The Boston Bruins suffered a heartbreaking loss in Game 1 against the Buffalo Sabres, relinquishing a 2-0 lead with seven minutes remaining in the third period. While questions about the team's game plan remain, it was clear on Monday night and for large portions of this season that one player is out of his comfort zone on the Bruins' blue line.
Andrew Peeke isn't the target of this article just because he coughed up the puck that Tage Thompson eventually deposited into the net to tie the game at two. The decision he made on that play to skate directly into the boards on his backhand instead of making a tape-to-tape pass to the boards on his forehand isn't just a one-off; it has been a problem all season.
The Bruins have gotten away with their strategy of being bigger, stronger, and tougher up front because of timely scoring from their more offensively talented players. However, the backend's usual six only have three real puckmovers in Charlie McAvoy, Mason Lohrei, and Hampus Lindholm, and even those players get into trouble with the puck sometimes.
Some defensemen are so good defensively that you can look past their warts with the puck, but that isn't the case with Peeke. His defensive play has been going downhill over the past year, and it became an even bigger issue when moving to Marco Sturm's more man-on-man defensive structure. Peeke doesn't have the footspeed to move pucks efficiently or mark the opposing team's attackers.
Henri Jokiharju or Jordan Harris are better fits
Henri Jokiharju would likely be the first defenseman in line, given the performances he gave the Bruins this season. He played well and looked much more comfortable over his final few games of the regular season, and showed some offensive upside with a goal and an assist in the final game. He also had a goal and three assists in four games in March.
Jordan Harris played well once he recovered from an injury, but his absence knocked him down the depth chart. It'd likely take more than just Peeke struggling to get Harris in the lineup, but he is an option if Game 2 doesn't go as planned.
Looking beyond these playoffs, a defenseman in Providence like Frederic Brunet or a potential puck-moving defenseman with the Toronto Maple Leafs' first-round pick (if the Bruins get it) is a necessity for this team. Sunday night showed that while physicality is still important in the postseason, every contending team needs a reliable puck mover.
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