The Boston Bruins have proven they can erase deficits and mount somewhat miraculous comebacks throughout their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Montreal Canadiens. But on Tuesday night, the B’s simply weren’t able to catch up as they fell 4-2 to the Habs.
Montreal jumped to a 3-0 lead after two periods, and although Boston clawed back from two-goal third-period deficits in Games 1 and 2, its fast and furious effort in the final 20 minutes in Game 3 wasn’t enough. “Hockey Night in Canada” analyst Don Cherry joined WEEI’s “Dennis and Callahan” on Wednesday morning and said he wasn’t impressed with their slow starts.
“That was not one of their better games. I don’t understand it,” the former Bruins coach and player said, via WEEI.com. “They spot teams a 3-0 lead and think they’re going to come back in the third period. It’s a dumb way to play.
“There’s so many mistakes made, even down to the one where (Tuukka) Rask doesn’t bang his stick on the breakaway. You’re taught in junior, in bantams, when you see a penalty near the end, you bang your stick to warn the guys. Here’s a guy that’s not ready.
“They just don’t seem to be ready. They think that they can come back all the time in the third period. They seem to be relying on that third period all the time. They don’t play desperate right now. I’m telling you, they better start, because they’re sky high, Montreal is sky high.”
Cherry was down on the Black and Gold, but he wasn’t disappointed in every player. Cherry raved about the fire and energy that Brad Marchand brings to the ice, even going so far as to say the team needs to emulate No. 63 to find success in Game 4 on Thursday night.
“Be like Marchand,” Cherry said when asked what the Bruins need to do. “He’s the guy, they call him a little rat and all that, but he’s up for every game. Like I say, he was a plus-2. They all play like Marchand, they’ll win the next game.”
