The Bruins Close The Season Series Vs. The Flyers With Their First Loss In Regulation To Them In '21

 

    Playing in their fourth game in the last six days, I can't blame the Bruins (21-11-6) for losing this afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center against the Flyers (19-15-6). Boston scored first and later tied it up at two but they eventually fell 3-2 as they closed the season series with Philadelphia with a more than solid 6-1-1 record. Rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (20 saves; 2-1) suffered the first loss of his NHL career as he made his third start in a row. This game meant a whole bunch to both clubs and their postseason aspirations but Philly understandably played like the more desperate group which makes sense because they entered outside the playoff picture. These two points pulled them within four points of the Bruins although Boston still has two games in hand over them.

    B's center Patrice Bergeron (6 goals, 3 assists) has been on fire lately with a seven-game point-streak that he extended with a power play goal at 5:38 of the first period. Right wing Craig Smith and left wing Brad Marchand had the assists on Bergy's 16th goal of the season. He had set up in the slot and even though Smitty's pass was in his skates, he took his time to gather the puck and fire it past Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott (30 saves, 11-5-1). Philadelphia tied it at one as right wing Travis Konecny put in a juicy rebound from defensemen Robert Hagg and Travis Sanheim. It was Konecny's ninth goal of the season and it came at 11:51 of the first period. The Flyers took their first lead when defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere tipped in a shot from Konecny at 17:46 for a power play tally. UNH's James van Riemsdyk added the second assist on Gostisbehere's seventh goal of the season. 

    Boston scored the lone goal of the second period as left wing Jake DeBrusk roofed a shot by Elliott at 11:45. Smith and BU's Charlie Coyle had the helpers on DeBrusk's fourth goal of the season. It's been a brutal season in terms of injuries for B's defenseman Matt Grzelcyk and unfortunately his bad luck continued as he left late in the second period with an upper-body injury and he never returned. Ugh. Philly center Sean Couturier scored the game-winning goal at 6:59 of the third period as Swayman got caught out of position leaving most of the net for Couturier to shoot at. His 12th goal of the season was assisted by BU's Joel Farabee and van Riemsdyk.

    This hellacious stretch finally ends tomorrow night (7, NESN) for the Bruins as they host the Capitals (26-11-4) at the TD Garden. Boston is 2-1-1 so far this week which includes a 4-2 home win against Washington on Thursday. Washington is in a dead heat with the Islanders for first-place in the Eastern Division as both teams are eight points ahead of the Black and Gold although the Bruins have three games in hand over both of them. Boston is 3-0-2 meaning that they haven't lost yet in regulation vs. Washington in 2021. The other rookie goaltender Dan Vladar is a lock to get the start tomorrow since Swayman needs a break while Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak remain out with an injury and Covid-19 respectively. 

It Took Overtime But The Flyers Finally Beat The Bruins 3-2 In Their Sixth Meeting Of The Season

 

    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. 

The Bruins Earn Another Two-Game Series Sweep Vs. The Flyers With A Playoff-Style 2-1 Victory

 

    You can't realistically ask for a much better road trip than the one that the Bruins (8-1-2) just completed tonight at Philadelphia's (7-3-2) First Union Center. Thanks to a 2-1 win against the Flyers, Boston wrapped up four games against Washington (6-2-3) and Philly-the other two best teams in the East Division now and probably for the rest of the season-with seven out of a possible eight points. Unless you are a fan of boring, defensive hockey with very few scoring chances, this tilt was not exactly filled with highlights but it nevertheless proved that the B's can still find a way to come out on top no matter how you want to play. They also improved to 4-0 against Philadelphia this season, halfway through their regular season slate with them.

    The theme of the entire trip was third period comebacks so Boston had one more granted it wasn't quite the three-goal rallies in DC nor the two-goal deficit that they overcame in Philly on Wednesday. Not much happened in the first two periods except a nice fight between B's defenseman Connor Clifton and Flyers right wing Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Tuukka Rask (23 saves, 5-1-1) easily stopped a penalty shot by BU's Joel Farabee. It was scoreless heading into the third period and UNH's James van Riemsdyk tipped in a shot from the point by defenseman Erik Gustafsson for a power play goal 27 seconds into the frame. Center Claude Giroux added the second assist on JVR's sixth goal of the season which also extended his point-streak to six games (3 goals, 8 assists). That would turn out to be the only goal that Rask would allow. 

    The Bruins continued to grind away and eventually tied it on a greasy goal by left wing Brad Marchand at 12:01. Right wing David Pastrnak's initial shot was stopped by Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott (21 saves, 3-1-0) but Marchand was in front (along with Patrice Bergeron) and he was able to win a puck battle then sweep in the rebound. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy notched the secondary assist on Marchand's team-leading seventh goal of the season. It wasn't tied for long as center Sean Kuraly made it 2-1 in favor of Boston 27 seconds later. He fired a snap shot from just inside the blue line that Elliott's glove totally whiffed on. The puck hit the far post and rattled in for his second goal of the season. Left wing Anders Bjork and center David Krejci-part of a rejiggered line-supplied the assists on the game-winning tally. 

