NHL Notebook: Bruins embracing adversity, opportunity ahead of Game 7 against Panthers

This Bruins core is no stranger to adversity, which has never been greater this season than it is right now ahead of a Game 7 date with the Florida Panthers.

The Presidents' Trophy winners are staring at the possibility of elimination right between the eyes after putting forth a 65-win season, plus an additional three so far in the postseason.

Patrice Bergeron is rather familiar with the noise around a do-or-die best-of-one contest. Sunday will be his 14th Game 7 in a Black and Gold sweater, the most in history among NHL forwards. It will put him in a tie with Zdeno Chara for the most Game 7's played of any player. 

That noise, however, has never been this loud, given what is at stake.

"I think you've got to welcome pressure," Bergeron said Saturday at Hanscom Field. "That's why we play the game. You know, it's for those moments. So I don't think that should be an issue. I think you have to use that to your advantage, and go out there and just play."

Boston has seen its comfortable 3-1 series lead over the Cats evaporate by way of avoidable self-inflicted wounds. The blueprint to return to form is easier said than done after turnovers have crippled a seemingly rudderless defensive structure. Lineup questions have mounted. Still, the Bruins have chosen to turn the page on the errors of the last week, as Bergeron said, "The first six games don't matter." There's one task at hand now.

"I just have a lot of confidence in our group," Jim Montgomery said. "Even though we were up 3-1 and we're going into a Game 7, I'm not looking at what has happened. I'm looking at what's ahead and the belief I have in the people who are going to be on the ice."

Even with the blunders in Games 5 and 6, Boston has remained steadfast in its "stay in the moment" mindset, choosing to embrace the chance to win and move on.

"Opportunity. That's the word that comes to my mind. You're playing a Game 7 at home. We had the regular season we had, but it got us this Game 7 to play in front of our great fans. It's an opportunity to go and seize the moment," Montgomery said. "Now we're looking forward to what lies ahead of us. I woke up [Saturday] morning, and the first thing that came across my mind was 'Well, I've got a chance to coach a Game 7 at home.' I mean, what a great opportunity."

Brandon Carlo said, "On the plane, Monty came back and talked to us a little bit. Had us envision when we were playing mini hockey or street hockey as kids, and it always resulted in a Game 7 throughout those little series. So, you want to take the same approach and just be excited about it. Look at it as a great opportunity, and that's exactly what we're going to do." 

Charlie Coyle, as a kid growing up on the South Shore, played in his fair share of Game 7's in a Black and Gold sweater.

"Quite a few, quite a few. You think of that stuff heading into these games, and it makes it that much more special," Coyle said Sunday morning at Warrior Ice Arena. "It makes you want to play harder, play the right way and do the things that make you play your best and win. I've played in a bunch of those. I think we all have, of course especially hometown guys. That's what makes it special, and it's always been a dream. It's an opportunity. You want to make the most of it, and we will."

The B's are 6-4 in their last 10 Game 7 appearances, going back to the 2011 first round against Montreal. The most recent was a 3-2 loss at Carolina in the first round last season, and the last one at TD Garden was, well, in 2019. Everyone knows what happened. 

Carlo will play in his fifth Game 7. He has a ways to go until he can catch Bergeron and Chara.

"I think it's just a result of the work that you put in all year," Carlo said. "I think as long as we just come in and continue to focus along our process and do the right things that we have been doing for most of the year, the result will come in itself. But, you know, it's an exciting time. The nerves get up a little bit. I think you have to relish that, rather than be scared of it. ... It's something that I look forward to a lot, and I think everyone else in our group does, too."

Aside from the record-setting run in the regular season, the uncertain futures of Bergeron and David Krejci are also among the stakes on Sunday. The Bruins can't afford to get caught up in those worries, though. That would not be staying in the moment.

"If someone's thinking about, 'This is Bergy's last game' or 'This is Krech's last game,' their mind is in the future, and that's no good for us," Montgomery said. "So if players just have to dig into what makes them a special Bruin, we'll be fine."

Taylor Hall said Sunday, "You can look everywhere for motivation in this type of situation, but that’s a big one. I think just overall, not letting this be our last game as a group. This is a special group. Not only Krech and Bergy, but we’ve had so much fun together as a team this year and we’ve overcome adversity at times. This is obviously the biggest thing that we’ve faced and we get through this, the sky’s the limit."

With everything at play, Carlo, like Bergeron, is more than happy to oblige the pressure.

