BOSTON — Bruins center Patrice Bergeron is deployed against the opponent’s best forwards each game, and Thursday night’s test probably was his toughest challenge of the season.
The three-time Selke Trophy winner as the NHL’s best defensive forward had to shut down the Chicago Blackhawks’ top trio of Artemi Panarin-Artem Anisimov-Patrick Kane, which entered the game with an NHL-high 111 points as a unit. But they were held scoreless by Bergeron’s line in a 4-2 Bruins win at TD Garden.
Whether it was winning puck battles along the boards, breaking up passes with a good stick or spending lots of time in the attacking zone, Bergeron and Co. were able to limit Kane, the league’s leading scorer with 88 points, to just two shots on goal. Kane had tallied at least three shots or more in eight of his last nine games with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in that span.
“Trying to deny their options and transition game,” Bergeron said when asked what worked well versus the Kane line. “When they get a lot of speed and space, they’re very dangerous. They’re great players who are going to make plays. I thought it was a great effort by the five guys on the ice to deny their options.”
Bergeron later added: “For us, it was about being on the forecheck and talking, especially against a line like Anisimov, Kane and Panarin.”
One of the reasons for Boston’s success against Chicago’s top-six forwards was its ability to keep them out of the slot. Many of the Blackhawks’ shots came from the point or out of the danger areas.
The Bruins protected the front of Tuukka Rask’s net, and they gave up just five high-danger scoring chances at even strength as a result, per War on Ice.
“They were hard to play against,” Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews said. “Sometimes when you don’t match their speed or match their work ethic, it’s hard to play through that traffic. I think that was probably a reason why we couldn’t get to the net and couldn’t get the second chances. We couldn’t sustain our puck possession.”
It was a really impressive defensive performance from Bergeron, and the entire team, for that matter. The Blackhawks have scored the sixth-most goals per game and rank in the top 10 in most puck possession metrics, but the B’s didn’t give up many quality chances on their net.
This is the kind of defensive effort Boston needs to finish the regular season strongly and secure a playoff spot. The schedule is quite difficult down the stretch, and the next matchup is Saturday against the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals, who have the league’s leading goal scorer (Alex Ovechkin) and top-ranked power play.
“We’ve done a great job the past couple games at least in our own zone,” Rask said. “Our defense is making plays breaking out and then keeping their heads up when the other team has the puck, and taking the guy to the side of the net, who’s usually he most dangerous guy. … Also blocking a lot of shots, which has been great.
“We’ve really tightened up the defense, and it’s resulted in wins.”
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
