from Joe Haggerty of CSNNE,

“We weren't executing well enough to deny their speed,” admitted Patrice Bergeron. “We'd seen that wide side pass all game...it was kind of obvious.”

That sounds eerily like the laments of the Bruins from last spring when they knew exactly what the Canadiens were going to do and yet still fell to the Habs in the second round of the playoffs. It remains to be seen what the B’s can do to improve their overall speed among their defensemen group leading into a trade deadline that’s less than a month away, but the answer is likely “not much” outside of a course-changing deal for a D-man like Andrej Sekera or Keith Yandle.

It’s difficult to see the Bruins changing much about their DNA makeup when it comes to their defensemen given how heavily they rely on defensive size and strength around the front of the net. But it’s also difficult to avoid seeing that as part of their ultimate downfall this season in a year where they certainly look like a playoff team, but don’t really have the look of a dangerous playoff team in losses that expose their weakness like the Wednesday night rivalry game at Madison Square Garden.

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