The Bruins have already blown one chance to finish off the Maple Leafs. On Thursday night, they’ll try to avoid making it two when they hit the ice for Game 6 in Toronto, with puck drop set for 8 p.m.
Here are six thoughts heading into the game:
1. Actions speak louder than words
The Bruins’ practice on Wednesday was optional, but attendance at team meetings at Warrior Ice Arena was not. By the sounds of things, those meetings weren’t especially pleasant, but they were productive.
“It was good. It was productive this morning,” defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. “It was a lot of things that we needed to hear, needed to see. We'll be better for it.”
Coach Jim Montgomery said those meetings were focused both on the physical execution side of things and on the mental components of the game and being ready to go.
“What we wanted first, like we always do, review the game from [Tuesday] night and where we went wrong,” Montgomery said. “And then we started talking about how we need to get better. And some of that's physical, some of it’s mental. Some of it’s staying in the moment that we talk about. I don't think we did a good enough job staying in the moment [Tuesday] night. That's what we're looking for to get better for next game.”
Montgomery also made it clear that he’s still upset about the way the Bruins played in Game 5, and that he doesn’t “accept” it.
“I'm still pissed off from [Tuesday] night, just being honest,” he said. “I don't understand and don't accept our play [Tuesday] night. So, I'm gonna be pissed off until the puck drops [Thursday].”
Montgomery also isn’t shying away from talking about last year, when the Bruins were in this same situation and wound up losing three straight games to the Panthers en route to a shocking first-round collapse.
“I have no problem talking about last year, because failing or having failures in life and not learning from them is when you can repeat stuff,” Montgomery said. “And for me, it's picking yourself back up and talking and being honest with each other about where we're at and how we can get better.”
That all sounds good. Montgomery, McAvoy and others are saying the right things. But they were saying the right things before Game 5, too, and they still came out flat on home ice and opened the door for the Maple Leafs to get back in this series. None of the words matter come 8 p.m. Thursday night. The Bruins need action.
So much has been made of Montgomery’s lineup changes (more on that next), but the Bruins really need their best players to lead the way. That starts with McAvoy, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, none of whom were good enough in Game 5.
2. Put Beecher and Shattenkirk back in
Montgomery understands why he’s being criticized for changing a lineup that had won two straight in Games 3 and 4, but he also continues to defend the process that led him to make those changes.
“There's a lot of discussions that go on, and in the end, I end up making decisions that I was really confident was best for the Boston Bruins,” Montgomery explained. “And when it doesn't work out, I understand it comes with the territory, I'm going to be second-guessed and third- and fourth-guessed, and rightfully so. That comes with the territory, just like when you make changes and things work out. It's the same thing. But I know that I'm comfortable with the decisions I made, why I made them, and moving forward, and the criticism that comes with it.”
The two big changes were Matt Grzelcyk going in for Kevin Shattenkirk on defense and Justin Brazeau replacing Johnny Beecher up front. Grzelcyk had a shaky start to the game and a shakier finish when John Tavares drove past him to set up the overtime winner. Beecher’s faceoff ability was missed, and by Montgomery’s own admission, Brazeau looked “rusty” in his first game back after missing nearly a month.
“Rusty. His wall work wasn't as good as what it was usually,” Montgomery said of Brazeau. “Still had a couple of offensive plays. Didn't get to his spots where usually he can hang on to pucks a little bit more. Did it a couple of times, but not often enough. If he gets the opportunity to play again [in Game 6], we expect him to be better.”
Montgomery didn’t offer any insights into whether he’ll change things back for Game 6 or make any other moves, but he may have tipped his hand when he was asked about Shattenkirk and Beecher’s ability to play well upon re-entering the lineup.
“Beecher and Shatty, in particular, always have responded when they get back in the lineup with a really good effort,” Montgomery said. “So that gives you confidence to put them back in.”
Great. Put them back in, then. Shattenkirk is a more familiar partner for Parker Wotherspoon on the third D pairing than either Grzelcyk or Mason Lohrei. Derek Forbort is another option on defense, but Brazeau’s “rusty” return should serve as a warning about the dangers of trying to force Forbort in mid-series after missing the last two months.
Up front, the fourth line was at its best down the stretch and into the playoffs with Beecher on it next to Jesper Boqvist and either Brazeau or Pat Maroon. Taking him out and putting both Maroon and Brazeau on that line made it too slow. If Montgomery wants to keep Brazeau in, it should be at the expense of either Maroon or James van Riemsdyk (with Brazeau playing on the third line in that case), not Beecher.
