By: Ryan Bosworth | Follow me on Twitter/X @RyanJBosworth
The Bruins squandered a two-goal lead in game one on Sunday, essentially handing over a 1-0 series lead to the Buffalo Sabres. There were clear issues that stood out which contributed to that happening. The biggest of those issues was becoming complacent with their lead, and not anticipating a late push from Buffalo.
After an off-day yesterday, the Bruins are back at it tonight, facing off with the Sabres at 7:30 p.m. EST at the KeyBank Center. Prior to that, though, they reflected upon their shortcomings on Sunday night as they prepared for what will be a competitive game two.
Reflection
“I thought we were in the perfect spot, exactly where we wanted to play, being in that position with 5 or 6 minutes left in a game,” head coach Marco Sturm said on losing after leading 2-0. “You could tell we got a little bit frustrated. And we made pretty much 2 mistakes to let them tie up the game… So very unfortunate because my guys played really well.”
Sturm and select players, including Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, spoke with the media yesterday, talking about the loss and what they need to do to prevent that happening in game two.
“I thought we were in a good spot. We still had the lead, a little bit of a snowball, but on the bench I think it was positive. We were still in a good spot,” McAvoy said. “Even when it gets tied up, on the road, its 2-2, you’ll take that position. It’s unfortunate how it happened, but we have to learn from it.”
“Our first 50 minutes, we did some good stuff,” Lindholm said. “We can build off that, but obviously, it’s tough when you lose a game that way. There’s a lot of hockey left to play, and we come here with the mindset (of) trying to win the next game.”
When asked about the lessons he takes away, he said, “It’s playoffs, it’s small margins. Especially on the road, it’s momentum. You see the energy they get from one goal, and then finding a way to reset, you just keep playing even though they’re getting their fans behind them a little bit.”
He went on to add, “Try to play smart in those moments. It’s that time of year, little things will win you the game or cost you the game. It’s a tough lesson to learn, but it’s a lot of hockey left to play.”
Preparation
The Bruins know what went wrong and they know what they need to do differently. They got complacent. They got comfortable playing with a lead and they didn’t pressure the Sabres. They left the door open for them to come back, and Buffalo took full advantage. As they get prepared for tonight, that’s the biggest thing that needs to change.
There were some positives to take away, as through 60 minutes of play, Boston holds a better power play percentage (33%, one for three), a better penalty kill (100%, four for four), and a slightly better faceoff percentage (50.8%). They also got far better goaltending from Jeremy Swayman than Buffalo got from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Swayman made 34 saves on 37 shots, and he didn’t allow a goal until Buffalo’s 32nd shot on goal. Luukkonen, on the other hand, allowed two goals on just 17 shots. Swayman posted a .919 save percentage, while Luukkonen only posted a .850 save percentage.
If Boston can tighten up the areas of weakness from game one that they identified, continue leading in the areas they lead in after game one, and Swayman can continue to dominate in the crease, there’s no reason this series can’t head back to Boston tied.
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