Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand is taking responsibility for his line's slow start to the Stanley Cup Final after the team's 3-2 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues in Game 2 on Wednesday.
“We need to be better,” Marchand said of his line, according to The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa. “Personally, I wasn’t good the last two games. We can’t be playing like that.”
The Bruins' top line of Marchand, David Pastrnak, and Patrice Bergeron has been productive this postseason, but through two games against the Blues, the trio has combined for just one empty-net goal, one assist, and a minus-7 rating.
Boston's top line has fallen off against the Blues at five-on-five compared to its production against previous opponents.
| Opponent | TOI | CF% | SCF% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maple Leafs | 45:01 | 53.85 | 54.35 |
| Blue Jackets | 44:13 | 52.22 | 43.24 |
| Hurricanes | 37:28 | 61.19 | 64.71 |
| Blues | 14:46 | 37.50 | 33.33 |
TOI= Time on ice
CF%= Corsi For (Shot attempt share)
SCF%= Scoring chance share
Marchand and Bergeron have also uncharacteristically combined for eight turnovers through the first two contests, contributing to the Blues' 16 takeaways.
“They just competed hard,” Marchand said. “They won a lot of battles in our zone. They have really good sticks. So they turn a lot of pucks over and created some offense off that.”
The Blues erased a pair of deficits en route to the victory, stealing home-ice advantage with Game 3 set for Saturday in St. Louis.
All advanced stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick
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