UPDATE: Beecher and Shattenkirk are back in. Danton Heinen is out with an undisclosed injury and is considered "day-to-day." Grzelcyk draws out on defense. Here is the Bruins' expected lineup for Game 6, with no starting goalie announced yet (more on that in a minute):
Brad Marchand - Charlie Coyle - Morgan Geekie
Jake DeBrusk - Pavel Zacha - David Pastrnak
James van Riemsdyk - Trent Frederic - Justin Brazeau
Johnny Beecher - Jesper Boqvist - Pat Maroon
Mason Lohrei - Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm - Brandon Carlo
Parker Wotherspoon - Kevin Shattenkirk
3. Go back to the power-play units that worked
Speaking of unnecessary changes, Montgomery loaded up his top power-play unit with all three of David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy in Game 5 after weeks of having them separated (with Pastrnak on one unit, and Marchand and McAvoy on another).
In related news, the power play looked the worst that it’s looked all series. Now, the Bruins only got one power play in Game 5, to be fair. Maybe that unit would’ve looked better with a second attempt.
Nonetheless, the power play was already looking pretty damn good with the split 1A/1B units rather than the loaded-up first unit. It was 6-for-13 through the first four games. Why switch back to what wasn’t working in the second half of the season? Simple strategy here: Stick with what’s working.
4. The goalie decision should be easy
Listen, I was Team Rotation. But Montgomery already ended the rotation for this round. It’s Jeremy Swayman’s series. He was great again in Game 5 despite the loss. There’s no reason to go away from him for Game 6, and I’m kind of surprised this has even been a topic of discussion the last 24 hours.
While there are a lot of eerie similarities between this series and last year’s first-round collapse, this isn’t actually one of them. Linus Ullmark struggled in Game 5 last year. He gave up four goals on 25 shots and committed the turnover that led to Florida’s overtime winner. That’s why it was a mistake to stick with him for Game 6.
This just isn’t the same situation. Swayman didn’t struggle in Game 5 – at all. He’s still the hot hand. Now, the Bruins could still end up facing an uncomfortable decision for Game 7 if Swayman has a bad Game 6 and loses. But let’s all cross that bridge (or jump off it) if and when we get there.
5. Speaking of goalies, the Leafs may have found one
In addition to all the other bad things about Game 5, it shouldn’t be overlooked that the Bruins allowed the Leafs to feel good about one of their goalies.
Ilya Samsonov stunk through the first four games. Toronto turned to Joseph Woll in Game 5, and he stopped 27 of the 28 shots he faced in a winning effort.
The Bruins made things way too easy on him early, landing just two shots on goal in the first period. They tested him a little more as the game went on, but by that point he had already settled in.
Now the Leafs are back in the series, and they have a goalie behind them that they can trust heading into Game 6.
“He was fantastic. He just looked really calm, really under control and was seeing it really well, tracking it,” Leafs captain John Tavares said.
Woll isn’t a Vezina candidate or anything. He struggled down the stretch, which is why he didn’t play earlier in the series. The Bruins should still have the advantage in goal. But any NHL goalie can get hot for three games, and the Leafs now have some reason to believe that their goalie just might do that.
6. The Bruins have to figure out how to be better at home
This isn’t applicable to Game 6, specifically, since that will be played in Toronto. But whether the Bruins’ next home game is Game 7 of this round or Game 3 of the second round, they have to figure out why they have struggled so much at TD Garden in the playoffs.
They are now 2-5 at home in the playoffs in the last two years. The only two wins were Game 1 last year and Game 1 this year. Three of the losses were closeout games, when they had a chance to eliminate their opponent but failed to do so.
Montgomery is searching for answers as to why this keeps happening.
“That's a great question,” he said. “Our crowd is unbelievable. So you think that would get us off to a great start, but it didn't. There's factors that come into it, and we're looking at different ways to improve that if there is a Game 7.”
In the meantime, going back on the road for Game 6 might be just what the doctor ordered. The Bruins are 4-1 away from the Garden the last two postseasons and won both games in Toronto in this series.
“When you're on the road in the playoffs, you spend all your time together. It's so much easier to eliminate outside noise when you're on the road,” Montgomery said. “And these guys are watching other playoff games together. They're going for meals together. We have team meals together. So, it's a little easier to stay dialed in. And you're talking hockey a lot, right? There's nothing else on our minds. You're with like-minded people.”