What NHL experts say about the Bruins-Blues Game 6



[ad_1]

Bruins fans hope the only drink to fly in the air in Boston in the coming days will be champagne, jubilant spray, which contrasts sharply with the bottle of water that Cam Neely vehemently threw like a ball 150 km / h in the fifth match.

For a chance to reach the top of professional hockey, the Bruins must first win the sixth match at St. Louis on Sunday. Doing this is not an easy task, as Boston is upset, desperate for momentum and trying to recover from dubious calls in a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat in Game 5.

Although the chances are undermined against the Bruins in general, they have some history on their side. Boston came back to win the Stanley Cup final in 2011 against the Vancouver Canucks after leading 3-2 in the playoffs of the series. He also reacted after a 3-2 deficit in the playoffs against the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier in the playoffs.

Experts believe that going beyond the stage of mediocre arbitrage, getting the top production and finishing the score near the net will make all the difference in the sixth match. Otherwise, the drought that has plagued Boston's championship for more than four months could continue to haunt local fans. .

Benjamin Hochman, St. Louis after expedition"There's this notion that the Bruins will bow to the circumstances on Sunday – the Blues with a chance to win their first home cup and all the rest – but that does not seem like a mere notion to overthrow."

Hochman does not necessarily say the Bruins will win the sixth game. He simply advises Blues fans to prepare for all the results, because Boston has been here and is still in the series.

He added that the Blues will have to maximize their line-up strategy to neutralize the Bruins, continue to abolish penalties and find a way to compensate for the suspension of bulldozer Ivan Barbashev (suspended for the sixth match after an illegal check) to head on Marcus Johannson).

If they do, Hochman said, the team will have a chance to avoid the same fate as the Canucks and Leafs. The city will then have the opportunity to celebrate the first championship of the franchise.

Chad Finn, the Boston Globe: "It's obvious what must happen for the Bruins to succeed. (Guardian Tuukka) Rask must dominate, his offensive stars have to score, and their overall energy can not falter. "

Finn also mentioned the returns in 2011 and earlier in these qualifiers, noting that it is possible, even if it will require a remarkable effort.

"The Bruins, a resilient group even as annoying as they were Thursday, can come back," Finn wrote.

He added that it would also help a lot if officials "at least occasionally reminded them that they know how to do their job competently," noting that in match five they did not even seem to know what their job was.

Ben Shpigel, New York Times"It's Boston's compartmentalization ability that will determine whether the series will be sent back to TD Garden for a seventh game."

Shpigel, of course, refers to the officials, who did no favor to the Bruins in the fifth game. He thinks the best remedy is to end this situation and focus on the sixth. If they end up losing one of the next two years, Shpigel thinks that they will come back to the fifth match as the pivotal moment of the series.

"Unless the Bruins win the next two games, they will lament not winning (Match 5)," Shpigel said.

Dan Falkenheim, Sports Illustrated"The Blues are a win after having the NHL's best history in the Stanley Cup."

Falkenheim reminded readers that the Blues had the worst record of the NHL in January, they climbed the rankings and have had an improbable run in the playoffs since.

He also said teams like Boston, who lost the fifth home game, lost the series 75.5 percent of the time, according to Hockey Reference. Of course, the Bruins are historically an exception to this trend.

"The Bruins Stanley Cup course is filled with pieces of crushed glass slippers from the NHL's fake Cinderellas, enough to make even Disney's Wicked Stepmother blush," wrote Falkenheim. "Craig Berube's tough Blues do not like glass slippers. The most coveted silver trophy in the sport will do the job very well. "

Joe Haggerty, NBC Sports Boston: "The Bruins must be stronger on the puck, stronger in front of the net, and score some of those chances they want to win. White point, that's what they have to do. "

Haggerty ruled the callout missed "appalling", "flagrant" and "embarrassing for the NHL that the referees missed a call of this magnitude in the Stanley Cup final," but he said the Bruins had to find a way to overcome the difficulties. situation and regroup for match 6.

The mediocre officials have nothing to do with the lack of production of the first and second lines, and Haggerty alluded to the fact that the non-appeal only tells part of the story. In reality, the most pressing problem is that the best players in the Bruins have been outmatched at this point.

Matt Dolloff, 98.5 The Sports Hub: "I have a hard time believing that this (high) line will really let this heavy, unskilled, old-fashioned Blues team shut it down for an entire series. But they are running out of error. The awakening should happen now, and 5 to 5, because it is clear that the officials do not want to involve more.

He pointed out that Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak were outclassed at this point, since they had no points at 5-on-5 after five games. Marchand, in particular, has not scored a 5-on-5 point in 11 consecutive games in the Stanley Cup final since 2011 against the Canucks.

Dolloff said the Blues top deserved to be hailed for playing this series better, but he remains convinced that the Bruins top is generally better.

"The reality is starting to be felt now that the Blues are one win away from defeating themselves in the Stanley Cup," Dolloff wrote. "If the Bruins lose this series, it will be because the top line has never shot its weight as they should."

Ben Zweiman, DraftKings Live: "I really want to believe that the Bruins can save a win on the road, but I think their defense is just too strong."

Zweiman pointed out that the Bruins were with seven defenders in the fifth game, noting that he felt that it was not recommended.

He reminded listeners that the Blues had just won two victories, coming home and about to win their first league title, adding that they would be particularly excited and galvanized for the biggest match of the year. history of the franchise.

"The Blues are just a fantastic place to win the Stanley Cup," Zweiman said.

[ad_2]

Source link