What the heck happened in the air between Dallas and Phoenix?
The Bruins team that left Big D after a 3-0 win Friday night was 180 degrees different than the one that dropped a 4-1 decision Saturday in the desert, and not just because star forward Milan Lucic missed the game with the Coyotes because of a finger injury.
Boston was a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill against the Stars, but allowed two power-play goals in four chances to the Coyotes. In Texas, Marc Savard fired six shots en route to a two-goal night and Tim Thomas was impenetrable. In Arizona, Savard didn't manage a single shot on goal and Thomas allowed the goal that made it 4-1 late in the second period on a routine slap shot from the top of the left circle by Scottie Upshall.
While the reliability of hit counts varies arena to arena, the Bruins' drop-off in that department from Dallas to Phoenix was an indication the team can't seem to sustain solid efforts night to night. Against the Stars, Boston was credited with 37 hits; against Phoenix, just 24.
The theme of the season-opening homestand was the Bruins' inability to put forth a 60-minute effort. They did that in Dallas. Now they have to figure out how to produce a high-caliber effort more than once a weekend.
However one quantifies physicality (remember, the Bruins earned just three power plays over the two games), there's no doubt that for Boston, winning starts with taking the body. When the Bruins score first, they usually do it by causing a turnover with a hit or by drawing a penalty. The same formula seems to work when they're behind. Turning the momentum of a game can be as simple as making a puck-carrier part of the end wall on the forecheck or attacking the net with enough ferocity to force an opposing defenseman to commit an infraction.
After an off day Sunday, the Bruins have two days of practice to prepare for Wednesday's home game with Nashville. Then they hit the road again to face Philadelphia and Ottawa.
All three opponents possess a level of physicality the Bruins are going to have to match. So the upcoming practices should be filled with even more battle drills than usual, because that's the best way to hammer home this point. Once the Bruins get sick of clobbering each other, they might finally start to consistently do it to their opponents.
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Matt Kalman
Matt Kalman covers the Boston Bruins for ESPNBoston.com and is the founder/managing editor of TheBruinsBlog.net. Send any questions for Matt to his mailbag and he might answer them in his Bruins mailbag.
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Chris Forsberg has been reporting on the Boston sports scene since 1999. With his video camera in tow, Forsberg covered everything from Massachusetts high school sports to Boston's pro sports teams. Follow him on Twitter.
