Desperation. One word to summarize every single one the Bruins coaches roster members and fans will be speaking tonight. One kind of motivation the Hawks will look to cancel out tonight. But one word the Bruins have become amazingly familiar with. In the 3 years, 9 different series and a total of 52 playoff games, the Bruins have played a total 7 elimination games yet they have lost just one. Nevertheless, the Bruins will be playing only their 2nd elimination game of the playoffs tonight and when you think about it they came just 52 seconds away from losing that first elimination game of the playoffs to a team without a doubt inferior to the Hawks. Winning tonight will be no easy task for the Bruins but regardless of that, if Boston falls short for a 3rd straight game, there will be no next game. If the Boston Bruins loose tonight the Toronto comeback, the Lunquvist dismantling and the Pittsburgh sweep will all be for not, if the Boston Bruins loose tonight, the Chicago Blackhawks will be Stanley Cup Champions again. Here's how they can keep the Hawks from doing that.
1) Tuukka Rask needs to steal the game
It seems crazy to ask Rask to do anything more for this team but regardless of that he will need to play one of the best games of these playoffs for the Bruins to win as when you think about it, it might take yet another shutout for the B's to win this one.
2) Patrice Bergeron must be healthy enough to make an impact
There's no arguing, Chara may be the captain but Patrice Bergeron is the rock that drives this entire Bruins team. Yet he went down midway through the second period of game 5 the Bruins seemed to lose the will to win. As crazy as it seems, tonight's game might be as simple as this: if Patrice Bergeron plays, the Bruins might win, if Patrice Bergeron sits out, the Bruins might lose.
3) Bruins defense needs to limit Chicago's shots to the perimeter
It’s a fact, the Bruins cannot will not win game six if they allowed more than 2 goals and it’s a fact, Tuukka Rask will not allow more than 2 goals if Chicago cannot get bodies of the front of the net. So with that in mind the Bruins defense's role is simple. Do not worry about scoring goals, simply hit Chicago and own the blue line. Don't let them get behind you and most importantly if anyone gets in front of Tuukka Rask, chuck that Blackhawk to the ice.
4) Bruins must limit neutral zone turnovers
It has been a presence all series long. Bruins taking the puck up the ice give the puck up to the Hawks who take it up the ice and punch the puck past Rask. You see at best, Tuukka Rask can stop 2 thirds of the breakaways the Hawks manage and when you think about it if they snatch up 4 or 5 in Game Six which really isn't that far-fetched that would be around 2 goals right there. The Bruins must eliminate those neutral zone turnovers.
5) Jaromir Jagr, Brad Marchand or Tyler Seguin needs to have a good game
It’s that simple, the Bruins under preforming stars must score. Nothing more nothing less; put the puck in the back of the net.
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