Boston Bruins: 3 Keys Against the Flyers
The Boston Bruins will play the Philadelphia Flyers tonight in Lake Tahoe, Nevada as part of the NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe. It will be the fourth meeting of the season between the 2021 East Division foes.
In the first four games, the Bruins have won each contest, two at home and two on the road. Two teams that were picked to finish near the top of the division, each team will be missing key players. Boston is missing key pieces due to injuries, while the Flyers are missing some key players to the league’s COVID-19 protocols.
Regardless of who takes the ice tonight, the Bruins will be looking for their fifth straight win over the Flyers and if they are to get it, these three keys will go a long way in helping them head into a three-day break on a winning note.
1. Bruins need to get ahead and stay ahead.
Early in the season, the Bruins were able to dig out third-period deficits to win some games, but they have not been as lucky in their last two contests.
On Feb. 13 on Long Island, the Bruins grabbed a 1-0 lead on the New York Islanders in the first period, only to give up the lead and battle back to tie it, before eventually losing 4-2 on a pair of third-period goals. Five days later the TD Garden, three second-period goals by the New Jersey Devils helped lead them to a 3-1 lead on their way to a 3-2 victory.
It’s no secret that the Black and Gold are struggling to score as of late and falling behind in games and chasing goals is not something that can happen on a nightly basis. Sooner or later the law of averages will catch up with them, like in their last two contests. Scoring early and getting ahead of the Flyers will be key, especially with them missing some of their top-nine forwards who were left back in Philadelphia.
2. Bruins’ continued power play success against the Flyers.
In the first four games of the season, the Boston power play has been a big difference in the outcome of the games against Philly. The Bruins are 7-for-12 on the man advantage, including three of their four goals in a Feb. 3, 4-3, overtime victory at the Well Fargo Center.
Philadelphia brings the 29th-ranked penalty kill to Lake Tahoe with them. Thursday night against the Devils, the Bruins scored two power play goals in their loss. Boston was successful in the Feb. 3 game with a five forward grouping on the man advantage that led to two of the three PP goals, but that most likely won’t happen tonight with David Krejci out of the lineup with an injury.
3. Rask remains perfect against Philadelphia this season.
In three of the Bruins’ four wins in 2021, Tuukka Rask has been between the pipes and won each game. In the team’s first meeting on Jan. 21 in Boston, Rask made 22 saves in a 5-4 Boston shootout victory. Rask turned aside all three Flyers’ shootout attempts, setting the stage for Jake DeBrusk to win the game in the final round of shots.
In the team’s two-game set in Philadelphia the first week in February, Rask won both games 48 hours apart. In the first game, he made 22 saves in a Bruins overtime win and then stopped 25 shots on Feb. 5, including 13 in the third period, as the Black and Gold rallied with two goals 27 seconds apart in the final period for a 2-1 win.
Rask should be well-rested as he is coming off an eight-day break, last playing Feb. 13 against the Islanders. Jaroslav Halak played in Thursday’s loss to the Devils.
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The Bruins have managed to win their four games against Philly in four different ways this season. They have won in a shootout, overtime, a blowout, and a one-goal game. They should be able to handle whatever situation they face tonight.