Dan Rosen On Adam Jones Show: Bruins Doing To Blackhawks What They Did To Penguins, Rangers
BOSTON (CBS) - The Boston Bruins look to take a 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night, with Game 4 against the Chicago Blackhawks at the TD Garden.
NHL.com's Dan Rosen joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's The Adam Jones Show on Tuesday night, and said so far, the Bruins are doing exactly what they did to the Penguins and Rangers to the Blackhawks over the last five periods of hockey.
"The Blackhawks are not getting in their transition game, not getting into the zone with speed, and their stretch pass is non-existent. The Bruins are just so good in structure and through the neutral zone. They are doing exactly what they did to the Penguins and Rangers, and now it's up to the Blackhawks to find the adjustment that those two teams couldn't find," said Rosen. "The way (the Bruins) play in the neutral zone, no one is out of position – everyone is playing a role. They pressure the puck so well through the neutral zone that, and Blackhawks game is the speed game through the neutral zone."
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Rosen also touched on Boston's new third line, with Chris Kelly centering Daniel Paille and Tyler Seguin. Paille has goals in each of the last two games -- including the overtime game-winner in Game 2 -- and Kelly and Seguin are busting out of their recent slumps. Rosen said the line's speed is a big factor to their success against Chicago.
"He said after Game 2 he was playing a coaches hunch. That's fine, but he doesn't play that hunch without knowing the ingredients," said Rosen. "What they have in Daniel Paille is a guy who is very fast, has some grit to his game and some underrated skill – and we've seen that with his shot over the last two games. What you have in Chris Kelly is a very responsible player, and what you have in Seguin is, when his legs are going as they are right now, he can be one of the most dangerous players on the ice."
"When you put all of that together, it negates what the Blackhawks are going to do," he said. "They are trying to play a speed game – well this is a speed line. The Blackhawks don't want to get that physical, but Paille and Kelly can. They're doing a lot of things to negate what the Blackhawks originally had as an advantage."
Read: Bruins-Blackhawks Game 4 Preview
So how does Rosen see Wednesday's Game 4 playing out?
"I'd like to say I think the Blackhawks can re-establish their game, but the Bruins have been so good in their style and their game -- in exerting the way they want to play -- it's going to be hard for the Blackhawks to do it. But I don't think they're going to get shutout again, and I would not be surprised if this series goes back to Chicago 2-2," he said. "They're very familiar with this opponent right now; the Bruins don't change their game for anybody, and it's worked. The Blackhawks are going to have to change their game, and if I'm on point I do think they'll be able to change their game a little and get this back tied at 2-2 – but it certainly won't be easy."
NHL.com's Dan Rosen
Tune in to every game of the Bruins-Blackhawks Stanley Cup Final on 98.5 The Sports Hub -- the flagship station of the Boston Bruins. Pregame coverage begins at 7 p.m., with full postgame coverage after every game.
