Why This ‘Concern’ From Bruins Leaders Encourages Jim Montgomery

The good news for the Bruins is they now lead their first-round Stanley Cup playoffs series with Toronto 2-1 after a Game 3. The bad news, if you want to call it that, is they still haven’t played their best hockey.

Boston definitely looked better Wednesday with an impressive 4-2 road win over the Maple Leafs to regain control of the series. There’s plenty of good to build on, but Bruins coach Jim Montgomery knows his team hasn’t been especially strong in some important areas — and he’s not alone in that thinking.

The Bruins’ leadership group, Montgomery said Friday, expressed some “concern” over the team’s transition game, and it’s a mindset Montgomery both agreed with and appreciated for Friday’s practice.

“(We worked on) reemphasizing our details and habits we need to get better at,” Montgomery told reporters in a press conference after practice. “We need to continue to get better in the series. I don’t think our transition to defense, transition to offense, is as fluid as we would like it.”

The transition was a big-picture issue, too, with Montgomery and his captains hoping the team can do a better job of following up the win after settling for a split in Boston.

“What I like is the captains brought it to my attention. They’re concerned, too,” Montgomery said. “So I’m glad where our leadership is and where our mindset is.”

The Bruins will have their hands full Saturday night in Toronto, too. The building will be rocking, and the Maple Leafs will likely have a desperate effort knowing they probably can’t afford to head back to Boston down 3-1 in the series. The Leafs might also have reinforcement on the way with William Nylander nearing a return to play after missing the first three games.