Kalman: Krug's Game-Tying Goal In Bruins Win A Product Of Defensive Mind Set
By Matt Kalman, CBS Boston
When you score four goals on 244 shots one season and then score one goal on 68 shots in the first 23 games of your next season, and you're supposed to be an offensive defenseman, you deserve to get a lucky bounce.
One of the flukiest bounces possible helped the Bruins win Thursday and ended a nine-game goal drought for Boston defenseman Torey Krug.
Krug's shot from the point was stopped by Carolina goaltender Cam Ward but kicked into the net by Hurricanes forward Teuvo Teravainen to tie the score with 31.5 seconds remaining in regulation before the Bruins went on to win 2-1 in a shootout at TD Garden.
The Bruins barely deserved the win, as they were outshot 19-17 through two periods and rarely were able to put two clean passes together. But they were able to grind out two points in the standings.
"Look we've been dominant at times in the offensive zone over the past few games," Krug said. "And it wasn't our prettiest game, it wasn't necessarily a good game by our standards. But those are goals throughout the season you feel like you earned and you deserved. So we worked and we worked and it didn't matter how long it took in the third. Ultimately it would pay off and it did."
In a bizarre twist, the Bruins defense without Zdeno Chara and John-Michael Liles has been the team's strength. They have allowed three goals in the past two games. But they haven't been able to score much all season and are now 6-9-1 when they score two or fewer goals.
Krug once scored 14 goals in a season (2013-14) and if he could ever get on a hot streak it would benefit the Bruins greatly. Fortunately, he hasn't let his offensive woes deter him from playing solid defense, especially with the Bruins shorthanded. For the second straight game, he led the Bruins in ice time, as he skated 28:07 against the Hurricanes.
He had two assists in each of his prior two games and he believes that might be a product of his defensive mindset.
"I think just pucks are going in," Krug said. "As silly as that sounds, I feel like from an individual standpoint I've been focusing on hitting the net for a while. I'm trying to make some plays and all of a sudden the puck's going in. Whether it's funky bounces or just guys taking advantage of chances that I can create, it's good.
"But I've been focusing on defense the last few games ... and all of a sudden it's like the offensive opportunities are appearing out of nowhere."
Krug worries about defense but he stresses about offense at the same time sometimes. When you're 5-foot-9 and play on the first power-play unit, you have to produce points because you're never going to be a shutdown defenseman. All Krug can do is hold his own, use his savvy and hope that if he sticks with things the points will come. Instead of, "If you build it, they will come" Krug's mantra is something like, "If you don't think about points, they will come."
"I'm not gripping the stick worrying about points and when you do that it's almost like you have a sense of calm and you're playing with your instincts instead of squeezing the stick and trying to play with too much emotion," Krug said of his improve mindset recently. "You worry about the defensive end and all of a sudden things just open up."
Maybe all the Bruins should follow Krug's lead. Despite their win, they're not getting much offense from anyone not named David Pastrnak. Austin Czarnik hasn't scored in 10 games, Matt Beleskey has two goals on the season and Patrice Bergeron has one goal in 13 games.
The Bruins get accused of thinking too much about defense sometimes. But if thinking that way will get their offense going the way it has Krug, they should buy in to what Krug is selling.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @MattKalman.
