Perhaps never more than in the young phases of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final has the puck represented the momentum. With their fall-from-ahead, 4-3 overtime loss in the series opener, the Boston Bruins made it known that they must actively hunt it rather than let it come to them.
Otherwise, too much chasing and too much de facto goaltending could drain them more than any other factor.
By the 12:14 mark of the third period in Wednesday night’s Game 1, Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference had already blocked six Chicago Blackhawks shot attempts. In addition, he had taken five hits from a Chicago skater.
At the time in question, an unsuspecting Ference was trying to position himself as part of a fortress for goaltender Tuukka Rask. But as he looked in one direction, Blackhawks blueliner Johnny Oduya’s low-flying slapper from another direction deflected off his skate and trickled home.
Had Ference’s head been on more of a swivel, his skate might have been in a better position to be a nonfactor or at least direct Oduya’s shot the other way. That might have been a more plausible scenario had his workload been a little ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Al Daniel
Stanley Cup Finals 2013: Will Too Many Shot Blocks Be Boston’s Undoing?
June 14th, 2013 by Al Daniel Leave a reply »
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