The Boston Bruins put together a historic regular season campaign during the 2022-23 regular season, but unfortunately, none of that matters anymore. After an ugly 7-5 loss in Game 6, the Bruins will be forced to return to Boston for Game 7 against the Florida Panthers with their season now on the line. After all they accomplished early in the season, this certainly wasn't what the B's were hoping for in their first-round playoff series.
After winning Games 3 & 4 in Florida, it seemed like Boston was in complete control of this series. But they dropped Game 5 thanks to a horrible overtime blunder from Linus Ullmark, and despite fighting back on several occasions in Game 6 and holding two one-goal leads in the third period, the defense couldn't lock things down to secure Boston a spot in the second round of the playoffs.
This is pretty much a worst-case scenario for the Bruins, and they are running the risk of throwing away everything they accomplished in the regular season. It all comes down to Game 7, and Boston will need to play their best game of the season if they want to advance. But first, let's look back at Game 6 for three big takeaways that are worth noting ahead of the B's biggest game of the year.
3. Bruins have huge goalie decision to make in Game 7
It's a good thing the voting for the Vezina Trophy only accounts for regular season statistics, because Linus Ullmark's case would be shot if postseason stats were included. Ullmark didn't have a very good outing in Game 5, and while the defense isn't giving him much help, he should have saved three or four goals that Florida scored on Friday night. If he plays like he did during the regular season, the Bruins aren't stressing over a Game 7 right now.
It gives me no pleasure to toot my own horn, especially considering how Game 6 played out, but after their loss in Game 5, I noted in the takeaways column for that game that it was time to send Ullmark to the bench. Playing Jeremy Swayman was the best option for Boston in Game 6; if they won, you move on, but if they lost, at least you give Ullmark some rest before putting him back between the pipes with the season on the line.
Instead, Boston has to make their biggest goalie decision of the year in their biggest game of the year. Ullmark has been awful lately, but Swayman has only played three minutes of mop-up duty in Game 4 after Ullmark was sent to the showers early for trying to fight Matthew Tkachuk. It's an extremely tough decision, and it could end up determining whether or not the Bruins are able to advance to the second-round or not.
2. Bruins defense needs to make big changes, and soon
The Panthers have a dangerous forecheck, but that doesn't excuse the Bruins defense from their sudden desire to just hand-deliver the puck to Florida in their own zone. Giveaways were a problem once again in Game 6, with five of Florida's seven goals coming off of Bruins giveaways. We've said it before, but this isn't going to cut it if Boston wants to make it out of this series alive.
Part of this might be due to Boston's personnel. Matt Grzelcyk absolutely has to be on the ice in Game 7, as both Connor Clifton and Derek Forbort had horrible outings in Game 6. Forbort's inclusion on the third-pairing throughout the series has been wildly confusing, as he just doesn't have the speed and quick decision-making to outsmart Florida when they press him in his own zone.
The problems go beyond these two, though. Charlie McAvoy is probably the most culpable player when it comes to turnovers, and Hampus Lindholm has been invisible for much of this series. Boston has to be more careful with the puck, and figure out a way to get out of their zone when the Panthers are on the forecheck. Boston managed to accomplish this in Games 3 & 4, and they are going to have to get back to what worked for them in those wins in Game 7.
1. Jim Montgomery's overconfidence is hampering the Bruins
During one of Jim Montgomery‘s in-game interviews on the TNT broadcast of the game when Boston was trailing 3-2, he said that he thought the Bruins were fine because they were creating chances and sticking to the process that worked for them throughout the regular season. For all the talk from Boston that their regular season success didn't matter, it was a painfully revealing answer.
The Bruins entered this series confident that they would beat the Panthers, and while you can't blame them for that, the developments early in this series likely didn't help when it came to inflating their ego. They were winning without their top two centers in Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, but this isn't the regular season; the Bruins' arrogance is one game away from destroying their season.
Montgomery has done a great job in his first season with Boston, but this ultimately starts with him. His “process” from the regular season isn't working, and we said coming into this season the Bruins can't afford to rest on their regular season achievements. Montgomery absolutely has to make adjustments in Game 7, because if he tries to stick with what worked for his team in the now meaningless regular season, their postseason hopes will come crashing down in front of them in Game 7.
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