Why The Bruins Fell To The Habs
"Everyone in Hockey is asking just what went wrong with Boston's season? What exactly was the factor that made their series go wrong, was it poor planning or were Montreal just too much for them?"
Good Question, let's have a look.
The Boston Bruins always looked good to advance through the playoffs, especially after being drawn against Detroit in the first round. Wracked with injury and inexperience, the depleted Detroit Red Wings did well to get a playoff spot and certainly poured heart and soul into the series, but ultimately the Bruins were always going to win.
There's two main reasons why things fell apart against the Montreal Canadiens, the first is that the series wasn't managed properly. On the ice the Bruins showed a complacency up front. During the regular season Boston scored 3.15 goals per game, in the playoffs this fell to 2.5. Like in the regular season, Jarome Iginla has been most prolific, having netted five times, while David Krejci and Brad Marchand failed to scored a single goal between them.
There's also been a shift in scoring. During the regular season Boston's Centers dominated the scoreboard, scoring 32% of the teams' goals. In the playoffs, this dropped to 13%. The right wingers though have picked up the slack though. Increasing their tally from 24% to 43%. Lack of consistency will kill any team.
Patrice Bergeron and Milan Lucic contributed but are the only players from the center and left to have played well during the post season. Comparatively.
It's not through lack of trying through. During the playoffs Boston averaged 33 attempts on goal per game. Only the St. Louis Blues, the San Jose Sharks and the Pittsburgh Penguins managed more, and they're all out. Whether it's mental discipline, lack of confidence or just end of season fatigue, this series became a war of attrition and Boston lost. The numbers don't lie.
That said, it's unfair to say Boston played badly. They initially led the series and looked like denying the Habs a record 25th Stanley Cup. This leads on to the other reason that Boston are now teeing up instead of donning the famous jersey.
It was clear from the Habs' first series against the Tampa Bay Lightning that the only Canadian team to start the playoffs had a good chance of finishing in the top spot. The Habs dominated against the Bolts, winning the series 4-0.
Faced with a deficit against Boston, the Habs then rallied to fight back. A large part of this was down to everyone's favourite love/hate figure PK Subban. The prolific blueliner scored four goals, always finding the net at key times. He also contributed eight assists and already has one hand on the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Almost all of the Habs skaters put in respectable numbers and looked like a team which has developed and evolved throughout the season.
Montreal has more depth than perhaps any other team in the playoffs. Each offensive line is more than capable of scoring, it's no surprise that the Habs are top of the table in average goals per game at 3.27.
The most surprising part of the Boston - Montreal series is how poorly Montreal started. Had the team demonstrated the hunger and passion shown recently, there's no way this series would have gone to seven games. If the Habs play against the New York Rangers with the same gusto, you can bet the farm they'll be lifting cup 25.
Good Question, let's have a look.
The Boston Bruins always looked good to advance through the playoffs, especially after being drawn against Detroit in the first round. Wracked with injury and inexperience, the depleted Detroit Red Wings did well to get a playoff spot and certainly poured heart and soul into the series, but ultimately the Bruins were always going to win.
There's two main reasons why things fell apart against the Montreal Canadiens, the first is that the series wasn't managed properly. On the ice the Bruins showed a complacency up front. During the regular season Boston scored 3.15 goals per game, in the playoffs this fell to 2.5. Like in the regular season, Jarome Iginla has been most prolific, having netted five times, while David Krejci and Brad Marchand failed to scored a single goal between them.
There's also been a shift in scoring. During the regular season Boston's Centers dominated the scoreboard, scoring 32% of the teams' goals. In the playoffs, this dropped to 13%. The right wingers though have picked up the slack though. Increasing their tally from 24% to 43%. Lack of consistency will kill any team.
Patrice Bergeron and Milan Lucic contributed but are the only players from the center and left to have played well during the post season. Comparatively.
It's not through lack of trying through. During the playoffs Boston averaged 33 attempts on goal per game. Only the St. Louis Blues, the San Jose Sharks and the Pittsburgh Penguins managed more, and they're all out. Whether it's mental discipline, lack of confidence or just end of season fatigue, this series became a war of attrition and Boston lost. The numbers don't lie.
That said, it's unfair to say Boston played badly. They initially led the series and looked like denying the Habs a record 25th Stanley Cup. This leads on to the other reason that Boston are now teeing up instead of donning the famous jersey.
It was clear from the Habs' first series against the Tampa Bay Lightning that the only Canadian team to start the playoffs had a good chance of finishing in the top spot. The Habs dominated against the Bolts, winning the series 4-0.
Faced with a deficit against Boston, the Habs then rallied to fight back. A large part of this was down to everyone's favourite love/hate figure PK Subban. The prolific blueliner scored four goals, always finding the net at key times. He also contributed eight assists and already has one hand on the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Almost all of the Habs skaters put in respectable numbers and looked like a team which has developed and evolved throughout the season.
Montreal has more depth than perhaps any other team in the playoffs. Each offensive line is more than capable of scoring, it's no surprise that the Habs are top of the table in average goals per game at 3.27.
The most surprising part of the Boston - Montreal series is how poorly Montreal started. Had the team demonstrated the hunger and passion shown recently, there's no way this series would have gone to seven games. If the Habs play against the New York Rangers with the same gusto, you can bet the farm they'll be lifting cup 25.
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