The Black and Gold certainly don’t want to go back to the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia and try again in Game 6. To avoid that, they must follow these three keys to success:
1. Clear the traffic in front of the net
The five goals allowed by the Bruins in the 5-4 overtime loss in Game 4 was the most allowed by the B’s in the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The reason for these tallies had nothign to do with bad goaltending but rather a sea of orange in front of goalie Tuukka Rask throughout the game. The Flyers forwards were allowed free passage to the net, and Rask took full responsibility for the showing despite being helpless at times.
While the current rules harp down on holding and impeding one's path to the net, the B’s defensemen and forwards can still do a better job of clearing the sight lines and space for Rask.
2. Close any window of hope
In the position to clinch, the Bruins need to get the first goal. However, unlike in Game 4 when they scored the first goal, they need to keep going and get the second. The B's need to close any window of hope that the Flyers can keep this series going. They need to establish the tempo, feed off of the crowd and let the Flyers know they’re in control.
"They have everything to lose. They’ve got their whole season to lose," said defenseman Johnny Boychuk.
Now it's time to make the Flyers realize that.
3. Don’t look ahead
One thing the Bruins have been great at is not looking behind or ahead. They claim that they have put that tough Game 4 loss behind them, but the question is: Were they looking ahead to the Eastern Conference Finals? They can’t do that in Game 5. Right now they must focus on the task at hand and that’s winning this game. Block out the significance of the game and just play it and win it.
