On Easter Sunday, the Capitals (25-9-4) completed a season sweep (8 games!) of the Devils (13-17-6) which makes sense because Washington is one of the best teams in the NHL and New Jersey is one of the worst-that is when they're not playing Boston (19-10-6). Tonight at the TD Garden, the Bruins put their own unbeaten record on the line against the Flyers (18-14-5) and it finally came to an end as Philly beat them 3-2 in overtime on defenseman Travis Sanheim's goal. The B's dropped to 5-0-1 against the Flyers in 2021 while Philadelphia closed to within three points of them for fourth-place in the East Division (Boston still has two games in hand over them). The same teams meet tomorrow night (7, NESN) at the Wells Fargo Center before they close the season series there on Saturday afternoon (2, NESN).
Covid-19 continues to wreak havoc on the Bruins, granted not on the horrifying scale that the Canucks (16-18-3) are currently facing. This afternoon we found out that B's goaltender Jaroslav Halak had tested positive for the coronavirus and with Tuukka Rask still out (back injury), the team was forced to start rookie goaltender Dan Vladar (29 saves, 2-1-1) and dress another rookie Jeremy Swayman as the backup who had never appeared in an NHL game. Left wing Jake DeBrusk played in his first game since March 18 after he was sidelined with Covid-19. This is not to make excuses for Boston's loss this evening, only to point out that there are many things going on with the club both on and off the ice while the pandemic still unfolds all around us.
The last time that we saw the Flyers, the Bruins had buried them in the side of a mountain at Lake Tahoe. Things were obviously much different for them tonight than that embarrassing blowout defeat. Right wing Travis Konecny gave them a 1-0 lead at 10:15 of the first period as he put in a rebound. Center Claude Giroux and defenseman Ivan Provorov had the assists on Konecny's eighth goal of the season. Boston tied it at 17:33 on rookie right wing Karson Kuhlman's snipe over Flyers goalie Brian Elliott's (27 saves, 10-5-1) shoulder, off the post and in. BU's Charlie Coyle had the lone assist on Kuhlman's second goal of the season.
The Black and Gold notched the only goal in the second period which also gave them their lone lead of the tilt: center Patrice Bergeron one-timed in a nifty pass from right wing David Pastrnak on the power play 46 seconds into the frame. BU's Matt Grzelcyk provided the other helper on Bergy's 12th goal of the season. Philadelphia tied it in the third period with a power play tally of their own: center Sean Couturier's screened snap shot went by Vladar at 6:56. Provorov and BC's Kevin Hayes recorded the assists on Couturier's 11th goal of the season. Sanheim's goal was a lowlight for Bergeron as he tripped himself up skating backwards and trying to play defense on him, leading to a breakaway and the eventual game-winning goal. Sanheim's second goal of the season was unassisted and it came at 3:08.
Assuming that Halak is still out for tomorrow's rematch, does Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy choose to start Vladar again or go with Swayman in a very important matchup in terms of playoff implications? I'm not going to hold my breath for Rask to return tomorrow either so I believe it will be one of the rookie goaltenders in net on the road in a really big spot that happens to be the second half of a back-to-back set. On the other side, you wonder if Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault goes back to Elliott or he throws Carter Hart in there who has been nothing but a disaster lately? A Philly win in regulation would bring them within one point of the Bruins. Ruh roh.
UPDATE 4/6/21: Swayman will make his NHL debut tonight while defenseman Kevan Miller & right wing Chris Wagner both return to the lineup.
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