Bury chances, or bury yourselves

The Bruins are still alive, be it just barely, in the 2008 playoffs because they adapted on the fly after Game 1. They realized off the hop, upon being rubbed out by three goals, that they didn't have the speed or scoring touch to hang with the Habs. They came back two nights later with a tougher, smarter, grittier approach, and split Games 2 and 3, mostly because of tighter defense and overall determination.

Good fix. ID the problem, supply the answer.

Now all they have to do is figure out how to score.

"This time of year, you get your chances, you have to capitalize on them," noted budding power forward Milan Lucic following the 1-0 loss to Montreal at the Garden last night, leaving the Bruins on the brink of elimination. "If you don't, then you're going to lose, 1-0."

None of this is new to the West End warriors. Other than mini-bursts of offense throughout the year, they were at best uncomfortable, and at worst inept, when it came to the tricky art of scoring. General manager Peter Chiarelli tried to fix that at the trade deadline, took stabs at landing Marian Hossa and Tuomo Ruutu, but found the asking prices too high - unwilling in both cases to part with Phil Kessel.

Now here they are, unable to buy a goal, and with Kessel, their fastest skater, not gritty enough to play varsity playoff hockey. Does that mean he'll be seen tomorrow night for Game 5 in the Bell Centre? Doubtful, but there's a chance, because the brink of elimination calls for desperate measures, and after scoring but five goals in four games, grit or no grit, they've got to find their way out of this offensive funk.

"The bottom line is, when we had the chance to capitalize, we didn't bury them," said coach Claude Julien, his squad now stoned on 110 of 115 shots against Carey Price, who sports a mesmerizing 95.7 save percentage. "Sometimes it's the details."

Asked if he felt he had the offensive horses to beat the Habs, Julien added, "A 1-0 game isn't about the horses - it's about burying those chances."

One of those details is Glen Murray, who has mustered two shots in every game this series, but has yet to put one of those in the net. He's the highly paid sniper in the Boston offense, and thus far, he hasn't come close to doing the job that earns him $4.15 million a year.

He is 0-for-the-playoffs, and though scoring is not about one shot or one game, the zero next to Murray's name right now is beginning to look like the hole into which the Bruins will disappear.

"He had a great chance tonight in the slot," said Julien, referring to Murray's point-blank attempt off a Marc Savard feed with the game still 0-0. "I am sure he is going to tell you he can play better. I know he can play better - and we need him to play better."

Murray is not alone in this team of failing hands. Only four forwards - Peter Schaefer, David Krejci, Savard, and Lucic - have scored. Defenseman Shane Hnidy, the lone scorer in the opener, has the other marker.

Now, failing touch, how do they wring more goals out of the roster and save the season? The only answer there is also familiar: get more traffic and more action in front of the net.

Price is good, in fact excellent, and only rarely will he be tricked or beaten on long shots. The Bruins missed with 13 shots last night, almost twice the number of Montreal misses (7). Boston has to do a better job at landing shots on net, and then comes even the harder job, that of following up the shoulder and elbow work it takes to get clear lanes, second and third chances.

The Bruins are not very difficult to deny around the net, or anywhere between the circles. Some of that is simply a size issue, with too many of their forwards undersized by today's standards.

Some of it is the courage issue, especially courage among their skilled forwards.

Then there are the legit diggers, guys like Shawn Thornton and Jeremy Reich and Lucic. Thornton and Reich, though valuable, don't have hands to match their courage.

Lucic is just beginning to show signs of touch and spatial awareness in the slot.

"We played really well, but on the other hand, I don't know," said Thornton, asked if this was a case of Price stoning the Bruins, or the Bruins not doing enough to pressure the Montreal net. "They do a very good job in front of the net, and a good job blocking the shots. You might get a first one in there, but they stop those second and third chances."

So here are their choices:

They can put out a call for Kessel, in hopes that he has made up his mind to play a more north-south game, one that could cost him a chunk of his hide.

Collectively, they can stop standing around like so many tourists at a bus stop, watching instead of continuing to work after they've put a shot on net. First attempts in today's NHL are usually that, just attempts.

They can activate their bigger defensemen, specifically Zdeno Chara and Hnidy, and order them to get active around the offensive net, either by rushing in from their back line posts, or by lining up in special situations (obvious mismatches or power plays), especially for draws in the offensive end.

Admittedly, that's slim pickin's, and some of it smacks of brink-of-elimination desperation. But four games have proven, beyond question, that the Bruins playing with these players, and with this style, cannot possibly beat the Canadiens.

ID the problem. Fix it. Or go home.

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at dupont@globe.com