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Bergeron: Can't Rely On Goalies Every Night

BOSTON (CBS) - Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Gresh & Zolak on Thursday, and said the team needs to play better despite winning 17 of their last 21.

"We're aware we got the results last night, and the past couple games, but we can be better," said Bergeron. "We're giving up way too many shots. Right now, we can't just rely on our goalies to bail us out every night. We need to be a little tighter in our zone, especially the neutral zone."

The Bruins let the Senators take 49 shots on Tim Thomas Wednesday night. Luckily for them, the defending Vezina Trophy winner was able to stop 47 of them, and the B's cruised to a 5-2 victory. Tuesday night, Tuukka Rask stopped all 40 shots the LA Kings took.

While the number of shots are alarming, as long as they aren't good shots, Bergeron is okay with the high total.

"I don't know if there is a happy medium, but you're right, if most of the shots are from the outside and we're not giving them that many good scoring opportunities, it's not as bad," said Bergeron. "It's more a matter of playing our game; being tighter, being smarter in the neutral zone and doing a better job defending their speed."

Gresh & Zo: Are Bruins Deceiving Us?

The last two games were played without their captain, Zdeno Chara. Obviously the Bruins missed his presence, but Bergeron said injuries are part of hockey, and it's up to the team to not miss a beat.

"It's obvious that Z is probably one of the best, if not the best, defenseman in the league," he said. 'His reach and everything makes things a lot easier out there. That being said, it's adversity. We need to make sure everyone steps up when a key player is missing."

Listen to Patrice Bergeron on Gresh & Zo in its entirety to hear his thoughts on the B's getting goaded into penalties, and the cold he is currently fighting... 

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