Dave Goucher On Bruins' Renewed Sense Of Team Defense
BOSTON (CBS) -- Clinging to their postseason lives, the Boston Bruins have looked like a different team over their last two games.
The B's have won two straight after a four-game skid nearly derailed their quest for a playoff spot, and now hold a three-point lead on the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Boston followed up Saturday's 2-1 win over the Islanders in Brooklyn with a 4-1 victory over the Nashville Predators at TD Garden on Tuesday, and did so with a renewed sense of team defense.
The Bruins blocked 24 shots in front of Tuukka Rask on Tuesday, something they had gotten away from during their recent rough stretch. Adam McQuaid blocked five shots on his own, with Zdeno Chara getting his giant self in front of four attempts.
Dave Goucher, the radio voice of the Bruins on 98.5 The Sports Hub, joined Toucher & Rich on Wednesday to discuss Boston's re-emergence on defense.
"They got away from that; if you look at that four-game losing streak, they gave up 20 goals in those four games. They're not going anywhere fast if they're going to give up goals in bunches. Their ability to only give up one goal last night and one against the Islanders was significant; getting back to that commitment to team defense, to blocking shots," said Goucher. "They went 38 minutes the other night against the Islanders without giving up a shot 5-on-5. That tells you just how committed they were, and that they knew they had to get back to doing better things on defense."
Goucher also touched on Rask's injury, Boston's third-line play and the physicality Bruins defensemen have been showing as of late:
