Team defense is bad. Not just the defenseman.
First goal: Stralman takes the puck carrier into the boards - pins him, Callahan comes in for the hit - does not get the puck, Sergachev does a fly by - does not get the puck, Paquette - watches Sergachev not get the puck - flat footed facing the Bruin heading into the zone, Kunitz towards the middle not looking behind him. At one point it's a 4v2. Two failed attempts to get the puck along the boards in which, TWO efforts to shadow the play and get involved result in them fishing out a puck in a low danger zone, in the midst of a 4v2 for Tampa - results in a goal. Kunitz doesn't even look behind him. One retrieval that shouldn't happen, happens, followed by one pass that Kunitz doesn't pick up leaves Pastrnak 1v1 with Sergachev beaten, who was the 3rd forward initially in the area. THAT CAN'T HAPPEN.
Second goal: defenseman shoots it off the end boards (smart play they kept using and we kept failing to recognize) that ends up with a Rick Nash stick lift and inside positioning from two guys on Point, Miller and both defenseman. They could've taken time to pass it before shooting it. They had three guys down low on the inside.
Third goal: shots lays in front with Girardi battling in front, knocks the man off the puck, facing Vasy, Paquette loses his stick, picks it up and is 0.5 seconds late in tying up Nash. Another battle lost down low.
We can go back and do this game after game after game. Stamkos can hop off his high horse as well. He let that goal go against Ottawa from (I believe it was the Pyatt breakaway) by not looking over his shoulder and tying up his man. Where at? In front of the net.
If I was Yzerman, I'd go after Scott Stevens (left the Minnesota job to be with his family) and offer him a position as an assiststant and hope he takes it. This team struggles down low and loses their man like crazy. They dont move their guus and leave too many sticks free in front of Vasy.
It's the fundamentals. They are lazy and unaware defensively along with struggling to clear the zone. You don't piss away January, February, March and the first week of April because you were hot early on. Sure you don't win every game and to extent not going 100% EVERY game - but not in this fashion. When they went 9-0-1, I really hope they don't think they deserved all nine right? Point with his heroics was resembling 2015 Johnson by making poor coaching and performances turn into wins. Some of those were individual efforts - not team efforts. That Calgary game they somehow managed to win a while back was the first time I lost confidence in their defensive structure. Sure they can score at will and they are good - when they feel like it, but that doesn't cut it in the playoffs. You can't take 3 months off and expect the word playoffs to suddenly remove over 30 games of scrimmage level defending. That was an easy game for Boston. They weren't pinned in their zone for more than 4-5 shifts in a 60 minute game.
Offense: no problems, best in the league
Defense: the entire team needs to be more responsible. The errors they are making have cost them a lot of leads and points lately.