Bruins Get Demolished in Game 3; Show No Effort For Rookie Vladar
7-1? Really?
After losing a heartbreaker in Overtime Tuesday night, the B’s were back at it Wednesday.. for about half of a period. To say that they were a complete no show would be an understatement.
In preparation for a tired group after game 2, Bruce Cassidy opted to go with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen, with Anders Bjork, Connor Clifton and Sean Kuraly coming out of the lineup with Par Lindolm, Jeremy Lauzon and John Moore entering.
Are we sure there were 7 defensemen? Woulda fooled me.
The first period wasn’t horrible, which is funny, as Tampa led 2-0 at the end of the 1st. Both Tampa goals seemed fluky. Fans brushed it off and expected the Bruins to bounce back in the second and make a game of it. Alas, it was all downhill from there.
Jaroslav Halak was far from the biggest issue. He did allow some soft goals, and finished with a .750 save%, but the play in front of him was very subpar. After the fourth goal, he was pulled for Rookie netminder Dan Vladar.
Dan Vladar, a 23 year old rookie, came in to his NHL debut.. in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, what a moment for him.
That moment was quickly put in the rear view mirror for Vladar as the team decided to give up. They didn’t even put forth any kind of defensive effort for the netminder who hadn’t seen a single minute of NHL action before tonight. Breakaways, breakdowns, and wide open lightning players led to Vladar allowing 3 goals on 15 shots.
Bradley’s Takeaway From Game 3
After the goalie swap, I didn’t necessarily expect them to come back. To me, the game was over at that point. At the very least, how don’t you put forth a sliver of defensive effort to help the rookie goalie? The lack of pushback and help for Vladar was a troubling sign. The Bruins just sat back and allowed Tampa to pour it on.
The first period of game 4 will be all I need to know about the bruins and how this series will go. Will they show some heart and come out flying and avenge this crushing loss? Or will they roll over and accept defeat in a still very winnable series? Get Sean Kuraly back in there, I don’t agree with him being taken out for tonight’s game. Obviously, go back to the regular 12 Forwards and 6 Defensemen, get your normal names back out there, and go to work.
The Boston Bruins are more than capable to show some fight and tie this series up, the only question is
What team are we going to get? The one we saw in game 3 or the 100 point, President’s Trophy winning team that dominated the 2019-20 regular season?
Time to turn it around and show how resilient you are!
-Bradley Whitesell (@Bradiey98)