Haggs: Boston Bruins lost to a better team, plain and simple

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The Boston Bruins certainly had their moments in the first round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, but in the end, they simply lost to a better hockey team in the seven-game series.

As was the case in each of the four games played in Carolina, the Boston Bruins lost trench battles against both nets and just didn’t have enough offensive drive in a 3-2 loss to the Canes in Game 7 at the PNC Arena. .

When it was said and done, it wasn’t about the officiating or the goalies, or even the special teams game that can sometimes win or lose a series. It was Boston’s inability to win a game in Carolina territory and the overall tough time they had scoring against Carolina’s stiff and unyielding defense that ultimately forced them through the offseason.

“It’s always hard to say when you come up short, but there’s something to be proud of that we fought for,” said Patrice Bergeron. “We started off slow this year and the series was more or less the same. We fought and played the kind of hockey we need to move forward, but tonight we fell short and needed a little more.

“Obviously away games hurt us in the long run. He was close. They are a very good team that we fought against, and we knew it was going to be a close and difficult series. We needed to put one on the road and we couldn’t do it. Congratulations to them, they played a great game and a great series and they are moving forward.”

He led the Hurricanes to outscoring the Boston Bruins 18-6 over the course of four games in Carolina and made the B’s look surprisingly lacking in much oomph when it mattered in Game 7. Until David Pastrnak scored in the final minute . To make things interesting, Saturday afternoon’s playoff game had the same lack of offensive drive as just about every other Bruin game against Carolina this season.

“They have the best defensive team in terms of numbers and we had the fourth [during the regular season], so it wasn’t going to be easy for either team,” Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “That’s what happened in the series: two good defensive teams that were committed to it.”

At this point, the Bruins have played the last seven of 10 games against Carolina this year and have been outscored 21-6 at PNC Arena this season, a development that isn’t a coincidence or some kind of misleading result. Instead, it’s a team that is demonstrably better than the other and confirmed itself in an intense, physical and ultimately true-to-style postseason series. The Hurricanes were better where it mattered against both nets and that’s how you win in the hockey playoffs.

“We were down in the second period of Game 2 here, I think it was 4-1, and there were some messages there: ‘This is a good group that has gotten better as the season has gone on and we need to start building our game soon.’ Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Even though we didn’t win that game, that was the beginning of us getting back in the series, coming home and playing better.

“Tonight was going to be the end of that building and then go to the next round. That was our goal. I think everyone wanted it and that’s why they were disappointed. You have to execute, and we didn’t execute D zone coverage well enough and that ends up being the difference in the game. Both teams want to win and both teams expose it. Most of the time you are trying to finish your check and block a shot. It wasn’t a lack of effort. We executed what we had to do to score some goals and we didn’t execute zone D coverage. It’s disappointing because it’s something we drill every day, so to go out that way [was difficult]. Another year older, different guys in the room will have different feelings about it.”

At least the Boston Bruins’ top line managed to score a goal while going toe-to-toe with Jordan Staal’s line again in Game 7, something that didn’t happen regularly in Carolina during the playoff series. But they couldn’t really dominate the flow of the game like they did in Boston by moving away from Staal’s closing group, and that’s a huge problem when you don’t have the home ice advantage needed for the last change in a series.

There’s also the problem with offensive balance, as Craig Smith (zero points) never really appeared in the series, and Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk and Taylor Hall combined to be under 18 in the seven-game series. Once again, the best guys in Boston were left with too much heavy lifting and couldn’t do it alone in Carolina.

Instead, the Boston Bruins were left to lament the handful of chances they couldn’t finish in the early parts of games in Carolina, and now play the waiting game to see what Patrice Bergeron will do next season.

“Every year you go into the playoffs and expect to have a long, deep run and be able to fight for the Cup. We knew it was going to be a tough battle. They’ve been great all year, very well coached and disciplined in their system and have a lot of depth,” Brad Marchand said. “We expected to beat them, but it always hurts, and it always will.

“We want him back, but no matter what happens, he has earned the right to make the decision he wants and take the time he needs. That’s why it probably hurts more for this one, the unknown for next year with him. He has done so much for this group and he has sacrificed so much for this group, so this is disappointing.”

It would be more disappointing, honestly, if the Boston Bruins missed an opportunity that was in their hands or that didn’t live up to their potential. In this case, the B’s lost to a Carolina Hurricanes team, where it’s probably their turn to make a run with their main group and they could easily make it to the Stanley Cup final if they get the rebounds right.

For the Boston Bruins, it’s about asking what needs to be done to raise the roof on this team after they couldn’t do better than enter the wild-card playoffs and exit the playoffs in the first round when all was said and done.




Reference-bostonhockeynow.com

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