"Definitely have to focus on the one game on the ice, but through everything that I've learned over the last couple of years, a little adversity will always carry you further," Carlo said. "I've grown more than I could have ever imagined from the adversity I've faced within hockey, within life and whatnot. So, that's kind of my approach, in these moments of adversity, is where you gain the most growth. It's an exciting thing. I relish that and want that. 

"If you don't want that adversity in your life, I feel you're not living the exciting life that you should be. So, I relish it as a great opportunity. Even though those guys are older, I feel like they do, too."

Other notes...

Making sense of the home team struggles

To this point in the NHL playoffs, home-ice advantage has largely been a myth. In the Bruins-Panthers series, the home team is 2-4. At worst, the home team went 1-5 in the Toronto-Tampa Bay series. At best, the home team was 3-3 in the Carolina-Islanders, Minnesota-Dallas and Edmonton-Los Angeles series. Overall, teams have gone 18-29 at home in the first round, as of Sunday morning.

So what gives? Raucous buildings are usually a source of added fuel for the teams they support in the postseason.

Before traveling for Game 6 in Florida, the Bruins had their guesses.

"A lot of times at home, because we love playing in front of fans so much and we love the TD Garden, we want to make them happy right away," Montgomery said Thursday at Hanscom. "Instead of building our team game, we try to get results right away. A lot of times when you're forcing plays, the other team is forcing you into tough areas. Instead of just maybe moving it up the wall or putting it in on the forecheck, you try to go up the middle tape-to-tape, and they go the other way."

Matt Grzelcyk said, "Maybe just trying to do a little too much. Sometimes I think when you're on the road, it's easier to play a simpler game and play a little more north hockey like Coach always says."

Surely, there are owners shaking their fists at the lack of success (and therefore sales) in their buildings. The B's are hoping to buck the trend Sunday evening.

Tavares is the hero of Toronto

Who would have thought? The Maple Leafs have won a playoff series for the first time since the spring of 2004, a mere 19 seasons ago. 

To put that in perspective, this young scribe was in preschool.

Speaking of that age, when a young John Tavares slept soundly in his Leafs pajamas and sheets, at one point or another he probably dreamt of scoring a heroic overtime goal in a Toronto uniform.

He did just that on Saturday night, spinning the puck on goal before it ricocheted in off a skate to slay the mighty Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6. It's a weight lifted off a fanbase, a front office and a team. How quickly they can refocus on the task at hand for the start of the second round, remains to be seen. 

Tavares knows a thing – and now two – about ending a tortured franchise's playoff series drought. He put a stop to the Islanders' 23-year hiatus from playoff series victories when he potted the double-overtime winner in Game 6 against the Panthers in 2016.

Nevertheless, now in the fifth season of his $77 million mega-deal, Tavares – and Toronto – finally got what he hoped and dreamt for when the center put pen to paper on July 1, 2018.

"To get a big one tonight is really nice, especially with some of the disappointments we've had and how much support we've had over the years and the belief in the club from the fanbase," Tavares told reporters in Tampa. "Enjoy it tonight. Obviously, nice to get it, but at the same time, it's just Step 1. We know we've got a lot more work ahead and another tough challenge awaiting us here soon."

More Game 7's on tap

It could be recency bias, but I mentioned in this past week's Q&A that it's hard to remember a season with so much parity, particularly in the playoffs. The Eastern Conference was stacked in the regular season and it's continued to prove to be a gauntlet through the first round. 

Two of the four series in the East are headed to win-or-go-home Game 7's after the Rangers stunned the Devils with a 5-2 win on Saturday night, showing a major sign of life. Of course, there are the Bruins and the Panthers. Meanwhile, the other two series were not cakewalks either for Carolina or Toronto, who were both pushed to six games. The Leafs had to win three overtime games on the road at Amalie Arena. 

Out West, only Vegas got the easy road, taking down the Jets in five games and causing a Rick Bowness blow-up in his postgame media conference. The relentless Kings took the Oilers to six before Edmonton's firepower became too much. Dallas and Minnesota could have easily gone the distance, and while the latter bowed out in six, the Wild certainly did their best to take a piece out of the Stars. Those three left Seattle and Colorado on the stage, as the Kraken are more than just happy to be in the playoffs for the first time, putting the defending champs on the ropes. 

With Devils-Rangers Game 7 set for 8 p.m. on Monday, it makes for a blink-and-you'll-miss-it 48 hours in the hockey world.