“You almost have to have a perfect game to beat these guys,’’ said coach Claude Julien. “We weren’t perfect tonight.’’
But given how lopsided the game was on paper and on the United Center ice (Chicago outshot Boston, 44-29), the Bruins stole a point in last night’s 5-4 shootout loss before 21,717 at the United Center.
The Bruins withstood a backbreaking last-minute goal in the second period, wiped out a pair of third-period deficits, and took advantage of some questionable netminding by Antti Niemi to send the game into the shootout. Kane and Jonathan Toews beat Tim Thomas (40 saves), while Patrice Bergeron and Blake Wheeler came up empty against Niemi (25 saves).
“We showed some guts coming back and tying it up,’’ Thomas said. “I wish we could have gotten one more goal. But we did a really good job. We stuck with it and tied it up. Even after we tied it up, we played fairly well after that.’’
The way they stack up now, Chicago is the better team, especially on the back end. The strength of Chicago’s game is puck retrieval, which turns into transition and possession, which ultimately translate into heavy pressure and scoring chances. Seabrook, Keith, and Brian Campbell excel in going back for pucks in their zone. Then, with the speed of wind-up toys, they dash out, pick their way through opponents, and trigger the puck-possession game that was on display in the second and third periods. (The Blackhawks had 30 shots over the final 40 minutes.)
“I was talking to their assistant coach [Mike Haviland], and everyone talks about how strong they are up front,’’ Shawn Thornton said. “But he was saying he thinks their strength is the back end and how quickly they get it up to their forwards. Our line is a forechecking pressure line, and it’s not easy to play against those guys when they’re getting back there that quick. It’s tough to sustain a lot of pressure. You really, really have to work your tail off to get there at the same time.’’
The Bruins, meanwhile, don’t have a single defenseman who can carry the puck with the dash and pluck of Chicago’s Big Three.
