The Boston Bruins Have One Thing To Blame for Game 5 Loss

Photo by Charles Krupa/AP Photo

The Boston Bruins dropped Game 5 to the Florida Panthers last night, losing 4-3 in overtime. They had the chance to close out the series at home but failed to do so. The Bruins outshot the Panthers 47-25 and completely dominated puck possession in the second and third periods. Yet, they still couldn’t pull out the win. So what went wrong for Boston? The answer is simple, turnovers.

There is no doubt the Bruins should have won this game, and they would have won this game if they managed the puck better. Boston dominated shots on goal, the faceoff circle, and time of possession for most of the night. However, they also consistently turned the puck over at bad times and in bad areas. Ultimately, those turnovers cost them the game as two of Florida’s four goals came directly off egregious Bruin’s turnovers, including the game-winner.

The horrific turnovers started early in the game. Florida opened the scoring after Tyler Bertuzzi passed the puck directly to Carter Verhaeghe right in front of his own net. Verhaeghe then pulled the puck around Linus Ullmark, threw it back out in front, and Anthony Duclair knocked it home.

A horrific turnover also finished the game as Linus Ullmark joined in on the action. The whole play started with Brad Marchand blindly throwing the puck to nobody at the point. The errant pass rolled all the way behind the Bruin’s net, where Ullmark came out to play it. Having no easy passing option, Ullmark tried to rim the puck up the boards. Unfortunately, he got nothing on the clearing attempt and put it right on the stick of, you guessed it, Carter Verhaeghe. Verhaeghe threw the puck to the front of the net, bounced off a scrambling Ullmark, and went right to Matthew Tkachuk, who called game.

These two turnovers were the most egregious because they directly led to Panther’s goals and quite literally cost the Bruins the game. But puck management was a game-long problem for Boston. The box score credits the Bruins with 17 giveaways on the night, but truthfully, it felt like even more than that. Whatever the number truly was, it was way too many.

Playoff games are much too close to be giving freebie goals to your opponent. The Bruins did it twice in Game 5. Turnovers were a major issue in Game 2 as well. Of course, Boston also lost that game.

A pretty clear trend is emerging as this series goes along. When the Bruins manage the puck properly, Florida struggles to score, and Boston wins the game. When the Bruins consistently turn the puck over, Florida takes advantage and steals the win.

Turnovers are the biggest reason the Bruins lost Game 5. Luckily, they still lead the series 3-2 and have two more chances to finish off the Panthers. Game 6 is Friday night in Florida. Boston has played well in Florida so far, winning both Games 3 and 4 on the road. Fans will be hoping for a strong, bounce-back performance. If the Bruins can cut down the turnovers and make smart plays with the puck, there’s a good chance they can put this series to bed Friday night. If we see a repeat of last night’s showing, though, things could get really dicey.

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 Join the Bruins Benders Podcast as they cover the HOTTEST topics in the Boston Bruins market, along with…- Who will be the next Bruins coach? Sturm? Woodcroft? Leach?- Swayman wins gold with Team USA at the World Championships. Good sign?- Max Comtois has been linked to the Bruins? Thoughts?- Some Bruins' coaches on the way out, will the new coach be able to bring in his own guys?& Much More!Bruins Benders Premium Hoodies $55https://shop.insidetherink.com/products/get-bent-premium-hoodieBruins Benders Long Sleeve Tee $40https://shop.insidetherink.com/products/bruins-benders-long-sleeve-tee-1Bruins Benders Tee $30https://shop.insidetherink.com/products/bruins-benders-t-shirt-1For more from us, visit: insidetherink.com/bruins-bendersBoston Bruins Trade Rumors, Boston Bruins News, Boston Bruins, Jeremy Swayman, Joonas Korpisalo, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, Nikita Zadorov, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Andrew Peeke, Parker Wotherspoon, Johnny Beecher, Mark Kastelic, Justin Brazeau, Cole Koepke, Trent Frederic, Matthew Poitras, Charlie Coyle, Pavel Zacha, Morgan Geekie, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm, Oliver Wahlstrom, Fabian Lysell, Georgii Merkulov, Joe Sacco, Don Sweeney, Cam Neely, Brandon Carlo Trade#nhl #nhlbruins #hockey #bostonbruins #nhlplayoffs #bruins #nhlhockey #nhlmemes #boston #nhlallstar #nhldiscussion #nhlnews #nhledits #nhldraft #bruinsnation #nhlawards #nhltrade #hockeylife #tdgarden #nhlhighlights #bostonsports #bruinshockey #bruinsfan #nhlblackhawks #nhlglobalseries #nhlfi #nhlleafs #nhltrades #nhltradedeadline #nhlcanadiens #nhl #nhlnews #hockey #nhlhockey #nhlplayoffs #nhledits #nhldiscussion #nhlmemes #nhldraft #nhlallstar #hockeylife #hockeynews #hockeymemes #nhlhighlights #icehockey #sports #hockeyislife #nhlbruins #hockeyplayers #hockeyfan #hockeyplayer #hockeyedits #stanleycup #nhlawards #hockeygame #hockeyboys #hockeygram #hockeyfights #nhltrade #nhltrades 
  1. Season 4. Episode 34. Marco? Polo?
  2. Season 4. Episode 33. Sweens Extension
  3. Season 4. Episode 32. Dude, Where's My Coach?
  4. Season 4. Episode 31. The Draft Lottery
  5. Season 4. Episode 30. The Bruins Are Watching The Playoffs

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Jonathan Duncan

Jonathan Duncan is a lifelong hockey fan. He has covered the NHL, via video content, since 2017 on his YouTube channel Off the Wall Hockey. He has also produced written content for Overtime Heroics and now Inside the Rink.

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