Still haunted by last year’s ending, Bruins focused on closing out Leafs in Game 5
"Last season's last season. We're playing Toronto right now. That's our mindset. That's our focus."
Jim Montgomery shared a sentiment from a former member of Boston’s coaching fraternity when asked about his team’s mindset going into Game 5 against Toronto.
“To steal a line from Bill Belichick, the most important thing is we eliminate outside noise and we just focus on Toronto and we focus on what’s at hand Tuesday,” the Bruins’ bench boss said on Monday morning. “Staying in the moment, focusing on our process that drives results. That’s where our mindset needs to be. Hopefully, that’s part of the experience we’ve learned from last year.”
While Toronto-area scribes have already started to pen the collapse of the Maple Leafs’ hollow core of talent, many in the Bruins’ dressing room know full well that a commanding 3-1 series lead does not guarantee a ticket to the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“They always say it’s the hardest one to win, right? No matter what, the closing game,” Pat Maroon noted. “So I think for us, we just got to stick to the same process that we’ve been doing. Stick to the same structure, just keep finding ways to play simple, boring hockey.”
Boston has held commanding advantages over its Original Six foe in both goaltending and special-teams play this series.
Jeremy Swayman is 3-0 in net for Boston with a .956 save percentage, while Ilya Samsonov is 1-3 with an .883 save percentage. Boston has cashed in on six of its 13 power-play bids against the Leafs. Toronto? Just 1-for-14 on the man advantage.
But Boston found itself in a similar spot last April against a Panthers team who shredded their storybook season in short order.
Entering Game 5 against Florida, the Bruins scored four goals on 14 power-play chances, while the Panthers only cashed in on 1-of-11 bids on the man advantage. Boston returned home after winning Games 3 and 4 in Sunrise — outscoring their opponent, 10-4, in those two wins — en route to a 3-1 series edge.
It ultimately held little sway over a series that ended on April 30, 2023 — when Carter Verhaeghe crushed Boston’s Cup hopes in Game 7.
As was the case when Matthew Tkachuk cashed in on a misplayed puck in overtime of Game 5, all it takes is one critical miscue or timely save to swing the momentum in the favor of a team on the brink of elimination.
As such, urgency has been the primary focus for a Bruins team returning it its home barn on Tuesday.
“I can wait honestly,” David Pastrnak noted. “I hate this, personally, those two days between games because you just want to keep playing. … I’m glad we are only one day away and I can’t wait for tomorrow already.
One year to the day of that Game 7 loss to Florida, the Bruins will have a chance to snuff out any chance of a similar doomsday scenario playing out.
“I don’t care about last season,” Linus Ullmark said. “Last season’s last season. We’re playing Toronto right now. That’s our mindset. That’s our focus. We don’t care about whatever happened. We stay in the moment.
“That’s the thing, you can’t start focusing on what’s going to happen or who you’re gonna play or whatever. Right now, the most important thing is what we do right now, and the opponent that we’re going to face tomorrow.”
Brazeau, Forbort both “options” for Game 5
The Bruins could have some reinforcements in place for Game 5, as forward Justin Brazeau and defenseman Derek Forbort could draw into the lineup for the potential series-clincher on Causeway Street.
“Forbort and Brazeau are options, we’ll see tomorrow night if they’re in the lineup or not,” Montgomery noted. “There’s steps left to be made, but they’re close.”
Forbort has been limited to just 35 games this season due to several nagging ailments, last playing on March 2 before undergoing surgery that was initially projected to rule him out for the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign.
Brazeau has not played since April 2, felled by an upper-body injury sustained after getting rocked on a center-ice hit from Nashville’s Luke Schenn. The 26-year-old forward has been one of Boston’s top surprises this season, scoring five goals and seven points over 19 games.
Brazeau’s insertion into the lineup could cause a roster crunch as far as which skater would draw out of Boston’s bottom-six grouping. But his 6-foot-5, 220-pound frame could come in handy when it comes to the board battles and netfront scraps that help generate 5-on-5 offense this time of year.
“Just matching the physicality,” Brazeau said of adjusting to his first playoff game in the NHL ranks. “Obviously, it’s been a couple of weeks and I’ve only played regular-season games. But it’s something I’m excited about and something in my game, I enjoy getting into the hard areas. So I’m excited for that.”
Matthews on the mend
After missing the third period of Toronto’s Game 4 loss due to illness, Auston Matthews’ status for Game 5 is “yet to be determined”, according to Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe. Matthews did not practice with his teammates on Monday.
Brad Marchand and Danton Heinen did not skate on Monday, with Montgomery tabbing their absences as “maintenance” days.
Andrew Peeke and Matthew Poitras skated before Monday’s practice, with Peeke still on a week-to-week timeline with an upper-body injury. Poitras, who underwent shoulder surgery in February, is not expected to play this postseason.
Montgomery was not happy with the start of Monday’s practice, barking at his players to ramp up the pace after some lackluster drills. He was pleased with the response after Monday’s session, noting that the start of practices tend to be subdued after a day off.
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