Islanders’ forecheck no match for Bruins’ finesse
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The Bruins Saturday became the first team this postseason to post five consecutive victories, sending the New York Islanders and their energized and usually productive forecheck skittering down Causeway Street en route to a 5-2 victory at the Garden.
The little bit of rust the Bruins might have feared after nearly a one-week layoff was, for the most part, sanded off by midway through he first period. The Bruins pounded Islanders rookie netminder Ilya Sorokin with 40 shots, tilted the ice their way throughout most of the 60 minutes, and breezed to victory with three strikes in the third.
The Islanders, built around structure and patient and stout defense in front of their net, never were able to get a grip on the game. Their energized, plucky forecheck, something that gave Boston fits and starts early this season, failed to keep the Bruins pressed in their own end and, in turn, delivered little in the way of bonafide scoring chances against Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask.
“We did a better job moving [the puck] quickly,” noted Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. “Rims around the boards. We started winning our share of battles along the boards, so wingers, that backs them off … even if you just punt it out to the neutral zone they have to reset and start over.”
Early in the season, noted Cassidy, the Isles dogged forechecking was a problem. Some of Saturday night was simply having the advantage of knowing what was to come. The Isles brought it. The Bruins swatted it away.
“Maybe we were lesson stubborn at times, too … kept moving it,” added Cassidy, now 32-29 in his playoff action as the Bruins bench boss. “We built in some misdirection or reverses in certain situations that we’ll continue to work on.”
· Led by Pastrnak’s hat trick, the top line finished 3-3—6, underscoring yet again how hard it is for the opposition to contain the Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Pastrnak trio.
The main challenge in suppressing them is that, individually, they all are equal amounts passers and shooters. The trio collected 19 of the 40 shots on Sorokin.
“That top line can do a little bit of everything,” noted Isles backliner Scott Mayfield prior to puck drop. “I think the biggest thing for me is that they’re never out of a play, so I’m never out of a play — you can’t take a second off. Even if you think things have calmed down, you’re never out of a play and you have to make sure if they are on the ice you’re watching them the whole time.”
· Like the Washington series, in which the Bruins saw Tom Wilson score the series-opening goal, the Black-and-Gold again had to chase a lead when Anthony Beauvillier connected on the night’s first power play.
Every club prefers to play with a lead. The Bruins led for only 8:47 over the first three games against Washington until finally working with healthy lead times in Games 4 and 5. But the Isles are better structured and more disciplined than the Capitals. If the Bruins have to chase leads in this series, it will cost them energy, and could be a tough trend to reverse.
· The Bruins evened it, 1-1, with their first power play of the night, Pastrnak connecting from the left side after Matt Grzelcyk was on target with a wrister from the right point.
It was a slight departure for coach Bruce Cassidy, using both Grzelcyk and Charlie McAvoy at the points. But only 33 seconds remained in the first when the Bruins were handed the advantage, leading Cassidy to pair up his two most offensive-minded backliners for the draw. The strategy paid off only nine seconds into the advantage.
· The Bruins finished the first period with a substantial 18-8 shot advantage and outchanced the Isles, 26-12 for the period. They owned only a 173-169 edge in the five games against the Capitals in the first round, in part because they were outshot dramatically, 41-19, in the Game 5 clincher. After 40;00, the Boston edge stood at 30-12.
· The Isles may not be as big as the Capitals, but they make up for it, especially on the forecheck, with quickness and pop. Case in point, Leo Komarov’s forecheck on Grzelcyk at the 7:00 mark of the second, leaving Grzelcyk slow to get back on his feet. He eventually made his way back to the bench, gingerly, and then made his way to the dressing room briefly after regaining his wind on the bench. He returned quickly to the bench and finally began taking regular shifts around the 13:20 mark.
The Bruins can’t afford to lose backline personnel. They already have seen Steve Kampfer and John Moore exit for the season, following surgery. They have no handle on how soon, or if, Kevan Miller, dinged in the Washington series, will be back. Jeremy Lauzon finally made his way back for Game 1 against the Caps, but Jakub Zboril remains not ready for prime time.
· The Bruins followed one part of the game plan to a T: owning a 30-12 advantage for shots on goal over the opening 40:00. Shot attempts were even more lopsided, 49-20. They should be able to control the series if they can keep up that kind of advantage for firepower.
· The Isles love to hit. Two of their forwards ranked among the league’s top 10 hitters in the regular season: 6. Cal Clutterbuck (191) and 8. Matt Martin (181). By the end of 40:00 in Game 1, the Isles had a 36-12 lead in hits, and Clutterbuck had 6 and Martin had 4. Connor Clifton led the Bruins in the regular season with 108 pops.
· Sorokin had 28 saves to his credit over the first two periods. Not bad. But he was clearly the more “leaky” of the two tenders. He had two or three instances where he couldn’t find the puck after stopping it and was fortunate the Bruins weren’t more alert with their sticks. Sorokin also gave up a fat rebound off a Patrice Bergeron bumper shot, leading to Pastrnak cashing in the loose puck for a brief 2-1 lead in the second. Leaks near the red pipes are dangerous.