Bruins' DeBrusk hopeful about Game 7: This is why we work for home ice
The Boston Bruins are staying positive despite facing the prospect of getting bounced from the playoffs in the first round following a historically dominant regular season.
Boston forward Jake DeBrusk lamented losing 7-5 to the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of their opening-round series Friday night but said he believes there's reason for optimism heading into Sunday's Game 7.
"(It's) disappointing, obviously," he said. "But ... we work all year to get home-ice advantage, and it comes down to a Game 7 where we're up for elimination now. It's one of those things where we have the home crowd behind us, and you just look forward.
"You've got to stay even keel and in the moment and take what you can from (Game 6), flush it, and just do what you can to win (Game 7)."
Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery noticed some areas to improve in the decisive contest that hindered his club in Game 6.
"We do have to clean up a couple things, like we didn't protect the slot like we usually do," he said. "(The Panthers) got three goals minimum from there that I can think (of), and I'm talking (about) five-on-five, not the power-play goals they scored."
Montgomery tipped his cap to the Panthers for their unexpected resilience.
"You've got to give credit to Florida. What a determined group, forced a Game 7 here," he said.
The Bruins bench boss also allayed any concerns about goaltender Linus Ullmark experiencing wear and tear. The Vezina Trophy favorite gave up six goals on 32 shots amid his longest stretch of consecutive starts all season Friday.
"I think Linus is fine," Montgomery said. "I looked at him in the eyes a few times when he came back to the bench, and I liked the way his eyes were looking. He looked intense, and he looked keen."
The Bruins handily won the Presidents' Trophy for their regular-season exploits. Boston set NHL records for wins and points in a campaign, though that included shootout victories and points gained from overtime or shootout losses. Florida had the league's best regular-season record in 2021-22.