Boston Bruins Keys to Victory in Game 3 in Carolina

The Boston Bruins are up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Final after their dominant 6-2 performance against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2.

As the series shifts to PNC Arena, Boston does not expect things to continue to be easy. The Bruins remain focused at the job at hand.

As Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now found out first hand.

“Nobody has really thought about the word over yet,” said David Backes. “We play an excellent road game and get one win closer to our goal. That’s our goal, that’s where our focus is on Tuesday night at 8 pm. We will be ready to start that game.”

The Bruins have an excellent home record, and Boston has found success on the road as well. Boston has a record of 4-2 on the road, where they have come up with some big performances. Games 4 and 6 come to mind in the first round. Not to mention the Bruins Game 6 performance against Columbus to close out the series.

When asked about why the Bruins play so well on the road, Backes responded “I think we have a great mindset going into games, especially on the road, that you’re in a hostile environment, you know you will get the other teams best. So you better bring your best.”

Keys to Victory for Boston: 

1. Take the Crowd Out of It – PNC Arena is a challenging place to play as Head Coach Bruce Cassidy can attest. “They haven’t lost at home,” Cassidy said to the media on Monday before the Bruins headed took off for Raleigh. “It is real loud in there. I have been in there. We will anticipate that environment.” Carolina feeds off the energy from the crowd, so Boston knows not to give up any scoring chances early. The Bruins have a veteran team that has been in this position before. After playing Montreal all those years, how hard is it to play in Carolina.
2. Strong Start – Staying along those same lines, the Bruins will want to have a strong start. That has been a staple for the Bruins on the road as Sean Kuraly pointed out. “Like we’ve said before it is not just to weather the storm, but kind of go at them in the first 10 (minutes) and then you’ve got to play through the full 60,” Kuraly said. Cassidy furthered the point as he said, “We want to be on time; we don’t want to wait and see what happens.”
3. Win Turnover Battle – In the first two games of the series, the Bruins won the turnover battle. Boston limited Carolina’s time and space. Half the Bruins goals came on turnovers from the pressure the forwards put Carolina’s defense under. “For the most part, if you can get in their way early, force the puck out of their hands if you’re finishing checks reloading well,” Cassidy said of the Bruins play in through the first two games.
4. Special Teams – Through two games, the Bruins powerplay has been electric. Boston has the best powerplay in the playoffs as it operates at 33.3 percent. The penalty kill is not too shabby as well as it operates at 84.1 percent. The Bruins know Carolina will adjust to their powerplay so the Bruins will have to adjust to the looks Carolina throws them on the PK. The Bruins will have to limit Carolina’s powerplay chances because eventually, it will catch fire.

Puck drop for Game 3 between the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes happens on Tuesday at 8 p.m. inside PNC Arena.

Here’s a look at what the Bruins will be facing in terms of crowd noise:

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