Haggerty: Lucic ready to break through vs. Flyers

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By Joe Haggerty
CSNNE.com

PHILADELPHIAMilan Lucic made a significant change prior to the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Yes, the Flyers' bruising style of play was going to jive nicely with Lucics forte, utilizing his big body in front of the net.

Yes, getting away from the defensive toughness of P.K. Subban was going to aid Lucics game after he found himself on the losing end of one-on-one battles with the flamboyant Habs defenseman.

Yes, the Bs power forward and their only 30-goal scorer is still scoreless after eight playoffs game this season and off to the worst postseason start of his career.

But Lucic felt a change coming mentally and physically as entered the series against Philadelphia, and it started in the closing seconds of Game 7s overtime last series against the Canadiens.

Lucic made a nifty little play in the offensive zone by carrying a loose puck in from the corner, and feeding Nathan Horton for the overtime game-winner.

It was a huge moment for Lucic, who was one of the many Bruins who had never won a Game 7. He thought that game was his best skating game of the series, and it has given him confidence as he and the Bruins takes on the Flyers.

The reason we had more space and create more space is because it was our best skating game as a line, said Lucic. For me especially I thought I was moving my feet better and skating better. We were able to create speed and thats why we were able to get chances.

The Flyers are a team that comes hard. There were a couple of times they got the puck in and came in hard with one guy, two guys, three guys and theyre coming right at you. Thats one thing theyre probably going to pick up on and play that aggressive game. If youve got the ice then youve got to move the feetand youve got to skate.

Lucic told CSNNE.com hes completely fine physically, and instead it was a recent mental funk that sapped him of his strength.

The 23-year-old sank into the regular-season doldrums once he scored his 30th goal of the season and the Bruins were simply playing out the string. That flatness carried right over into the postseason for Lucic. A primed Montreal bunch did everything possible to frustrate him and the rest of the Bs top line.

It certainly worked, and its been 19 games and counting since Lucic has scored a goal. The eight-playoff-game goal-scoring dry spell is the longest Lucic has ever endured in a short, but highly successful, NHL playoff body of work.

Lucic wasnt himself during the entire Montreal series, and didnt find his way out of the quicksand until the closing moments of the series against the Canadiens. One has to wonder if Lucic -- who is so good at feeding off emotion and physical engagement with enemies on the ice -- was in a daze for much of the series because the left wing was under orders not to fight back or respond to anything P.K. Subban or the rest of the Habs were doing on the ice. That kind of thing can keep Montreal off the power play, but it can also take Lucic rightout of his vital power game around the net.

I dont know. I think it felt like the way I ended the season wasnt very good. Once I scored my 30th goal of the season things kind of turned around on me, said Lucic. I wasnt getting shots and I started getting frustrated with myselfand questioning myself. I wasnt happy coming to the rink. It was that more so than anything.

Maybe it was kind of a physical thing from the mental part. I was so frustrated that it was getting hard for me to get up for the games. I was just trying to get through that more than anything and get myself up for the games. It felt like I was in quicksand, and the harder I fought the deeper it got. Then I said to myself yesterday that Im starting over with a clean slate. This is all I want to do. If I get a point or I dont, then whatever. I wanted to be more confident with the puck and move my feet, and I did that.

Lucic didnt have many problems getting up for Game 1 against the Flyers, and coach Claude Julien noticed the change in his young left wing as the hate starting flowing pretty freely on the ice.

I think Lucic was better. Theres no doubt he was skating better. And although he didnt get on the scoresheet, you look at what he did and what his line did and they were good for us, said Julien. So at one point you cant keep hammering down on a player just because he doesnt get on the scoresheet.

He did some good things. He had some body checks. He skated much better, and there was no doubt he was a much better player for us yesterday.

There is mounting evidence of the utter disdain and disrespect between the Bruins and Flyers -- something that will keep unlocking the highest gears in Lucics motor.

Players were liberally using two-handed slashes to whack opponents. Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger hit Daniel Paille while Paille was lying defenseless on the ice. Pronger was so worked up, it looked like he had hot flames shooting out of his nostrils by the middle of the first period.

That kind of game vibe is right in Loochs wheelhouse.

I was texting back and forth with a couple of my friends after Game One and they said it looked like a little bit of a slash-fest out there, said Lucic of the five slashing penalties taken by the Flyers in one game. But theres a lot of emotion and adrenaline going into the series. You pretty much pick up right where we left off with the bad blood.

It makes it a lot more fun and interesting to play for me.

Its the exact sort of thudding, punishing, physically intimidating game that brings out the best in Lucic. Its also the kind of competition that could bring his goal-scoring back into focus.

He didnt end up in the scoresheet in Game 1, but he was setting up the Boston goals for his linemates by playing strong on the puckand winning battles he was unthinkably losing in the first round.

Even though I didnt get a point I felt like I got in and won a puck battle to get it to Chara and we get the first goal, said Lucic. Second goal, the same thing where I got it in on the blue line, got it to Krejci and whatever happened to get it in the net. Those are things I can build off with my confidence.

The Flyers further awakened Lucic when rookie Zac Rinaldo decided to come at the Bs power forward at the end of the one-sided Game 1 victory, and both players got tossed with game misconducts when Lucic threw a message punch at the first-year Flyers scrapper.

It had nothing to do with any calls. There was no frustration at the end of the game, said Lucic. A guy like that comes up and tries to start something youve got them let then know, right?

Lucic has done some talking with his punching and his passing over the last couple of games, but it's looking like an inevitability that the Bruins' leading goal scorer will be doing some talking on the scoreboard in the next couple of games.

Joe Haggerty can be reached at jhaggerty@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow Joe on Twitter at http:twitter.comHackswithHaggs

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