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Lightning beat Bruins in Game 5, win series 4-1 |
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Game 5 started very similar to Games 2, 3 and 4.
Tampa Bay came out buzzing, the Bruins were late to start, chances were in favor of the Lightning and the play was mostly in the Bruins’ end. However, there was once difference in Game 5: the Bruins scored first.
Scoring first was a good sign for the Bruins as the game’s first scorer was victorious in all four games in the series. Unfortunately for the Black and Gold, that was the only good thing to come out of Game 5.
The Bruins biggest issues from their previous three losses in the series were once again right there in Game 5. They couldn’t get the puck through the neutral zone cleanly, they couldn’t score five-on-five and their puck management was brutal. The combination of those issues led to the Bruins fourth consecutive loss and a series ending one.
Another big issue in Game 5 was the lack of shots by Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Marchand finished the game without a shot on goal, while Bergeron had just three. All three of Bergeron’s shots came in the third period. Marchand had just one total shot attempt.
After seeing how things went in the final four games of the series, it was clear that Game 1 was just a matter of the Lightning shaking off the rust and figuring things out. The Lightning adjusted perfectly and shutdown the Bruins from top to bottom after Game 1.
The Lightning did a good enough job slowing down the Bruins’ top line, while completely shutting down lines two through four. Outside of Marchand, Bergeron and David Pastrnak, the only goals by Bruins’ forwards came off of the sticks of Rick Nash and Jake DeBrusk who had Game 1 goals.
Scoring at even strength was a nightmare for the Bruins. After being one of the better five-on-five teams in the regular season, the Bruins scored just six times at even strength, with five of those goals coming in Game 1. Torey Krug’s late goal in Game 2 was the last even strength goal the Bruins would score in the series, a span of nearly 200 minutes to end the series without an even strength goal.
Another key for the Lightning in the series was what they were able to do in the neutral zone, and how much their pressure caused fits to the Bruins defensemen on the breakout. I think one thing no one realized was how much the Bruins ended up missing Brandon Carlo. Sure, his struggles at the time of his injury were glaring, but his speed and ability to move the puck up ice would have helped in the series. It would also have given Bruce Cassidy some flexibility with his defensive pairs.
Speaking of Cassidy, as great as he was in first full season behind the Bruins’ bench, I do think he was outcoached in this series. As much as the Bruins needed a shakeup in Game 4, Brian Gionta was not the answer and should have been nowhere near playoff ice. With the struggles at even strength, it would have made sense to break up the line of Marchand, Bergeron and Pastrnak, and spread the talent out a bit to see if that sparks any life five-on-five. He never did such thing.
Puck management haunted the Bruins all series long. They were sloppy with the puck and too often it came back to bite them. Turnovers leading to goals was a common theme and there were countless times that the Bruins were a tape-to-tape pass away from a prime scoring chance.
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Boston Bruins Blogger • 
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