Game 4 was a must-win game for the Boston Bruins, as going down 3-1 to the Florida Panthers is a less-than-ideal situation. They would have to do it without captain Brad Marchand, who is out with an upper-body injury. Things have been murky for the Bruins offense, as they’ve been able to generate very little and not test Sergei Bobrovsky nearly enough. Safe to say, that plagued the Bruins in this pivotal game. The Panthers completed their fifth multi-goal comeback in franchise history to take a 3-1 series lead. This was a massive blow for the Bruins, who will now have to claw back and force their way into the series. Here are three takeaways from the crucial loss.
Bruins Dominated After Quick Start
The tone was set early in the game as Charlie McAvoy made his presence felt, delivering an open-ice hit on Sam Reinhart. The Bruins were determined to right the ship in what was a must-win game. They started hot, scoring two goals on their first five shots of the game, as David Pastrnak scored on the power play and Brandon Carlo scored his third goal of the playoffs. However, the Panthers turned up the heat after the hot start and smothered the Bruins.
The Bruins have been dominated during five-on-five play for the last two games. In fact, they are the worst team in this regard, as they have the worst Corsi for percentage (38.93) and the second worst expected goal differential (43.52). It did not get any better for the Bruins, as the Panthers continued establishing that same dominance.
The Panthers scored two goals at five-on-five, one of which was Anton Lundell’s first goal and the game-winner by Aleksander Barkov in the third period. As they’ve done all season long, they continued to suppress the Bruins’ chances and give them nothing of quality. After a hot start in the first period, the Panthers settled things down and controlled the game.
After barely testing Bobrovsky in Game 3, they did nothing to test him in the final two periods. The Bruins generated 30 shot attempts and 13 shots on goal. Once the game concluded, it was glaring how much they got outplayed. The Panthers held the edge in shot attempts (79-42) and shots on goal (42-18). Being a pesky defense remains true, as they kept the Bruins to the low-danger areas of the ice and limited the Bruins to five shots on goal from the high-danger areas. In what was a must-win game, the Bruins had TWO shots on goal in the third period and eight shot attempts. Poor effort and a smothering defense took the wind out of the sails for the Bruins.
The offense with Marchand was struggling, and it was just as bad without him. Regardless of whether the captain is in the fold, the Panthers are a mismatch for the Bruins, and they have no answer for their defense. The team in front was poor, and the goaltending can only do so much.
Jeremy Swayman Can Only Do So Much
Given the play in front of him, Jeremy Swayman can only do so much. The biggest blessing for the Bruins is the consistent level of play for their goaltending. Whether it is Swayman or his teammate Linus Ullmark, the goalie gives the Bruins a chance to win. However, goaltending can only do so much and can only bail you out on so many occasions. Demanding and expecting perfection is hard, as they are human and can only do so much. In Game 4, Swayman did his very best and kept the Bruins in it until they were out of it.
Related: Bruins’ Slow Start and Poor Penalty Kill Doom Them in 6-2 Loss
Once the Bruins concluded the first period, Florida maintained their relentless pressure. Also, the Panthers were the more dominant team in the first period, but the Bruins did a better job capitalizing. The pressure kept coming, and eventually, they were able to solve Swayman three times. They have scored more goals in the last three games (15) than he allowed in the seven-game series in round one (12).
Swayman stopped 38 of the 41 shots he faced, which was good enough for a .927 save percentage. In addition, he finished with 1.59 goals saved above expected, which is remarkable considering the outcome.
He can only do so much, and he did his very best to give the Bruins a chance to tie the series. As good as he was in defeat, it came with controversy.
Controversial Goal Becomes Turning Point
Public Enemy number one in Boston was Sam Bennett, and rightfully so. He was the man responsible for Marchand not playing in the game. Bennett would hear the boo birds as he scored the game-tying goal in the third period. The Panthers were outplaying the Bruins at this stage of the game, but how the goal was scored was the issue.
It was only a matter of time before the Panthers tied the game. You could see it based on how they were playing and feel it with them having momentum. However, the goal scored was very much in question and was a turning point in the hockey game. As you can see, Bennett makes contact with Charlie Coyle, preventing Swayman from playing the position. Head coach Jim Montgomery challenged the goal, and it ultimately stood. However, when you see the report on how the league ruled it, it’s puzzling.
The league deemed it to be a good goal despite acknowledging that there was a shove by Bennett. Not even four minutes later, Barkov scored the game-winning goal off a great effort to keep the puck in the zone.
The Bruins did not lose due to officiating, but this goal was the turning point in the game and helped pave the way for the Panthers’ victory.
Panthers Dominating the Game and the Series
You can argue that the Bennett goal was controversial and should’ve come back. However, the Panthers have been the better team and are dominating the Bruins. For the third game in a row, the Bruins have been outplayed, and it’s showing.
Goaltending can only do so much, so adjustments will need to be made to help him out. The Bruins face elimination on the road on Tuesday night and will do everything they can to force a Game 6 back in Boston.