1. Keep shooting and crash the net.
In the second period of Game 1, the Bruins seemed to do everything right — and one of those things was crashing the net and creating more traffic than southbound lanes on the expressway in Boston during rush hour. As a result, Sabres goalie Ryan Miller had no chance of seeing a Mark Recchi shot that tied the game at the time.
But Recchi's shot wasn't the only one getting through to Miller, as the Bruins outshot the Sabres 24-8 in the middle frame — and if not for Miller being the world-class goalie he is, probably would've trailed 5-1 heading into the third period instead of leading 2-1. The Bruins must fight off the frustration of only getting one goal and keep raining shots on the Vezina Trophy candidate. He may seem like Superman, but eventually these two elements could prove to be kryptonite.
2. Minimize mental mistakes and communicate.
If you go back and watch both Buffalo goals, they appear to be the result of miscommunications and brain lapses on the part of the Bruins. Players seemed to miss assignments, and the first goal was partly the result of a sloppy line change. But for most of the game, the Bruins defense did a good job of getting in the face of the puck holder.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case on Thomas Vanek's first-period strike and Craig Rivet's game-winner in the second period. The Bruins need to just pay attention more and attack even when they don't have the puck.
3. Stay out of the box — but if you're in it, do your time and move on.
There is no doubt here that the Bruins got the worst of the calls made by the referees in Game 1, and we can sit here and whine all we want, but the Bruins don't have that luxury. Instead, the players must fight off frustration and not retaliate, not only against the Sabres but also against the men in stripes. The plays won't get reversed, so no need to gripe or dwell on them.
The Bruins spent a good portion of the third period in the box for actions the Sabres were just as guilty of, but Boston needs to move on, and if it happens again, answer it on the scoreboard. Let's not forget, the Bruins killed off all those Buffalo power plays, and their penalty kill holds the record for most goals scored in the shortest time on one kill.
