Boston Bruins: 3 Keys to a Second Victory Over the Rangers
The Boston Bruins will play the middle game of their three-game road trip tonight at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York against the Rangers.
The Bruins will be going for their second straight win over the Blue Shirts as they rallied from a deficit Wednesday night for a 3-2 victory in overtime when Brad Marchand scored on breakaway 36 seconds into the extra period.
If the first-place Bruins are to extend their winning streak to five games, here are three keys for Boston in getting two points for the second straight game in the Big Apple.
Bruins need to have a better first period.
Early in the season, the Bruins took the momentum in games by having a strong first period. It always did not result in goals, but for the most part, they outshot and outplayed their opponents in the first 20 minutes.
Wednesday night, the Black and Gold looked every bit like a team that had not played a game in five days. Sluggish all over the ice, they failed to connect on a lot of passes, they had shots blocked, shots that did get through missed the net. When they did hit the net, NYR goalie Alexander Georgiev made the save.
The Bruins played better second and third periods. They got more shots on net, their passing was better and they played as they had in previous games before their break.
As the Bruins found out early in the season, a solid first period can set the tone for the game and a good start will go a long way in setting the tone against the frustrated Rangers.
Get middle-six production.
The Bruins’ first line of Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak failed to register a point in regulation, but goals from Chris Wagner and Jake DeBrusk helped Boston get to overtime before Marchand won the game.
Secondary scoring has been an issue with the Black and Gold over the years. Craig Smith was brought in this season as a free agent to help with that, but he has just three goals in 11 games. At this point, the Bruins will take scoring from anyone that is not on the top line, and eventually someone will need to step up. Maybe someone will tonight.
Win the special teams battle.
The Rangers have struggled to put the puck in the net this season and Rask frustrated them Wednesday night. The Bruins penalty kill has been very good all season and will need to be again tonight. A team struggling to score will look to their power play and Boston can’t let the Rangers get confidence on the man advantage.
The Bruins power play has been producing before going 0-for-2 Wednesday. Coach Bruce Cassidy went with the five forward grouping in the first period, before back to their traditional four forward, one defenseman grouping with Matt Grzelcyk at the point. The Bruins’ second power play was much better than their first as Pastrnak had the best opportunity and hit the post.
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The Rangers have killed 16 straight penalties, but with the firepower the Bruins have, taking advantage of their power play chances and putting a couple in the net would be beneficial in heading to Long Island to play the Islanders Saturday night with two points.