The end of game 6 might have been
the most exciting hockey I have ever seen. Chicago aggressively fought for
pucks, and they put the pressure on Boston. The Bruins seemingly tried to sit
on their 2-1 lead, which clearly was the wrong decision. Chicago pulled their
goalie to gain an extra attacker when Bryan Bickell scored the game-tying goal
at the 18:44 mark. Chicago seized the momentum, and Dave Bolland scored the
go-ahead goal only seventeen seconds later. Boston pulled their goalie for the
last minute, but they could not tie the game. This series was extremely
exciting from start to finish. Three of the first four games went to overtime,
but Chicago was able to take advantage in critical moments. In game 5, Zdeno
Chara made a couple of critical mistakes in key moments. He got a little sloppy
in front of the net, and a blown defensive assignment led to one of Chicago's
goals. He scored on a laser beam slapshot, but he needed to do more. He had
been on the ice for 8 of the Blackhawks' 9 goals in the series going into game
6, which is unprecedented for a defenseman as astute as Chara. Boston had shown
their resilience all playoffs. They absolutely handled the New York Rangers and
Pittsburgh Penguins in the first two rounds, and they snatched victory from the
jaws of defeat against Toronto in the first round. The bruins were extremely
physical, which tends to bode well in a long series. Chicago took care of
business throughout the playoffs, defeating the defending champ LA Kings in five
games.
Both teams played cleanly and
crisply on both ends in the beginning of game 6. Both offenses were playing
fast and doing a good job of attacking, but the defenses were preventing clear
offensive looks. Boston had the first real scoring opportunity at around the 13
minute mark, where they kept the puck in their attacking zone for 30 seconds a
got 4 shots on about 6 looks. The play ended with Kelly trying to jam the puck
in close, but Crawford sat on it and froze the puck. The Bruins could have
easily scored on this drive if they had gotten a rebound. The Blackhawks squandered
away the effort they used on the ensuing faceoff, when the bruins controlled
possession and got a quick goal from none other than Kelly. Although he missed
a golden opportunity only moments before, he gained confidence and got right
into scoring position. This sequence shows the heart that Claude Julien's squad
possesses, harkening back to the Toronto series. Chicago came out very
aggressive on the next possession, and they seemed a little too hyped up.
Boston would eventually get a couple of good shots, but they allowed a failed
breakaway to Blackhawks forward Michael Frolik. The energy was high from both
sides, but Chicago lost their composure for a bit. After some back and forth,
the Bruins ended up getting a great shot from the point that led to a
breathtaking save by Crawford, but also led to a Chicago penalty. The second
period was evenly matched until Johnathan Toews scored the first goal for
Chicago. Once again, it was due to an uncharacteristic mistake by Chara.
Following a faceoff, Chara went for the loose puck against the boards. Toews
got the puck, slipped past, and a clear lane opened up to the net. Chara did
not cover his area on the ice, and it led to an easy goal. Boston’s second goal
was scored by Milan Lucic, and it came at around the 12-minute mark of the
third period. Boston looked likely to win game 6 until the fateful final two
minutes. The Bruins had a lot of good scoring opportunities, but they were
unable to get many shots on net. They still led 18-15 in shots in the first two
periods, but the Chicago onslaught at the end led them getting 6 more shots
total. The end was a result of the defense not being ready for the comeback
Chicago mounted. They were getting prepared for game 7 mentally. Chicago simply
wanted it more, and they did what the San Antonio Spurs could not do in their
game 6. They just got it done. On a side note, Boston forward Patrice Bergeron
has hospitalized following the game due to a punctured lung. He was hurt going
into the game, but he decided to tough it out. I wish him the best, but
congratulations to the Blackhawks.
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