For The Second Time This Season, A Bruins Rookie Goalie-Jeremy Swayman-Won His NHL Debut

 

    With its top two goalies (Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak) unavailable due to an injury and Covid-19 respectively, and rookie Dan Vladar (2-1-1) taking a break after Monday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Flyers (18-15-5), Boston turned to another rookie goaltender-Jeremy Swayman (40 saves)-to make his NHL debut this evening as they visited Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center. At the age of 22, Swayman-who starred at the University of Maine-proved that he belonged at this level (in his 1st year as a pro!) as he battled for the 4-2 victory. Center Patrice Bergeron bagged his sixth career hat trick and left wing Brad Marchand scored his 29th career shorthanded goal and added three assists as the B's picked up one of their most important wins of the season. 

    It's just one game so I don't want to overreact too much but Vladar's first few promising starts and now this stellar debut by Swayman prove that Halak and even Rask should be on notice that their time here could come to a close sooner than many people would think if these talented youngsters continue to develop. Boston's hold on fourth-place in the East Division was fortified as they went up five points on the Flyers. The Rangers (18-15-5) destroyed the Penguins (24-13-2) 8-4 which allowed NY to pull into a tie with Philly leaving Pittsburgh only four points ahead of Boston while the B's have three games in hand on them. 

    It's tough to undersell Swayman's performance but please remember that the best Bruins defenseman by a mile-Charlie McAvoy-was ruled out during pregame skate with an upper-body injury. The Black and Gold improved to 6-0-1 against the Flyers with one meeting left this season (on Saturday afternoon right back in Philly). Bergeron staked them to a quick 2-0 lead as he scored twice in the first period. He put in his own rebound at 7:09, right wing Craig Smith and Marchand picked up the assists on his 13th goal of the season. Philadelphia's goaltender Carter Hart (22 saves, 8-10-4) has had a nightmare of a season and it's safe to say he'd like Bergeron's second goal back. It was a power play goal that came at 17:31 from right wing David Pastrnak and Marchand. Pasta passed to Bergy in the slot and his shot beat Hart five-hole. 

    Philly woke up in a big way in the second period as they outshot Boston 25-7 and they scored twice in quick succession to tie it at two. Right wing Jakub Voracek went to the net and redirected a pass by right wing Travis Konecny at 1:33 for his sixth goal of the season. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere-who recently went unclaimed on waivers (because of his massive salary)-made it 2-2 at 4:03 as he roofed a shot past Swayman. Voracek and defenseman Ivan Provorov had the assists on Gostisbehere's sixth goal of the season.  

    As usual, when it comes to a key moment or play in an important game, the Bruins turned to Marchand and Bergeron and they each delivered once again. Brad's shorthanded goal at 8:21 was a beauty as he skated on a 2-on-1 with defenseman Jeremy Lauzon who patiently waited until the perfect split second to dish it to Marchand who then deked and slid the puck under Hart. It was his team-leading 18th goal of the season with defenseman Connor Clifton notching the second assist. Boston was hanging on to its 3-2 advantage late in regulation when Bergeron scored an empty-netter to put it away at 19:37. Marchand and right wing Chris Wagner provided the assists on the vital insurance tally.

    Getting three out of a possible four points to begin this gauntlet of a week (5 games in 7 days) was a good way to open things for the B's. After traveling to DC, they are off tomorrow before they play at the Capital One Arena on Thursday (7, NESN). The Caps (25-10-4) lost 1-0 to the Islanders (25-10-4) tonight which left those teams in a dead heat atop the East Division. Boston is 2-0-2 against Washington thus far in 2021 and they also host them on Sunday night (7, NESN) in this jam-packed week. I have no idea which of the four goalies that I mentioned above will start next for the B's but honestly, does it really matter? I have faith in all of them and truth be told, I kind of want to see what the younger guys can do with some consistent starts vs. knowing exactly what we're getting with Rask (when he's healthy) and Halak (when he's at his best). 

