Julien is exactly right. The 1-3-1 now that I have seen it broken down by Japers Rink blog, can only be beaten by attaining speed in the transition game or by getting ahead in the scoreboard early in games. This will require the Bruins to make good passes on the breakout and through the neutral zone. The Bruins defense needs to push the puck until they draw the first forward of the 1 on the 1-3-1.

The main key to me is the Bruins need to take advantage of fast transition, basically once the Bruins get the puck they need to get through the neutral zone before Tampa has a chance to drop back and set up this 1-3-1 scheme. If not the Bruins cannot be scared to carry the puck with speed and dump the puck once Tampa collapses the Three on the puck carrier.

The one thing the Bruins cannot do is slowly carry the puck up the ice and look for the perfect pass. This is why Kaberle needs to step his game up. Kaberle cannot just look for perfect passes and skate slowly with the puck; he will need to get his feet moving and take the pass if it is there or carry the puck to the red line and dump it.

Also the Bruins forwards have to stay back and provide options going up the ice for the breakout. If the Bruins forwards are “floating” up near the Tampa Blue line then they are playing right into this scheme. The Bruins forwards should try to stay even with the puck as it goes up the zone to provide the puck carrier with multiple options and also allow the guys without the puck to have forward momentum if the puck gets dumped in the zone. This means you Michael Ryder, no floating in this series, be an actual option on the breakout and stop waiting near the opponents blue line for some low percentage pass that only gets to you like once in a blue moon for a goal.

This is going to be a tough series for the Bruins as their biggest weakness has been the transition game all year long. Especially on the power play. The Bruins will have to use speed and their physicality to get the puck deep into Tampa’s zone and then gain possession by hitting everything that moves. We want the Tampa defenseman looking over their shoulder every time they go back to retrieve a dump in.

These games with two trapping teams are most likely going to be close low scoring games. We are going to need Timmy T to outplay Roloson, and the Bruins need to take advantage of their physical style of play without getting penalized for doing so.

The Bruins also are going to need Bergeron back as he is one of their best players on the breakout. Bergeron seems to be the main player on that second line that carries the puck with speed until he draws a defender then makes the pass to the open streaking winger. Without him every aspect of this Bruins team will suffer.