Limiting Bruins’ “Perfection Line” Is Critical in Game 6
The Bruins’ first line of David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, aptly named the “Perfection Line,” is one of the best in hockey. In order to eliminate the Bruins on Wednesday, the Islanders need to shut down the Bruins’ top line.
How To Shut Down The Perfection Line
In order for the Islanders to shut down the Bruins’ this series, they need to make sure their defensemen are not making any mistakes against the Perfection Line, as the smallest one can end up in the back of the net.
The Bruins’ first line does a great job of cycling the puck, which was on display when David Pastrnak scored the opening goal in Game 5. The Islanders can’t leave anyone on that line open.
The forwards must block shots and stay in the area they are assigned. The Islanders need to continue their strategy of keeping the Bruins’ shots to the outside and away from the front of the net. They must be able to stop Boston’s top line to move on to the next round.
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In this series, players on the Bruins’ top line have accounted for nine of their 15 goals. Some of them came at important points of this series, notably Marchand’s overtime winner in Game 3. David Pastrnak also had a hat trick in Game 1.
Islanders’ Defensive Gameplan
The Islanders are a defensive team whose identity involves translating good defense into offensive opportunities. But that means that defense always comes first.
The Islanders have a layered defense. Opposing teams have to counter stick checks in the neutral zone, body checks at the blue line, pass blocking in the defensive zone, along with a host of other defensive plays that limit offense. But the Perfection Line has been able to penetrate those layers to this point. The Islanders have been winning due to defensive lapses from the Bruins.
If the Bruins pay more attention to detail in Game 6, there’s a good chance they win. But if the Islanders can get the matchups they want against the Perfection Line, they can move on to the Stanley Cup Semifinals for the second straight year.
Shutting down Boston’s top line will likely be enough for the Islanders to win this series. The other lines are not consistent enough to have multi-goal games unless the Islanders’ defense is outmatched or makes mistakes. The Islanders have done very well shutting down the Bruins’ other lines. As long as the Islanders can score two or three goals in Game 6, they can win.