B's Stage Another Huge Rally, Beat Flyers 4-3 In OT On Bergy's PPG After A Hat Trick By Pastrnak

 

    It's only 10 games into the season but it feels like the Bruins (7-2-1) have done something remarkable in basically every win so far. Tonight at the Wells Fargo Center, it was another epic comeback as Boston trailed 3-1 more than halfway through the third period yet somehow rallied to tie it up very late then win it in overtime thanks to David Pastrnak's ninth career hat trick, three straight power play goals and captain Patrice Bergeron's (3 assists) overtime game-winner. Philadelphia (7-2-2) fell out of first place in the East Division after its third loss in a row against the B's. The Flyers must be wondering what they have to do to beat them, apparently they didn't catch any of Boston's weekend series in DC where the Black and Gold came back from down three goals in each contest.

    Pasta is a freak since he followed up Monday's two goal effort with a hat trick. He's only played three games this season but he already has piled up seven points (5 goals, 2 assists). His fingerprints were all over this win since he scored 12 seconds into the game, cut it to 3-2 with a power play goal then tied it with goaltender Tuukka Rask (22 saves, 4-1-1) off for an extra skater with 15 seconds left in regulation. If that wasn't enough, he had the primary assist on Bergeron's goal 31 seconds into overtime that sealed another incredible victory for the Bruins. 

    Philly is a good team but they are clearly shook by the B's. Between losing two games in Boston two weekends ago and this evening, they had regained their balance and reeled off four straight wins. Outside of the Bruins, they are 7-1-0 against everyone else thus far in 2021. It's silly to rank losses but I would venture a guess that this was the toughest one to swallow since when you lead 3-1 in the third period at home (even if there are no fans), that has to be a win no matter what. BC's Kevin Hayes continues to play well against his hometown team as he tied it at one with a one-timer at 15:29 of the second period. His sixth goal of the season was assisted by defensemen Travis Sanheim and Philippe Myers. 

    Tied 1-1 going into the third period, the Flyers were by far the better team to start the frame as right wing Jakub Voracek put Philadelphia up 2-1 at 1:03. His third goal of the season was assisted by Sanheim and UNH's James van Riemsdyk (who has also been a Bruins killer for years now). BU's Joel Farabee was coming off his first career NHL hat trick and he gave Philly a two-goal lead with a thunderous one-timer on a two-on-one with center Scott Laughton at 8:41. JVR had the second assist on Farabee's sixth goal of the season. Flyers goaltender Carter Hart (31 saves, 4-2-2) has been in net for each of these losses against the B's but you can't pin this one on him. Blame his stupid teammates who took three penalties in the third period alone which when you are facing one of the top power plays in the league, is simply a recipe for disaster. 

    Pasta's first goal looked like a set play as he took a stretch pass from defenseman Charlie McAvoy then went around Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and drove to the net before jamming the puck in. Bergeron's had the secondary assist on the second fastest goal in the NHL this season to start a game. His second goal was a thing of beauty as left wing Nick Ritchie did a touch pass to Bergeron in front of the net and Bergy made the unselfish decision to slide it to Pasta who roofed it at 12:05. The hat trick was more about a lucky bounce that enabled the puck to get to him but he still had to have the magic hands to bat it out of the air and into the goal with a bunch of other bodies around him. Left wing Brad Marchand and Bergeron had the assists on the tying tally. The Flyers have nobody but themselves to blame as Laughton was called for interference with less than eight seconds left in the third period.

    These teams meet again on Friday (7, NESN) in Philly and thanks to Buffalo's Covid-19 outbreak (they would have played in Boston on Saturday and Monday), it'll be the Bruins' last game until next Wednesday at the Rangers (3-4-2). The Flyers have lost in a shootout, in a blowout and in overtime vs. the Bruins this season so what's next on their bingo card? Perhaps losing a one-goal game in regulation? We'll see if they have the mental toughness to respond to another brutal loss to their East Division rivals. Goaltender Jaroslav Halak (3-0-1) should get the start for Boston and maybe Philadelphia will see if its backup goalie Brian Elliott (3-0-0) can give them a spark. I'm guessing that Hart could use a day off against the B's but hey, what do I know?

