Analysis: Top opponents are figuring out how to beat Bruins' system

Now that the Bruins have played 33 games this season, the entire league understands Boston’s system of adding defensive layers to its offense in order to be successful.

More than ever, Bruin defensemen are jumping up into the play and adding to the attack in the offensive zone. The D-men also aren’t afraid to pinch. Bruce Cassidy’s system is working and has been successful. Against the better teams, however, Boston’s has had some breakdowns in that area and it has cost the team some games.

That was the case during Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the New York Rangers at TD Garden. There’s a fine line playing Boston’s style and at times it’s risky.



“Absolutely,” said Kevan Miller. “We’re pushing the pace. We have to make sure we’re sound defensively and we tittered that line a little bit tonight, especially in the second period. We tightened up a little in the third, but overall we could’ve done a better job of that.”

It wasn’t so much of a breakdown by the Bruins, it was more of the Rangers ability to spread the ice and force Boston out of position at times. Since the Rangers were playing consecutive days, and coming off a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings Friday night at Madison Square Garden, the Bruins knew they had to come out flying and strike first.

That wasn’t the case as the Rangers scored first at 14:42 of the first period. The Bruins were on the forecheck deep in New York’s zone when Ranger forwards Kevin Hayes and Jesper Fast floated out to the neutral zone. It forced Miller and partner Matt Grzelcyk to retreat a bit, opening up the zone for the Rangers.

Bruins veteran forward David Backes noticed this and camped himself out high in an attempt to seal off the neutral zone. The Rangers chipped the puck out, Hayes retrieved it and threaded a pass to Michael Grabner, who added a burst of speed to gain entrance into the offensive zone.

On a play like this, the trick is not to get stuck with two defensemen back, or have too big of a gap. This is a perfect example of when the forwards and D-men need to communicate. The defenseman tries to pinch the opponent’s winger in the neutral zone as close to the wall as possible to prevent any kind of threat.

“They got a guy in behind me,” admitted Miller. “It opened up and they came through the middle. (The goal) was a lucky bounce, but those are situations where we have to be tighter on them.

“They know we try to close quick on the blue line, and it’s harder to do when you’re standing flat-footed. So, if you back out of the zone and you’re standing at the blue line waiting for them, it’s tough to close. In that case, they sent a guy out to stretch the blue line and it worked.”

Since the Bruins play this style, opponents will stretch their weak side winger, which the Rangers were able to do on that first goal.

"We lost our gap, and they do it and they’re successful against a lot of teams doing it," Cassidy said. "I don’t think they did it to us all night. I think at times they did and that’s when they’re good.

"If your first forechecker has a good stick and you’re forcing pucks out of their hands early, then that (floater) is just lost. He’s skating out of the zone and we may have possession of the puck, and that’s where we needed to be better with our first and second forechecker. Creating some anxiety on their D so they’re just throwing pucks up and then you’ll probably get them back. But once they’re able to make that good underneath pass, I’ll call it that, that’s when you get into trouble and we did, and that’s when your third forward high has to be good. So, we had some breakdowns there. That’s the stuff we talked about that we have to address, because you play teams like that that do it and you need to be better through the neutral zone in those situations."

The end result was the goal but it was a lucky bounce for the Rangers. Grabner’s shot went off Tuukka Rask’s mask, off the back glass, ricocheted and bounced in off his back.

"I’ll talk to the bull gang right after this, and (ask) what the hell happened?" Rask said with a smile. "Must have been a Celtics game last night. Yeah, I felt it in my back, that’s all. It hit my mask first. Give me an assist on it."

Expect more and more teams to play this way agains the Bruins moving forward this season.