    Boston was scheduled to host Buffalo (4-4-2) on Saturday night and Monday at TD Garden but the Sabres are one of four NHL teams currently paused due to Covid-19 outbreaks so those games will be postponed to a later date in the season. For the B's, the timing isn't so bad since they get to return home and relax for a few days before their next games: Wednesday (7, NBCSN) and Friday (7, NESN) at Madison Square Garden vs. the Rangers (4-4-2). That's followed by another visit to Long Island to face the Islanders (3-4-2) on Saturday night (7, NESN). Like the rest of us (that aren't clueless idiots during a pandemic), the Bruins won't be able to have their traditional Super Bowl party with all their wives and girlfriends in the same place but at least they can all kick back and enjoy a long weekend in Boston before they return to work.  

Home Sweet Home: B's Perfect Start at TD Garden Continues (4-0-0) with a 3-0 Shutout of Flyers

The Bruins (6-2-2) hadn't played at TD Garden in nearly two weeks and they were returning from a bumpy road trip to Western Canada (1-1-2) but you wouldn't know that by the workman-like routine beating of the Flyers (4-6-0) 3-0 this evening. With the win, Boston extended its overall point streak to eight games over Philadelphia (6-0-2) while its home point streak vs. the Flyers is even two games longer (9-0-1).

If you've been paying attention in the early going so far this season, you know that "backup" goaltender Jaroslav Halak has greatly outplayed "starter" Tuukka Rask for Boston. Halak's impressive start to his Bruins career continued as he made 26 saves in his second shutout of the season (the 44th of his NHL career). Zdeno Chara scored two goals, Jacob DeBrusk had the other tally and rookie defenseman Jeremy Lauzon made his NHL debut. All in all it was a fun night for the Black and Gold as they celebrated "Hockey Fights Cancer."

After a dull first period that featured no goals and both teams could only muster seven shots on goal apiece, the Captain got the party started as Chara's blast from the point found a hole through Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott (22 saves) at 13:00 of the second period. Danton Heinen had the lone assist on Chara's second goal of the season. Coming into the game, Boston's power-play unit was ranked sixth in the NHL while Philadelphia's penalty-kill unit was 30th (next to last) in the entire league. Predictably, those trends came to life as DeBrusk's goal at 17:28 of the second was of the power play variety. David Krejci provided a pretty saucer pass that DeBrusk was able to deflect in for his third goal of the season. Oddly enough, he doesn't have any assists yet this year and his other two goals both came in the same contest (10/13 vs. Detroit). Forced into duty with Kevan Miller and Charlie McAvoy out, Steven Kampfer had the secondary assist on DeBrusk's goal which also marked his first point as a Bruin since Jan. 24, 2012 (he's been gone for a long time).

Things got sketchy in the third as Philadelphia was called for six penalties and Boston had four. Kampfer kinda sorta fought Scott Laughton, twice in fact. The first time, Wayne Simmonds came over in the late going and punched Kampfer but somehow only got two minutes for roughing. Chara's second goal was technically on the power play but it always feels a little dirty to say that since it was also an empty-netter (with 22.9 seconds left in regulation). Halak completed his Tour De Force performance with the lone assist on Chara's end-to-end bomb (he shot the puck from his own end boards)-his first point as a Bruin.

Montreal (5-2-2) was expected to be one of the worst teams in the NHL in 2018-19 but as you can tell by their record, they're off a surprisingly solid start (despite tonight's 4-3 loss in Buffalo). With a 7 pm start on NESN this Saturday night at the Garden, the first installment of B's-Habs this season will mostly go up against Game 4 of the Red Sox-Dodgers World Series (8:09 1st pitch) which is a shame. Keep in mind (for your remote) that the hockey game will be going on while you suffer through the endless commercials on Fox during the baseball game. With Halloween right around the corner, it'll be nice to have to Coach Potato Head (aka Claude Julien) back in town. Say hi to Handsome Ralph if you see him in the streets.

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Rask Gets His 1st Shutout of the Season as Bruins Blank Blues 2-0

With one of the best teams in the NHL visiting TD Garden to kick off a huge week, the Bruins picked a good time to play their preferred style of hockey. Boston (12-8-0) shut out St. Louis (12-5-1) 2-0 behind 33 saves by Tuukka Rask for his first shutout of the season (and 24th of his career). Every game seems to bring a different lineup and this was no different as Brad Marchand was scratched but David Krejci returned to action. Through it all, the B's have won six straight games at home.