Bruins Sweep The Flyers Behind A 6-1 Blowout, Easily Their Best Performance Of The Early Season

 

    Who said that the Bruins (3-1-1) had any offensive struggles whatsoever? Those seem like a distant memory as Boston dispatched Philadelphia (3-2-1) for the second straight game, this time much more decisively to the tune of a 6-1 laugher tonight at TD Garden. After scoring three combined goals in their first three contests, the B's scored four in Thursday's 5-4 shootout victory vs. Philly then topped that with a six-pack of goals this evening led by the incomparable center Patrice Bergeron (2 power play goals, assist) and left wing Brad Marchand (2 goals-1 PPG, assist). Goaltender Jaroslav Halak (1-0-1) got the start for the Bruins but he didn't have to do much of anything beyond staying awake since the Flyers only landed 17 total shots on him. 

  B's defenseman Matt Grzelcyk was out with a lower-body injury but the usually reliable Connor Clifton (plus-1, 4 hits, blocked shot in 18:12) filled in well for him in his season debut. As usual, Bergy and Marchy earned the majority of the headlines with plenty of highlights of their own but there were some notable achievements by other Bruins as well: rookie forward Trent Frederic (plus-2, 3 shots on goal, 2 hits and takeaway in 14:31) and rookie defenseman Jakub Zboril (2 shots on goal, hit and blocked shot in 19:41) each earned their first NHL points/assists while winger Craig Smith (assist, plus-2, 2 shots on goal in 15:00) scored his first goal for the Spoked B. BU's Charlie Coyle found the back of the net for the second straight game, helping Boston win two games in a row for the first time in 2021. 

    Rather than being down by two goals heading into the third period (like they did on Thursday), the B's took a new and much easier approach as they scored first and then closed things out with five unanswered goals. Bergeron got the fun started with a power play goal (his 2nd goal of the season) at 8:09 of the first period. Winger Nick Ritchie (2 assists) and center David Krejci had the helpers as Boston created plenty of traffic in front of Flyers goaltender Carter Hart (20 saves, 2-2-1) which allowed Bergy to brush a tough-angle backhander by him. Up 1-0 after the first period, the only real adversity that the Bruins faced all night-if you can even call it that-was when BC's Kevin Hayes tipped in a shot by right wing Jakub Voracek 1:14 into the second period for his third goal of the season. Just 1:16 after that, Smith nabbed his first tally in the Black and Gold thanks to a sweet spin-around pass from Coyle that left him with a wide open net to shoot at. Defenseman Jeremy Lauzon had the second assist on Smith's goal, his first point of the season. Coyle was repaid for his great feed with an equally beautiful look from Frederic. The pride of Weymouth tipped it in for a 3-1 advantage at 17:50 of the second period with Smith notching the other helper. 

    After a few days in Boston where they probably couldn't do much of anything besides play hockey (because of the pandemic and freezing temperatures) and sit alone in their hotel rooms, I'm sure that Philadelphia was understandably ready to get home by the time that the third period came around. Truthfully, they played like a club that was halfway on the bus to the airport for much of that extended garbage time. Marchand made sure of it as he potted his pair of goals 3:46 apart in the frame. First he was the recipient of a ferocious forecheck by Bergeron that led to an easy tap-in at 4:13 for his second goal of the season. The top line's latest right wing-Jake DeBrusk-got the second assist. The wheels completely fell off at that point for the Flyers as they continued to take penalties and the Bruins were more than happy to pay for them. Marchand ripped in a wrist shot at 7:59 for a power-play goal, assisted by Ritchie and Zboril. Bergeron fittingly wrapped it up with a very similar goal to his first one except this time-at 13:33, assisted by Marchand and Charlie McAvoy-it came on the man advantage. 

    As you probably guessed, Boston earned a day off from practice tomorrow so they'll be back to work on Monday morning at Warrior Ice Arena for their first practice ahead of two games at home vs. Pittsburgh (3-2-0). The B's host the Penguins on Tuesday (7, NESN) and Thursday (7, NESN), their first two matchups of the season with superstar Sidney Crosby and his team who are temporarily in the same division (East) as the Bruins. After losing their first two games of the year vs. Philly, the Penguins have rattled off three straight wins. They still score plenty of goals (18) but they also allow even more (21) so expect some high-scoring tilts when these sneaky rivals meet once again in Boston.

