Thursday, December 24, 2009

ONCE AGAIN, THE BRUINS STRUGGLE WITH A 3 GOAL LEAD


It's happened so many times the last two years. The Bruins go up by 3 goals, and THEN my worrying starts. Why? Because this might be one of the worst 3-goal-lead teams in hockey history.

A 6-4 win, and you expect some back and forth. But the Bruins never trailed in this game, and led the game for 40:16 straight. Then you look at a guy like Patrice Bergeron, who had a goal and 2 assists, yet was -1.

Atlanta has some offensive talent, but when you go up 3-0 in 68 seconds in the mid-1st, the game should be a laugher. There's no such thing as prevent hockey, but you can play a high percentage, low risk game. Or you can choose to be more aggressive. A 3 goal cushion gives you this allowance.

The Bruins get 3 goal leads then seem to want to run out the clock. That is impossible in hockey. It takes 1 second to score. Everyone who saw D3: The Mighty Ducks knows that all too well.



It was nice to see the Bruins turn things back on, and re-extend their lead from 3-2 to 5-2. But it only allowed them to once again make things too close.

Wins are nice, and they're what the Bruins need to get to the next level, but they also need to mature and play a full 60 minutes of hockey, even if they go up 3 goals.

Bruins @ Panthers Sunday evening (5pm). Florida right now is tied for 8th in the Eastern Conference.

Source:
ESPN

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Michael Dwyer