Bruins land a stunning jab on chin of Lightning

TAMPA, Fla. – This was the perfect time for the Boston Bruins to play the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Why?



It’s possible these teams could face each other in the second round so it was important to set the tone now. Not only is Boston on the verge of clinching a postseason berth, it wants to catch the Lightning in the Atlantic Division standings and, with Saturday’s 3-0 victory at Amalie Arena, the Bruins are two points back of the top spot.

“I thought we answered the bell,” said Bruce Cassidy. “Yeah, probably the biggest win in a long time. We’ve had some nice comebacks, we’ve had some high-scoring affairs but it’s nice to get a zero in the column. Just good, solid team defense, winning pucks and playing hard. Not the prettiest hockey but it’s playoff hockey and we were better at it than they were tonight.”

Cassidy’s message going into this game was the Bruins needed to change their mentality a little bit and play with more of a playoff structure. Coming down the home stretch of the regular season, they don’t want to play from behind and need to shore up the overall team defense.

Cassidy wants more emphasis on the overall details and some tighter goaltending. Well, the coach received everything he wanted against the Lightning. It was an impressive win, especially with Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Charlie McAvoy, Jake DeBrusk and David Backes out of the lineup.

“We’re built as a team that the way our system is anyone can do the job if we play aggressive and everyone’s backing each other up,” said Torey Krug, who has stepped up his game of late. “It’s about layers and the next man up, and if one guy makes a mistake, the other guys are there to back him up and do the job. We did a great job tonight.”

As a five-man unit in the defensive zone, the Bruins shut down the slot area and were able to clear pucks quickly. Layers were solid and the transition game was strong. The Bruins were getting sticks in passing lanes and blocking shots. It forced the Lightning to move the puck back to the point more because Boston secured the inside better than it has previously.

“Great,” said Tuukka Rask. “Best defensive game in awhile – throughout the lineup. Our D core was fantastic tonight breaking pucks out, blocking shots and making plays. Forwards helped out coming back and shutting down the slot area and didn’t give them too many chances from there, but it was a great example of when we put our minds into it how good we can be. It was a great game.”

Puck management was key and the Bruins didn’t allow many odd-man rushes. They took away time and space and made Tampa earn the ice. Boston simply played hard, clean hockey.

“It’s a message to ourselves that no matter how many guys are missing, and who’s missing, if we put our minds into it we can play solid hockey and that’s the most important thing,” Rask said.

The Bruins made their presence felt and the message was received on the other end.

“They get your attention right away,” said Lightning assistant coach Rick Bowness. “They’re a great hockey club, they’re very well coached and they’re right on our heels for first place in our division.”

Backes suffered a leg laceration at 19:39 of the first period and needed several stitches and did not return. After the game, he was walking out of the locker room and said he was ok. From a hockey standpoint, this victory was a strong start to finish the season.

“You obviously want to be peaking in the next five-to-10 games going into the playoffs and playing your best hockey,” Backes said. “We’ve been thrown a couple of curveballs with our top pair of defensemen out and our first-line center out, but those guys are recovering and hopefully back in the lineup soon. Being at full strength going into the playoffs is as important — if not more important — than finding your stride as a group. We know we’ve got the character in here. We’ve seen it in pieces when everybody’s healthy.”

There’s still no timetable on the injured players, but the goal is to have everybody back in the mix for the final five games of the regular season in order to sprint into the playoffs. It really is an impressive feat to see how the Bruins continue to win without some of their best players, including Bergeron. Safe to say the rest of the league is paying attention.

“There’s very few guys in this league that are probably irreplaceable and he’s definitely on top of the list,” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos told BostonSportsJournal.com. “Not only for what he can do offensively but his defensive responsibilities, his faceoffs, his PK, his leadership; he’s at the top of the list when it comes to guys that your team will feel the effect if he’s not in the lineup.

“Saying that, good teams have depth and they’ve shown with different guys out at different times that they can find ways to fill holes through depth. They’ve been a team we haven’t seen in a long time (before Saturday) and every time you turn on the TV, or check the score sheet, they’re winning.”

Depth has been key with the acquisitions of Rick Nash, Tommy Wingels, Brian Gionta and Nick Holden. These players played significant roles on their former teams, including in the playoffs, so it’s been an important aspect of Boston’s success.