The Bruins Mostly Slept Through The First Two Periods Then Fell 3-2 in a Shootout With the Flyers

When the Bruins got out to such an incredible start to this regular season-an unexpected surprise since they went to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in June-you had to know that they would hit a slide soon enough. Going winless (0-2-1) in three games probably doesn't qualify them for that mode quite yet but it's plain to see that they haven't been nearly the same team in their last few outings. Tonight, they let the Flyers (10-5-2) score twice in the first period then they rallied in the third to send it to overtime and finally a shootout where they eventually lost 3-2. BU one-and-done Joel Farabee (who was a 1st round pick for Philly) scored the lone shootout goal-his first ever in the NHL-to clinch the two points for the Flyers.

It's tough to spot any opponent in the NHL a two-goal lead but especially one like Philadelphia who has been hot lately (7-2-1 in their last 10 games). Did I mention that the Bruins had a grand total of 10 shots on goal through the first two periods combined? Yuck. The positive that they can take out of this up and down performance is that they earned a point and in head coach Bruce Cassidy's words "we found our game in the 3rd which is something to build on."

The Flyers had actually played last night in Toronto-a familiar 3-2 shootout victory for the visitors-so you would have expected them to be the team with skates full of cement and sandbags in their pants. Nope, Boston could only manage five shots on goal in the first period and five in the second before exploding for 17 in the third. Philadelphia's second forward line made it happen in the opening frame as talented right wing Travis Konecny put in a rebound past Jaroslav Halak (27 saves, 4-1-2) at 13:50. Left wing Oskar Lindblom (3 goals and 4 assists in his last 7 games) and center Sean Couturier (3 goals, 5 assists in his last 7 games) had the assists on Konecny's eighth goal of the season which tied him with Lindblom for the team lead. That tally didn't serve as any sort of a wake up call to the B's as defenseman Philippe Myers had way too much space to blast a shot off the post and in at 17:56. His third goal of the season was assisted by Konecny and Couturier.

The Bruins appeared to get on the board early in the second period when Connor Clifton went to the net and Par Lindholm eventually put the loose puck by Flyers goaltender Carter Hart (26 saves, 6:31). Clifton grazed Hart's leg pad as he went plus Lindholm pushed Hart's pad/the puck over the goal line which sadly you can't legally do. It was a bizarre play since there was never a whistle on the ice but everyone (coaches, players, the crowd, etc.) waited for that to happen but it never did. Halak kept his team in contention by stopping Flyers captain Claude Giroux's backhand attempt on a breakaway.

It took way too long but the Black and Gold finally looked like themselves for the first time since Wednesday in Montreal. They completely dominated the third period as Danton Heinen was the unlikely catalyst for the home team (who got booed off the ice after the 1st period). He collected a puck next to Hart, spun around on his forehand and hit the back of the net for his fourth goal of the season. Charlie Coyle and Zdeno Chara had the assists on Heinen's momentum-changing tally. Brad Marchand tied it up with an absolute snipe at 12:22. Matt Grzelcyk had the lone assist on Marchand's 11th goal of the season. Philly was falling apart like you read about as defenseman Ivan Provorov (who played a game-high 27:26) slashed David Pastrnak on a breakaway. Hart would have none of it though as he stopped Pastrnak's second career penalty shot (he made the other).

The Bruins were charged with a too many men on the ice penalty in overtime which is incredibly rare but it occurred with less than 22 seconds left in the extra session so they lived to tell about it. Boston is 0-1 in overtime this season and they dropped to 0-2 shootouts while Philadelphia went to OT for the sixth time this season (1-0 in OT and 3-2 in SO). The Flyers can't get enough of extra hockey since they have needed it in three straight contests and five of their last six games. Coyle, Marchand and Pastrnak were all stopped while Farabee converted on Philly's first shot and Giroux was stopped by Halak. Torey Krug didn't appear in OT or the shootout because he was dealing with an upper-body injury.

Boston's top-ranked power play was never heard from as they only got two chances on the night but nevertheless they couldn't convert on either one of them. On the other end, their penalty kill was flawless (2-for-2). The Bruins still haven't lost in regulation at the Garden (7-0-2) this season while the Flyers moved to .500 on the road (4-4-1). Military Appreciation Night is on Tuesday (7, NESN) as the Panthers (8-4-5) come to town. That is always a fantastic event so hopefully some of those numerous inspirational people that will be honored by the team can also serve as good luck charms as the Bruins try to get back untracked after a frustrating blip on the schedule.

