Bruins Lucic Putting 'Too Much Pressure' On Himself
BOSTON (CBS) - Milan Lucic was an offensive leader for the Bruins in the regular season.
But, Lucic has struggled to find a groove in the playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens, putting up goose eggs in each of the first three games.
"You definitely want to do whatever you can to contribute," said Lucic. "You do put a little bit more pressure on yourself, almost too much pressure on myself to go out there score."
Lucic, who scored a career-high 30 goals during the regular season, thinks keeping things simple will help him break out of his current playoff slump.
"For myself, my game, if I just simplify it and go out and play, focus on straight lines and getting pucks in deep, things tend on taking care of themselves," he said.
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"If his line mates are starting to roll, usually he follows up and vice versa," said coach Claude Julien. "When those guys start play, the other guys usually catch up to him. I'm expecting him to be even better and we need him to be better if we expect to win this series."
"I think he may be pressing a little more than he has in the past," Bruins President Cam Neely said of Lucic on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Felger & Mazz earlier this week. "That's something where he just needs to relax a little more, go out and play his game and play the style that's made him successful."
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"When he's on his game he's really, first and foremost, playing physical and then all the good thing that come from it. I think he may be pressing a little bit, and that happens when to a player when you're counted on to do more."
Tune in to 98.5 The Sports Hub's coverage of the Bruins-Canadiens playoff series starting 30 minutes before the puck drops with the Dunkin Donuts Bruins Pregame show.
