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The Wraparound: Bruins staying ‘even keel’ before Game 2 vs. Maple Leafs

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From the Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov to the Blues' Jordan Binnington, NHL rookies are playing a major role in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Keith Jones and Patrick Sharp look back on their rookie playoff experiences.

The Wraparound is your daily look at the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. We’ll break down each day’s matchups with the all-important television and live streaming information included.

It had been three months since the Boston Bruins had seen the Toronto Maple Leafs in person, so some unfamiliarity could have been to blame for their performance in a Game 1 defeat. Thursday’s loss was a wake up call for Bruce Cassidy’s team, who weren’t prepared for the visitors to play the stretch game and expose the Bruins in their building.

“I hope it got their attention now because it’s one of the things they do well,” Cassidy said on Friday. “You talk about a team - ‘oh they have speed’, well so do we and we’re going to play our game. And we do want to play our game. Part of neutralizing their speed is having o-zone puck possession time. I think that’s where we weren’t hard enough to be honest with you. I give them credit, they won a lot of pucks, got out of their end in a hurry. Even the third goal, we’re on the rush and it’s a 50/50 puck. They win it from us and bang, they’re gone. That’s where they were better than us in areas and converted.”

As they prepare for Saturday’s Game 2 (8 p.m. ET; NBC; Live Stream), the Bruins should be prepared to deal with the Maple Leafs’ speed through the neutral zone and stretch passes to create opportunities. It worked in Game 1, even after Cassidy and his staff went over it with the players in the days leading up tot he series opener.

There were plenty of mistakes to be cleaned up ahead of Game 2, and while the Bruins talked about fixing what went wrong, it’s a matter of execution now, with the goal of avoiding heading to Toronto in an 0-2 hole.

According to the NHL, teams that win the first two games of a best-of-seven series have a series record of 318-50, which includes a 72-20 record when they come away from home.

“We stay positive through it all no matter what happens,” said Bruins forward Charlie Coyle. “We stay even keel. If we won last night, same way. You can’t get too high, you can’t get too low. We always talk about that. That’s playoffs. It’s easy to get caught up in the ups and downs. We’re back it, chance at home again. We’re excited to get going again, Game 2. Pretty good practice here to start so everyone’s in a good mood.”
[NBC 2019 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

TODAY’S SCHEDULE

Game 2: Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals, 3 p.m. ET (Capitals lead 1-0): The Hurricanes dug themselves too deep a hole in the first period of Game 1, watching the Capitals build up a 3-0 lead. Andrei Svechnikov singlehandedly made it a game in the third period, but it was too little, too late. Now the Hurricanes have a chance to head home for Game 3 with a split if they can find a way to slow Washington’s offensive weapons. (NBC; Live stream)

Game 2: Dallas Stars at Nashville Predators, 6 p.m. ET (Stars lead 1-0): Even though one of his two goals was later awarded to Alex Radulov, it was the Miro Heiskanen show in Game 1 as the Stars rookie scored and added an assist. Th Predators tested Ben Bishop, but the potential Vezina Trophy finalist put aside 30 shots in the win. Mats Zuccarello, who scored the eventual game winner, helped Dallas continue their success this season with a third win at Bridgestone Arena. (CNBC; Live stream)

Game 2: Colorado Avalanche at Calgary Flames, 10 p.m. ET (Flames lead 1-0): It was fitting Mike Smith donned his Mike Vernon tribute mask for Game 1. The Flames netminder stopped all 26 shots he faced in the 4-0 win. The Avalanche will need to make life difficult for Smith in Game 2 with traffic in front of the Calgary net. (NBCSN; Live stream)

SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE
Game 3: Islanders at Penguins, 12 p.m. ET (NBC)
Game 3: Lightning at Blue Jackets, 7 p.m. ET (NBCSN)
Game 3: Jets at Blues, 7:30 p.m. ET (CNBC)
Game 3: Sharks at Golden Knights, 10 p.m. ET (NBCSN)

PHT’s 2019 Stanley Cup playoff previews
Capitals vs Hurricanes
Islanders vs. Penguins

Bruins vs. Maple Leafs
Lightning vs. Blue Jackets

Predators vs. Stars
Blues vs. Jets
Flames vs. Avalanche
Sharks vs. Golden Knights

Power Rankings: Why your team won’t win the Stanley Cup
Roundtable: Goaltending issues, challenging the Lightning
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round 1 schedule, TV info

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