BOSTON — The Bruins wanted to make history in their 100th anniversary season, but history like this wasn't to be.
After Florida won 2-1 on a late goal from defenseman Gus Forsling in Game 6 on Friday night, Boston lost six consecutive playoff games to the same opponent at TD Garden for the first time.
The Panthers have turned the Garden into their own jungle the past two springs, winning three games last year to spoil the best regular season in Boston history, and then winning all three games in Beantown to seal this year's second-round set. It was decided 4 games to 2.
Losing six consecutive home playoff games cannot be called unconscionable. For context, from 1949 to 1951 the Maple Leafs beat the B's in six straight home playoff games, and the New Jersey Devils won seven times from 1994 to 2003. did. Many of those games were played in the old Boston Garden, making the playoff futility of the past two seasons uniquely egregious in this building.
“It's tough to lose like that. It's a last-minute game. This shows how win-win the game is,” captain Brad Marchand said.
Where do the Bruins go from here?
The good news is they found a goaltender who can steal a playoff game, if not a playoff series. Jeremy Swayman looked like the next hero in the heart of hockey as he walked through the traditional handshake line and was serenaded by a sellout crowd of 17,565 Friday night.
“Tears,” Swayman said of his reaction when fans chanted his name. “I couldn't be more grateful to have a home and a city as supportive as Boston. They mean more to me than just fans. Boston truly is home to me now.”
The 25-year-old, who learned his craft in Alaska and honed it in Orono, Maine, froze Boston's opponents in an elimination game this spring. Swayman allowed a total of three goals in three such games, stopping 84 of 87 shots (including 26 of 28 on Friday).
The Bruins rarely took enough shots to win in this game or in this series. Boosted by captain Brad Marchand's return from injury, Boston had four shots on net in the first two minutes of Game 6, then 11 more over the next 40 minutes or so. released. Their total of 23 is respectable, but it's not enough to beat very good hockey teams (which they often end up playing in the second round of the playoffs), and it's not consistent enough.
“It was just our lack of ability to score throughout the playoffs,” head coach Jim Montgomery said. “You can't win every game 2-1.”
Why can't Boston be more offensive? In the middle of the ice is not enough.
Pavel Zascha (who scored a beautiful backhand breakaway goal in the first period on a 32 mph skate) is a great player. So is Charlie Coyle. Neither is a true top-line pivot.
Think of it like a pitcher rotation…if you have an ace, the others will fall into place. Zasha and Coyle are perfect second and third starters…but they're not number one.
Perhaps youngsters Morgan Geekie and Matt Poitras will be top-line centermen at some point. But the B's can't afford to wait and see if Marchand and David Pastrnak intend to go deep in the playoffs again in the primes of their careers. The Black and Gold will have to grow into the middle this summer, whether through trade or free agency.
One more thing: Boston is paying a combined $16 million for two No. 1 defensemen in Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm. Neither looked capable of running the power play during these playoffs. It's a serious issue that needs to be addressed.
A few games ago, the Bruins put James van Riemsdyk and Justin Brazeau on the ice as the goalie replaced an extra attacker looking for the tying goal. Compare this to All-Star firepower teams like the Rangers, Colorado, Edmonton, and Dallas playing out in similar situations…the obvious conclusion is that the Bruins aren't good enough.
Defensively, Boston played well enough Friday night, but it required a complete game from Swayman. But that didn't happen, as Anton Lundell tied the score in the second period with 93 seconds remaining, giving Forsling the victory. Boston had several chances late, but Forsling's rebound almost went into the goal and Coyle hit the loose puck into the crease.
The final horn sounded and the Bruins were eliminated at home. Also. This is the seventh home loss since the 2011 Stanley Cup season.
Let's hope the team can improve this offseason and hope their horrible Garden karma doesn't spill over to the Celtics like it did last spring. If not, it might be time for an exorcism on Causeway Street.
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Matt Williams has written about the Bruins in the pages of the Salem News for the past 17 seasons. Contact him at MWilliams@salemnews.com and follow him on Twitter/X @MattWilliams_SN.