St. Louis outshot Boston 33-17 which is a little more disparity than the Bruins would prefer but their penalty kill did go 2 for 2. Patrice Bergeron was the recipient of a gift in the first period as Ian Cole's clearing attempt went right to him. Even worse (for the Blues), Brian Elliott (15 saves) was out of position-behind the net-so all Bergy had to do was slot it in the empty cage for his fifth goal of the season. That gives him four goals and five assists in his past eight games.

Boston's other goal had some Cole on it as well since Torey Krug's shot from the point deflected off Cole's knee by Elliott. Matt Bartkowski and Loui Eriksson assisted on Krug's third goal of the season (first since Oct. 21; he missed 4 games). Zach Trotman was sent back to Providence earlier in the day and Adam McQuaid left in the second period after taking a shot off his hand so Bartkowski's role suddenly got that much more important. Since he returned on Saturday vs. Carolina (after 7 DNDs in a row), Bartkowski has looked like a different, more confident guy. Tonight, he was +2 with one hit and one takeaway in 20:52. He'll never be an All-Star or on a top defensive pairing (at least not here) but the B's needed him to be better and he's starting to turn the corner.

The Blues outshot the Bruins 15-3 in the third period but many of those chances were from the outside. Both teams took their timeouts late in the frame and despite a huge advantage in offensive zone time all game, St. Louis could never find the back of the net even when they took Elliott out with a couple minutes left.

Boston travels to Columbus (6-11-1) for the rare Friday night (7, NESN) NHL game. The Blue Jackets are a disaster: in last place in the Metropolitan Division and only one point ahead of the Sabres after getting smoked 5-0 tonight vs. Detroit. The next night (7, NESN), the B's host the Canadiens (14-5-1) and then on Monday (7, NESN) the Penguins (13-3-1) come to the Garden. The Bruins passed their first test and Friday is a good chance to tune up their road record (4-4-0) while giving Niklas Svedberg a start. It's all about Montreal and Pittsburgh, two great litmus tests for Boston before Thanksgiving.

UPDATE 11/19: McQuaid is out for 6-8 weeks after breaking his thumb last night. Poor guy, like last year when he was hurt, the B's have Kevan Miller who is a suitable McQuaid replacement.

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B's Pick Up Their Biggest Win In Weeks, 4-2 In St. Louis

It's comforting to know that when the Boston Bruins are on their game, they can still transform themselves into one of the NHL's top teams.

It had been far too long since they looked like this but I'm sure B's fans were content that maybe tonight will get them back on the right track. Boston (36-20-2) beat St. Louis (36-17-7) 4-2 at Scottrade Center in a game that (don't laugh) could honestly be a 2012 Stanley Cup Final preview.

Why not? The Blues are playing great hockey and between their top-notch but unheralded goaltender (Brian Elliott), deep roster of forwards and gritty, tough defensive style, they resemble last year's Bruins who put it all together in the playoffs.

It was the first regulation loss at home for the Blues since December 3. The Bruins also avoided their first three-game losing streak since October.

After the first period, it seemed like the game might end up with a crazy final score like 7-6. Boston finally scored the first goal (something they haven't done at all lately) as Brad Marchand (20th of the season) stripped the puck from a Blues defenseman and roofed a wrist shot past Elliot (15 saves) at 2:29.

Adam McQuaid and B.J. Crombeen, two heavyweights, dropped the gloves nine seconds later in a quality fight.

The Bruins quickly doubled their lead as Milan Lucic (21st of the season) tipped Joe Corvo's shot from the point at 6:19. Chris Kelly had the other assist on a shot that really fooled Elliott even though it lost most of its steam.

St. Louis didn't back down as Chris Stewart (12th of the season) and Ryan Reaves (2nd of the season) scored on similar turnaround shots within five minutes of each other.

Kelly (15th of the season, tying a career-high) capped off the wild frame by one-timing a perfect feed from Lucic with 40 seconds remaining. Johnny Boychuk had the other helper.

Even though there were no goals (St. Louis hit the post twice and Boychuk also rung the post) in the second or nearly half of the third, this was one of the most exciting contests of the season. It felt like a playoff atmosphere.

Marchand (21st of the season, tying last season's total) iced it at 9:14 after Tyler Seguin sent him in alone on a breakaway. Marchand went to his backhander and calmly put it by Elliot. Patrice Bergeron also had an assist on the sweet goal.

Tim Thomas (30 saves; 25-12-0) was much busier than Elliott but it didn't seem to affect him as he had one of his best performances in a while.

At 2-2 thus far, Boston ends this lengthy road trip with a back-to-back in Buffalo on Friday and in Ottawa on Saturday. The last time the Bruins faced the Sabres, Feb. 8 in Buffalo, the home team rolled to a 6-0 whitewashing. Since Buffalo isn't good and Boston has way too much pride for that to happen again, I say the Bruins come out on top this time.

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