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Bruins have to 'relish the opportunity'

Monday, 06.06.2011 / 4:45 PM

By Marty Turco - NHL Network / Turco Talk

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Turco Talk
Bruins have to 'relish the opportunity'
Veteran NHL goalie Marty Turco is lending his expert opinion to NHL.com in the form of his own blog. Turco Talk will be updated daily with Marty's thoughts on the Stanley Cup Final between the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins. Marty can also be seen daily on the NHL Network giving analysis on NHL On the Fly at the Stanley Cup Final.

Today, Marty writes about the Bruins' emotions heading home down 0-2 in the series and how their fans might react in Game 3.


BOSTON --
When you lose one late and then you lose again in overtime, you still leave feeling pretty good about where your game is at. You're wishing you had split on the road, but you're not thinking how bad things have gone.

But, for the Boston Bruins and everybody on this trip, myself included, it's a long flight back and that's when you do your real thinking. You think big picture because that's just human nature, but you also think about yourself, how you handle the emotion of the game and what you do to be a difference maker? Does that tighten up your stick or does that free you up?

It's inevitable to think, 'Even though we haven't played a game at home, we're down 2-0 and if we go down 3-0 we're in real deep.' Mentally, Game 3 becomes a must-win for the Bruins, but the best thing that any of them can do is appreciate the levity of the moment and if you're a big game guy, relish the opportunity to give these fans what they have long wanted.

It's been a long time since they had a Stanley Cup Final game here and almost doubly as long since they won the Stanley Cup. This town is one of the better hockey towns in the United States. They have every support in other sport, great history and culture, but when you come here and the Bruins play well -- let's just say Bruins fans can't be shaken. Hockey is always on the map here. Hockey players know how emotional the game can be for ourselves and certainly is for the fans.

Now, for them to come home down 0-2, they might be on a short leash with the fans, especially if they give up an early goal or they don't score on the power play. The Bruins may not be worried that the fans are going to get on them, but they certainly know the time has come and it's in their backyard. This is the moment that is going to get you to where you want to be if you're going to win the Stanley Cup.

They can gain some mental positives about what has happened already. They have a lot to look forward to and a lot to overcome, but whether they want to jump up and grab it, push through if their down, have the moxie to come back and win the game -- those are the things you have to prepare for.

You can't wait for those things to happen. You have to think about all the possibilities and if you relish the opportunity, they're going to be better for it.

I do think the Bruins are going to give a strong push. I do think they're going to play their best game of the series and maybe even the playoffs. That doesn't mean they're going to win the game because sometimes mistakes happen or things happen that go the wrong way, but I think that push will be there and it'll be a revved up, emotional game.

This is the kind of series that you want -- fast-paced, hard hitting, tight games with great goaltending. Unfortunately for the Bruins' fans, their team is down 0-2, so they're going to be more on the edge of their seats and they may at some point in the night find themselves thinking, 'Uh-oh, I don't want to lose.'

The fans have that luxury. These Boston Bruins do not.

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