The moment could have been one John Beecher regretted for a very long time. Instead, he survived it, he learned from it. And, thanks to his teammates, he can even laugh about it.
The near-disaster happened in the third period of Game 5 with the Bruins clinging to a 2-1 lead over the Florida Panthers, with their season hanging in the balance. The rookie had the puck in his own zone and was looking to break it out when he sent a pass into the slot, where the only player lurking was Florida Panther forward Kyle Okposo. As the entirety of Bruin Nation screamed at their televisions, the pass was luckily off the mark and the B’s could move on.
It took Beecher a little longer than the rest of the team.
“To be honest, it was one of those things where you get back to the bench and you’re almost in a little bit of disbelief that something like that happened,” said Beecher. “I hop on the bench and I’m still in my head about it and just all over the place. And (James van Riemsdyk) yelled, ‘Hey Beech, we’re wearing white, just so you know.’ I just started chuckling and turned around and all the guys were laughing on the bench and it kind of helped me move past it, just seeing how none of them were mad at me for it. It is what it is and it happened, unfortunately. And we got away with nothing too bad happening. That definitely helped me settle down and move on with the rest of the game.”
Before Thursday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena, coach Jim Montgomery – who had put Beecher back on the ice for a defensive zone draw just a couple of shifts later – was seen having an animated chat Beecher. Judging from the coach’s body language, the content of the conversation could well have been not suitable for children. But it was a pump-up talk.
“We believe in you,” said Montgomery of the message to Beecher. “There’s a reason why you’re being put in those moments and I had a real good conversation with him on the ice about that. And you find out where players’ minds are at and if they immerse themselves in the moment and what’s important and what they do for the team and how much someone like Johnny Beecher does to help the Boston Bruins be better.”
Beecher appreciated the pep talk.
“It’s awesome,” said Beecher. “It’s something all year I’ve been working on, trying to gain more confidence, more trust from the coaching staff and the other guys, to be here at the biggest stage, it’s huge. Mistakes are going to happen. Not everything is going to get your way and knowing he has that trust in me and belief to get back out there and make the next play and hopefully excel at it is unbelievable.”
He has learned you need to have a short memory if you’re going to succeed.
“Monty talked to me today just about looking forward to not even the next shift but my next battle and staying focused, staying in the moment and not really staying in my head about anything,” said Beecher. “And the next game we’ve got a chance to go into TD Garden and even this series and in a Game 7, anything can happen. I think we’ve done an amazing job to scratch and claw to put ourselves back in the series (Friday) night.”
Home pressure
Home-ice advantage is something every team plays for, but it doesn’t always work out. It is happening across the league – the Dallas Stars and New York Rangers blew chances to close out their respective opponents in the last couple of days – and the B’s have had their issues, especially the last two seasons. They went 1-3 at the Garden in their seven-game series loss to the Panthers last year and, so far this playoff season, they’re just 2-4 on home ice.
Montgomery admitted that the “advantage” can work against the home team sometimes.
Is there any extra pressure playing at home?
“There is and there isn’t. I’ve seen our team feel extra pressure, I’ve seen our team just go out and play loose,” said Montgomery. “I think it just depends on where the series is. And I also think there is a negative side to playing at home when your fans start to boo you. It impacts your players. It just does. I’ve seen it with other teams. We saw it in Toronto. We’ve seen it here. It’s not a lack of effort. Players aren’t trying not to win. They are. It’s just that sometimes you’ve got to be patient. It’s easier to be patient on the road. You could be down 1-0 and you can still play your game. Those things factor in. They just do.”
Back to work
After having an off day on Wednesday, the B’s went through a full practice Thursday.
“I think it’s really important,” said Montgomery. “When we practiced between Games 3 and 4, we were able to work on things and everybody gets repetitions. Repetition creates muscle memory, created quicker thinking and I think we saw it translate in Game 4 and it really translated in Game 5. We see ourselves getting better. And you have to throughout a series. I said it in the Toronto series, and I’ll say it in this series. You’ve got to get better because that’s the way you win a series.”
