Game 4 was huge for the Bruins. They had a chance to take a commanding lead in the Eastern Conference Finals and pretty much punch their ticket for a chance at the Stanley Cup (which will most likely be against the Canucks who lead their series over the Sharks 3-1.) Instead, the Bruins blew a huge 3 goal lead after the first period and the series is now tied 2-2. The Bruins just made the series much tougher on themselves.
The first period for the Bruins was great. Mid-way through the first period Patrice Bergeron took advantage of the Lightning’s sloppy puck movement as he stole the puck deep into the Lightning zone and forced it past Roloson. With 3:30 left in the first period, Ryder used some fancy stick handling on a Bruins 2-on-1 and scored easily on a baffled Roloson. The Bruins weren’t done yet, as with 2:00 left, Bergeron stole the puck in the neutral zone and made the Lightning pay with a wrister from 30 feet out. Roloson ended up getting pulled and was replaced by Mike Smith. The Bruins looked as sharp and as confident as ever going into the second period. They looked well on their way 3-1 series lead.
With 13 minutes left in the second, the tide began to turn. First, Teddy Purcell scored on a one-timer from a play that formed from sloppy puck-handling by Tim Thomas. Shortly after, Purcell scored another goal on a wrister from the left circle, a shot that appeared to catch Thomas by surprise. The bleeding didn’t stop there as shortly after that, Sean Bergenheim scored on a wraparound goal. The game, which appeared to be a done deal, was now tied due to the four minute flurry of goals by the Lightning. Tim Thomas did not look like his dominant self. He almost looked like a completely different goalie that we saw in his Game 3 shut-out. Although the game was tied, it was no time to panic. The game was still tied and the Bruins still had an equal chance at victory.
Unfortunately, momentum played a big part of this game. Once the Lightning took the momentum from the Bruins, they never gave it back. With 13 minutes left in the game, another bad neutral-ice turnover lead to a goal from Simon Gagne who was wide open in the slot. The Bruins had a couple of close chances to tie the game, but the game became out of reach when Martin St. Louis scored an open net goal with less than 1 minute remaining.
This game was eerily similar to the Game 7 debacle that occurred last year against the Flyers. No doubt about it, the Bruins choked again. They became too satisfied with their lead and they tried finishing the game on their heels instead of continuing to play the high level of hockey that Bs fans are used to. You would think that they would learn from last year, but I guess they did not learn their lesson. Fortunately for the Bruins, this year’s choke doesn’t mean the end of the season for the Bruins. They can still make up for it as they still have a maximum of 3 games left in the series. The Bruins need to move past this loss and use the frustration from it to come out and punish the Lightning in Game 5. They can once again take control of the series, but Tim Thomas needs to go back to the form that we have become accustomed to. He has let up 14 goals in games 1, 2, and 4. Game 3 he was as solid as ever, but he has been sloppy in the other games. He needs to be more consistent and the defense needs to offer more help. There have been a lot of goals this series for the Lightning due to poor puck discipline by Bruins’ defensemen. If the Bruins can get back on track and win Game 5, they will look right on their way to the Cup Finals. If they can’t win, Bruins fans may have to start worrying.
Game 5 is May 23rd at 8:00 on Versus.
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