Bruins focus on Game 6 against Hurricanes, not uncertain future

BOSTON -- It would be easy to think about what the Boston Bruins face in the offseason and let the mind spin out. There are so many questions, so many what ifs, about the future of the franchise and the players, about the captain, and perhaps even about the coach.

The Bruins, though, aren't about to go there. Not yet.
For now, there is one game ahead of them. One win they need. One thing to think about.
"We have to win one game at home," coach Bruce Cassidy said Wednesday. "We're not worried about the next game. We're 2-0 at home in the playoffs.
"We need to win a home game. That's all that's in front of us right now. It's not easy to win in the playoffs, but it's not a monumental task. We need to win a home game. We'll sort it out from there."
That game is Game 6 at TD Garden on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; TNT, SN360, TVAS, NESN, BSSO). The Bruins trail the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference First Round, setting up the must-win Game 6.
"Obviously a do-or-die situation," forward Brad Marchand said. "It's not the one we want to be in. But all that matters is that we regroup and get prepared for the next one. We know they're going to push. They're a good team. You can see they're very hungry right now. We just have to give it everything we have, the next one, and hope there's a tomorrow."
RELATED: [Complete Hurricanes vs. Bruins series coverage]
The Bruins are in this position because they lost 5-1 in Game 5 at PNC Arena on Tuesday. They showed up in Raleigh with an impotent attack, one that couldn't solve the Hurricanes at 5-on-5.
They had clawed their way back into the series, winning Games 3 and 4 at home after dropping the first two games on the road. Then they fell flat in Game 5.
The Bruins hope that, at least for one more game, the pattern continues.
Because beyond this game lie only questions.
The Bruins have failed to make it past the second round in each of the past two Stanley Cup Playoffs. They lost in six games last season to the New York Islanders and in five to the Tampa Bay Lightning the season before, after they made it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2019, losing to the St. Louis Blues. Their attack is predicated on the production of two players in their 30s, the 34-year-old Brad Marchand and the soon-to-be 37-year-old Patrice Bergeron.
And that last is the especial rub.
Bergeron, the Bruins captain the past two seasons and a mainstay since he made his NHL debut at 18 years old in 2003, has not yet announced his future plans. He will be an unrestricted free agent after the season and has said that he will wait until the season's conclusion to determine his course.
That conclusion could come Thursday. Which could be Bergeron's final game in a Bruins uniform.
It's something the Bruins haven't wanted to consider. It's something Bergeron hasn't wanted to discuss. But it's looming.
Unless they can win Thursday. Unless they can extend their season.
To that end, the Bruins should be getting back a significant piece. Defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who was injured on a hit by Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov in Game 2, is expected to return for Game 6, to again pair with Charlie McAvoy, who himself returned from a stint in NHL COVID-19 protocol for Game 5.
"I anticipate he'll play," Cassidy said, of Lindholm.
They will stick with Jeremy Swayman in net. It will mark his fourth consecutive start since he replaced Linus Ullmark for Game 3. Swayman had made three straight starts only once this season, April 16-21, losing the third game, and once last season. He never has started four straight in the NHL. Swayman has a 2.68 goals-against average and .911 save percentage in this series.
The Bruins will be relying on him for the timely saves, the ones that Carolina got from Antti Raanta on Tuesday.
Overall, the Bruins need more. They need more at 5-on-5. They need more from every player that's not named Marchand, Bergeron and David Pastrnak, and perhaps more even from those three. They need saves early and a stauncher defense. They need to stay out of the penalty box.
"I don't think we've been as bad as the score has shown in Carolina," Cassidy said. "They've been able to extend leads and we haven't pushed back as well as we did here. I didn't think they played poorly up here, we just were able to capitalize on opportunities like they did last night."
The Bruins need to revert to the team they were in Games 3 and 4, and quickly. They need a win to save their season, or at least to prolong it.
"Playoffs are a little different that way," Cassidy said. "Every game's its own story. Certainly, Carolina looked at it that way. I'm sure they went home and said we just have to win a home game. And they took care of business. That's what's in front of us."
They need a win. The rest, well, that can wait.