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Bruins getting significantly less power plays than other second round teams |
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The Bruins enter Game 4 Friday night at TD Garden trailing in the series 2-1. There any many reasons why this is the case. Puck management, defensive lapses and lack of secondary scoring are just a few. But can you add officiating to this list?
The Bruins were frustrated with the referees in Game 2, and rightfully so. There were several missed calls on top of several questionable calls. The officiating got better in Game 3, but it still wasn’t great. The Bruins frustration with the calls, or lack of, continued and it clearly showed on the ice.
“It’s just funny how inconsistent they are,” Brad Marchand said following Game 3. “A slashing penalty is the same thing that I had on a breakaway last game [Game 2], was 3-2. A little consistency would be nice.”
Inconsistent is the perfect way to put it. In Game 2, what was a slash by Torey Krug was not a slash by Anton Stralman. Or what was boarding by Kevin Miller was not boarding on Dan Girardi. David Pastrnak lifts the stick of Victor Hedman who strikes himself in the face with his own stick: double minor on Pastrnak.
There’s no denying that officiating across the board in the Stanley Cup Playoffs has been suspect, but the numbers show the Bruins have been getting the short end of the stick.
Let’s take a look at the power play opportunities each team in the second round has had so far.
Washington Capitals- 11/Pittsburgh Penguins-13 through four games.
San Jose Sharks-21/Vegas Golden Knights-23 through four games.
Nashville Predators-13/Winnipeg Jets-11 through four games.
Tampa Bay Lightning-12/Boston Bruins-5 through three games.
If you want to break that down by power play opportunities per game that’s 2.75 for Washington, 3.25 for Pittsburgh, 5.25 for San Jose, 5.75 for Vegas, 3.25 for Nashville, 2.75 for Winnipeg, 4 for Tampa Bay and 1.66 for Boston.
Sure, Tampa Bay has been by far the more disciplined team in the series, but for a Lightning team that took as many penalties as they did in the regular season, the discrepancy through three games with the Bruins doesn’t make much sense.
The Lightning finished 5th in penalty minutes at 335, and 9th in penalty minutes per game, averaging 9:10 per contest.
Even looking back at their five game series with the New Jersey Devils in the opening round of the playoffs, power play opportunities were dead even at 19.
As the Bruins look to even the series before heading back down to Tampa Bay for Game 5, special teams will be a key for the Bruins. Scoring twice on five chances on the power play, the Bruins will look for continued success, should they get the chances Friday night. In their seven game series with the Maple Leafs, the Bruins finished 7 for 21 on the power play.
In playoff series these things usually seem to even themselves out. But a difference of seven power plays is a lot to make up. After being vocal about the issues throughout the series, I expect the calls to go in the Bruins favor in Game 4.
Boston Bruins Blogger • 
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