The Bruins' inconsistency is no longer inconsistent. It's becoming quite consistent and predictable. They'll play great hockey for a few games, knock in a few goals, then they'll try too hard to replicate similar scoring totals, and blow games against mediocre competition.
You've got to be able to beat teams like the Flyers at home. Philly is a 7/8/9 team these days, and on home ice, you absolutely must defeat a team on that level.
David Krejci had one of his worst games in a Bruins uniform. So many poor passes, so many times he didn't do the little things while trying to do the big things. When covering the point for a pinching defenseman, he couldn't keep the puck in the zone. When sitting in the crease, he didn't have his stick on the ice for the centering pass that came his way. Just an awful game.
And Blake Wheeler, he pulled his typical Blake Wheller shenanigans.
The B's really missed Lucic last night. They rarely won battles on the boards. Once Philadelphia realized that they were winning all these contests, they got more and more aggressive when the Bruins tried entering the zone.
Too many long passes for the Bruins. Straight passes too. No effort on the offensive breakout to form triangles, even skinny triangles. Short passes and triangles, that's what allows a standard offensive possession to develop into a scoring opportunity.
I think the Bruins will simplify things once again for their Friday night game in Chicago. The Blackhawks are 20-8-3 this year, with an impressive 13-3-1 record at home (best in the NHL).
But these hiccups will continue. And like the hiccups, they start off as a minor annoyance, then a major nuisance, and now they're a major pain.
Bruins @ Blackhawks Friday night.
Source:
ESPN
Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Charles Krupa
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