Pressure on Bruins to respond in Game 5 of Stanley Cup vs. Blues
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The Stanley Cup Final so far has been a case of acting and reacting, thrusting and parrying, moving and countering.
What the Bruins did in Game 1, the Blues took away from them in Game 2. The Bruins solved that issue in Game 3, and the Blues did the same in Game 4. Each team so far has responded to what its opponent has done to win the game before. So what do the Bruins need to do in Game 5 on Thursday?
“Respond,” forward Brad Marchand said Tuesday.
It’s certainly their turn. Through four games, no team has been able to string together wins, and the winning team clearly has been the better one in each game. Each team has turned the tables on the previous game and reversed course.
That will be the big test for Game 5, and whichever team responds best will be the team that will go to Game 6 one win away from taking the Stanley Cup.
“I think that’s been part of why both teams are in the finals,” Marchand said. “Because we’ve both been able to respond and have good bounce-back games whenever we have a loss or a bad game. And you need that this time of year. Once you go multiple games with bad games or not being able to put it together, it’s when you find yourself in a tight spot. That’s why they’re a good team. They’ve been resilient. We’ve been able to do the same. So we gotta make sure we regroup and get back to work (for the) next one. Hopefully have a big game.”
With it now being a best-of-three series, the margin for error is reduced even more. There is a fine line between winning the Stanley Cup or having an offseason of heartache.
“I think you’ve seen the response after a loss from each team,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “So it’s kind of, ball’s in our court now to respond. I don’t think there’s one specific thing (to swing the series). We’ve won the special-teams battle, yet it’s still tied 2-2. I think both goalies have played well. Maybe Game 3 they wanted a few more stops, but I don’t think their goalie was the one who cost them the game. That’s an area both teams would be solid.
A huge X-factor is the status of defenseman Zdeno Chara, who is believed to have a broken jaw. His status for Game 5 is uncertain, but he didn’t practice Wednesday afternoon and teammates indicated he wasn’t at the arena. Cassidy seemed to have the most communication with Chara, via text message, and it was “not much,” the coach said.
“Obviously Zee’s not here, didn’t skate, so it makes it a little more difficult for him,” Cassidy said. “I’ve always said that: The guys that are skating are obviously a little closer.”
The Bruins already were down one of their top six defensemen when Matt Grzelcyk went into concussion protocol after he was hit into the boards by Oskar Sundqvist in Game 2. If both are out in Game 5, it would necessitate some heavy-duty restructuring.
Cassidy is looking at Steven Kampfer, who appeared in 35 games this season, or a collection of rookies who would be making their postseason debuts. The one downside to putting Kampfer in is he’s a right-handed shot and Chara is a left, which is why Cassidy said he would consider using seven defensemen if Chara and Grzelcyk can’t go.
“I think what we shouldn’t be worried about is, can we win without certain guys in the lineup?” Cassidy asked. “Should be a mindset that you can still get it done. How are we going to get it done? That needs to be discussed, how you have to make up for the loss of certain players at key positions. ‘Zee’ and ‘Griz’ have been great on the penalty kill. They’ve been effective on it, a lot has to do with the goaltender and some of the regulars. Now we have to plug someone in there. We got to fix that hole.”