gives you a bit of leeway. And not allowing easy goals. It is usually a product of the discipline. . . whether it is a discipline that does not go to boxing at all or does not correctly check your assignments. All the details must be correct. "
Game 3. Each team was convinced that the situation was the same. Although calculations and dynamics seemed much better for the Bruins.
Kevin Paul Dupont can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeKPD.
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