Boston Bruins: 2012 Round One Game Six (Capitals)

     The tone of these playoff posts tends to be a little negative.  I look for places where I think the Bruins can improve and that tends to come off as complaints.  At times I'm sure it seems like I'm being a little hard on the players, quicker to knock them down then lift them up when all I'm trying to do is point out where things can be fixed to get a win.  I realize not every player is going to be a force every game and the nature of sports is that players are going to go through ruts, they are human after all.  What made the Bruins team that won the cup last year so special and what we can only hope is still present, is the depth of big game players.  If the first line isn't clicking, the third line will be there to pick it up.  It seems like almost every game has a new MVP, a new guy ready to step up as hero.  I've been really hard on Tyler Seguin, Milan Lucic and the rest of the top 6 for not showing up so far in the series and in true Bruin spirit the third and fourth lines have been there to pick up the slack.  In game six Tyler Seguin made a triumphant return and stepped up to the plate to save the Bruins season.  It would be nice to see the kid turn out a huge performance every game, but it's great to know others will pick up the slack until he can figure things out.  It has to be a situation that will help his development.
     The game winning goal was a thing of beauty and hopefully a sign of things to come.  The way Krejic and Lucic moved the puck, finding open ice, the way Seguin burst through the gap, used the slightest of deeks to through Holtby off, and buried the puck in the back of the net was exactly what the Bruins top line has been missing.  Even the third goal was a sign the B's might be figuring out a way through the tough Washington defense, the way Seguin just threw the puck at Holtby and Ference stepped in the attack to grab the rebound.  Now, if they could just figure out of to make the power play work!
     Thomas wasn't brilliant, but he had a couple amazing saves and did what he needed to get the win.  It wasn't the Thomas we came to expect from last year, so there is still room for improvement, but it was certainly better then any goaltending seen in the Pittsburgh/Philadelphia series.  If the Bruins are going to avoid elimination once again, Thomas needs to step up in game seven like Seguin did in game six.  If there is one thing you can't take away from this Bruins team, it's that they are going to fight until the last second, that when things are at there toughest they are going to show a ton of heart.  Let's hope they have enough heart for one more win against the Capitals.