The Bruins trail 2-1 in the series.
The Boston Bruins are in a bad spot against the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Boston had home-ice advantage on Friday night in Game 3. However, they certainly didn’t play like it. Boston struggled to get much going against the Panthers, and eventually, Florida emerged victorious. After the game, head coach Jim Montgomery made no excuses.
The Boston bench boss faced the media as he usually does following games. And the 2023 Jack Adams Award winner made clear that his team’s subpar performance is tied to him. “Our execution in the last two games has just not been good enough and that’s my fault. I’ve got to be better,” Montgomery said, via ESPN.
Specifically, the Bruins head coach pointed to how the team has started games. Outside of Game 1, Boston has come out of the gates rather flat. That especially rang true on Friday night when they managed just three shots in the first period. This is simply unacceptable, especially on home ice.
“We’ve had a couple of games where we started slow,” Montgomery said, via ESPN. “We haven’t generated much offense. I have to give the players a better plan. Florida was significantly better than us. I’ve got to come up with a better gameplan.”
Jim Montgomery talks Brad Marchand injury
Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
The Bruins lost a big piece to their puzzle on Friday night. Team captain Brad Marchand left Game 3 after taking a hit from Panthers forward Sam Bennett. Marchand continues playing shortly after the hit. But he did not take a shift in the third period due to an upper-body injury.
Montgomery did not have an update on the Halifax native following the game. He said the team would have more information about the severity of the injury on Saturday. But he did speak to the affect Marchand’s absence had on his teammates. “I thought we rallied because of our captain,” he said, via ESPN. “I thought our players all elevated their games and we started competing like Brad Marchand would have.”
Boston’s rally in Game 3 does back this point up. The Bruins had struggled offensively for most of the game, but they did break through in the third. Jakub Lauko scored to cut Boston’s deficit to 4-1 in the final frame. Then, Jake DeBrusk scored his fifth of the playoffs to make it a two-goal game. The Panthers had scored 10 straight goals before these markers.
Marchand has played well for the most part in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He recorded eight points in the first four games against the Toronto Maple Leafs in round one. And in the first two games against Florida, he recorded a point in each contest. Overall, Marchand has three goals and 10 points in the postseason.
Bruins players also take responsibility
Jim Montgomery accepted the blame to the media. However, he was not alone in taking responsibility for their poor performance in Game 3 against the Panthers. DeBrusk told reporters that the players also take on some of the blame for this result.
“We’re the ones that are out there. We’re the ones that are playing the game. He can put any plan that he thinks it’s going to help us out, but we’ve got to execute,” the Bruins forward said, via ESPN. “It’s about making the right one or making the right decisions and obviously we didn’t do that. Against a team like that, you have to play a pretty perfect game. And the last two games you’ve seen what happens when we don’t.”
Montgomery did not mention specific changes he would make ahead of Game 4. But he and his players understand that things have to change. If they don’t, Boston may fall into a hole they can’t climb out of. And that would be another disappointing end in the postseason for this talented group of players.
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