Patrice Bergeron impacts a hockey game all over the ice, but there are few places he’s more effective than the faceoff dot.
That’s what has made these Stanley Cup playoffs especially frustrating for the Boston Bruins forward and his team, as Bergeron repeatedly finds himself being tossed from the faceoff circle for infractions.
As Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy explained on a conference call Tuesday, the Bruins’ first-round opponent, the Toronto Maple Leafs, asked officials to take a close look at how Bergeron and the Bruins approach the dot.
“I was told in the Toronto series that the issue early on in the series that was brought up by the opposition was they didn’t think the center icemen were stopping, coming to a stop before the puck was dropped,” Cassidy said Tuesday.
“That’s what the linesmen were instructing both sides, I presume. I haven’t heard anything else.”
Bergeron is still searching for answers, too.
“It’s a bit of a head-scratcher every once and a while,” Bergeron told reporters Wednesday morning. “But like I said in the first series, it’s something I need to bear down. I’ve been asking a lot of questions. I don’t seem to get the answers, so it’s up to me to adjust and to be better.”
The Tampa Bay Lightning have taken full advantage in the second round, winning 59 of 109 faceoffs through the first two games of the series. That edge in possession, of course, has led to more opportunities for Tampa Bay, too. Despite losing Game 1 6-2, the Bolts have a huge 132-75 advantage in shot attempts through the two contests.
“Obviously, we’ve gotta do a better job, whatever the case is, whether we’re in or out, to start winning our share of pucks,” Cassidy said.
