3 Keys to Boston Bruins Matinee Victory Over the LA Kings – Hockey Writers – Boston Bruins

Starting their first week of the new season with a .500 record, the Boston Bruins look to win back-to-back games with their second straight home game and the season opener against the Los Angeles Kings. On Thursday (October 10), the Bruins bounced back from a loss to the Florida Panthers to start the season with a 6-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens in the season opener. On the other hand, Los Angeles has played only one game, winning 3-1 against the winless Buffalo Sabres. Both teams will be looking to continue their early winning streak to kick off the new season.

Bruins Key One: Start the game on time and get it early

In the opening game against the Panthers, the Bruins really struggled to get the game going, playing like it was mid-January for the second game in a row. The team was confused, slow, and lackluster early on which led to a big enough shot on the scoreboard that despite a strong effort after the game, prevented the team from coming back to win. While the Montreal win was better than that, scoring an illegal goal early (Hampus Lindholm's goal was called back for goal interference) and scoring two goals in the opening frame, their defense was still thin and kept the Canadiens close.

Related: Bruins' All-Out Effort Helps In Win Against Canadiens

The idea of ​​starting a play from the opening draw is important for every play, but even more so for a matinee. Considering most games are in the evening, having an early game means a change in schedule and throws off the rhythm – similar to when East Coast teams have games later in their West road trips.

Boston played 11 games before 5 pm EST last season, finishing with a 6-5-0 record. In five of the six wins, the Bruins were the first team to score – setting the tone for the rest of the game. The only time they did not score a first goal was on April 6 against the Panthers in which Florida opened the scoring, but Boston won the game 3-2 in overtime. More importantly, in every game Boston lost were afternoon games – the opposing team struck first.

• Nov. 24 vs. Detroit Red Wings (1 p.m.); 5-2 loss (Red Wings lead 2-0)
• Nov. 25 vs. New York Rangers (1pm); 7-4 loss (Rangers 2-0 lead)
• December 9 vs. Arizona Coyotes (1 p.m.); 5-2 loss (Bruins 3-0 lead)
• Jan. 15 vs. New Jersey Devils (1 p.m.); 3-0 win (Bruins 3-0 lead)
• Jan. 27 vs. Philadelphia Flyers (12:30 p.m.); 6-2 win (Bruins lead 5-0)
• February 10 vs. Washington Capitals (3:30 p.m.); 3-0 loss (Caps 3-0 lead)
• Feb. 19 vs. Dallas Stars (1 p.m.); 4-3 win (Bruins lead 1-0)
• March 2 vs. New York Islanders (3pm); 5-1 loss (Islanders 5-0 lead)
• March 9 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (3 p.m.); 5-1 win (3-0 Bruins lead)
• 23 March vs. Flyers (1pm); 3-2 loss (Flyers lead 1-0)
• April 6 vs. Panthers (3:30 p.m.); 3-2 overtime win (Panthers 1-0 lead)

As mentioned before, offense is very important but defense is more important. In both games earlier in the week, Boston allowed a combined three goals in the first 10 minutes of two games (two vs. Florida, one vs. Montreal). Allowing a quick goal puts the team quickly into defensive mode and risk taking goes down. If Boston wants to win against the Kings, they must keep LA's score sheet blank for much of the game while converting opportunities of their own.

Bruins Key Two: Need Second Line Production

Boston's offense hasn't been an issue in the first two games, scoring 10 goals, but the second line of Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle and Morgan Geekie is the only line that has gone 10 minutes together this season. I never got a goal and one conceded goals against. The trio has 1.2 expected goals for (xGF) but 1.6 expected goals against (xGA). While together, they have allowed the most shots of 60 and the total number of shots against. Simply put, they failed to contribute offensively and defensively.

The second line right wing issue has been a topic of conversation all season and after a preseason where rookies failed to steal a spot, Geekie appears to be the front man at that spot for now. Coming off a 39-point campaign last season, he has a big opportunity that comes with pressure, and in two games, he hasn't impressed.

It's not just Geekie, though, as Marchand and Coyle are to blame. Coyle, who has zero points and a minus-4 rating on the season, has the third-worst xGA among Boston forwards so far (1.83) and has been outscored 11-9 while on the ice at 5-on-5. To add salt to the wound, he lost more faceoffs than he won, including only a 41 percent success rate on draws while on the defensive end. Marchand is the only one of the three to have a point on the season, but it came on the power play — not with Coyle and Geekie.

The Bruins have had success since the bottom six, especially in the win over Montreal, so the performance of the second line doesn't make or break their chances of winning Saturday in Boston against the Kings. But if game three comes and goes with this line struggling on both ends of the ice, head coach Jim Montgomery may look to throw the lines in a blender and switch things up going forward.

Bruins Key Three: Press Chances Against

Defense was an early struggle. In two games played, Boston has allowed the fourth most goals against 60 (5.68) at 5-on-5 and the most goals scored at 5-on-5 with eight goals allowed in six seasons of hockey.

Considered the “toughest team in the NHL” throughout last season, the Bruins never looked the part. Poor defense, lack of clearance in front of the crease, and sloppy passing kept the Bruins' defense stuck in their own zone, giving up high-quality chances. Only three teams (Canadiens, Devils, St. Louis Blues) allowed more dangerous chances and no one comes close to the number of high dangerous goals allowed (Bruins – 7; next-highest – 3).

Now, the Kings struggled to create 5-on-5 offensive opportunities against the Sabres, they were outshot 16-14, outshot 27-21 and lost by the expected goals against 1.97-1.09. That said, it's an improvement from the Canadiens, so it gives Boston a chance to find their footing defensively and limit a few scoring opportunities for the Kings. Anze Kopitar scored a hat-trick to lead LA over Buffalo in their win, so Boston should be perfect because even small chances still have the power to win games.

Bruins Must Keep It Simple

It sounds basic – create more offense across all four lines, play better defense, and above all, play the full 60 minutes – but it's the simple things that become muscle memory at the start of the season that will make the difference as the season wears on. There is also the potential for Matthew Poitras to make his season debut, as he was active on the third line of Boston's practice Friday morning (Oct. 11). Adding him to the roster would give the Bruins more depth, especially down the middle and take the pressure off Marchand, Coyle and Geekie in that middle six of the forward core. There are few things better than afternoon hockey and this game should be great.