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Ugh, Not Again: The Bruins Blow Another 3rd Period Lead & Lose 3-2 In Overtime to the Flyers

Right before their bye week, the Bruins (27-17-7) played like a team that was ready for a break. Since they have returned from nine days off, they have been the same team that cannot get out of its own way as they dropped to 1-2-3 in their last six games with a 3-2 overtime loss this evening to Philadelphia (22-23-6) at TD Garden. The Flyers have won six straight games including a pair against the Bruins eight days apart. Losing 4-3 to the Jets (33-16-2) in a shootout on Thursday also hurt but the gift point from that one combined with the point tonight meant that Boston pulled ahead of idle Montreal (28-18-5) for third-place in the Atlantic Division.

It started off as a nice performance for Boston's special teams as they scored a power play goal in the first period but it ended in flames as the Flyers scored a tying goal in the third period on the power play and then defenseman Travis Sanheim won it with a snipe on the power play in the extra session. Did I mention that Philadelphia entered with the worst power play in the NHL? Tuukka Rask (14-8-4) returned to action from his concussion and he made 38 saves so it's tough to pin this loss on him since his team was outshot 41-25 (28-15 in the last 2 periods and 5-0 in OT).

Boston's top line has not skipped a beat but just like earlier in the season, secondary scoring has become a major issue for the B's. David Pastrnak gave Boston a 1-0 lead just 3:05 into the contest as he slammed in a one-timer from Torey Krug. Brad Marchand (6-game point-streak) had the other helper on Pasta's 29th goal of the season. It feels like the Bruins have allowed way too many breakaways lately and that burned them as Claude Giroux got behind their defense and tied it up at 19:16 of the first period. Jakub Voracek had the lone assist on Giroux's 15th goal of the season.

With such elite stick skills not to mention plenty of speed, Pastrnak isn't known for getting too many greasy goals (ie. right in front of the net) yet there he was in the second period, tipping in Patrice Bergeron's shot past Flyers rookie goaltender Carter Hart (23 saves; 8-5-1). Zdeno Chara had the second assist on Pasta's 30th goal of the season. It's the third straight season that David has scored 30+ goals and he's the fastest Bruin to reach that mark since Cam Neely (30 goals in 27 games) way back in 1993-94. Pasta had 34 goals two years ago and 35 last season so I think it's a good bet that he'll surpass both of those marks and he has a very realistic shot at 40 for the first time in his NHL career.

I didn't think that it deserved a penalty let alone a penalty shot early in the third period but the referees disagreed as they awarded the latter to the immortal Scott Laughton after he got breathed on during a breakaway (or hooked by John Moore). Rask made it a moot point though with a blocker save on the penalty shot. Boston hadn't been called for a penalty all game until Sean Kuraly was nabbed for holding the stick later in the frame. Oskar Lindblom tied it at two with a power play goal that ticked off of Kevan Miller in front of Rask at 10:36. Voracek and Sanheim assisted on Lindblom's seventh goal of the season.

Take your pick which is the more depressing stat: the Flyers were 1-20-3 when trailing after two periods this season or the fact that they were 1-6 in overtime? Philly always seems to go on these crazy win streaks at various points of every campaign but then again, they are just as liable to lose six games in a row. Marchand was called for tripping in overtime and he was one second away from stepping back on the ice when Sanheim ripped in his fifth goal of the season at 2:56. Sean Couturier (who was 16-7, 70% on faceoffs) and Travis Konecny had the assists on Sanheim's memorable tally in his 100th NHL game. For the Bruins, it was David Backes' 900th NHL game and Brandon Carlo's 200th.

No practice for the B's tomorrow as they try to regroup mentally. They'll be back on the ice for practice on Saturday morning before flying out to our nation's capital. They play Washington (27-17-6) on Sunday afternoon (12:30, NBC), a nice appetizer before Celtics-Thunder and Super Bowl LIII (Patriots vs. Rams) later that night. Boston has lost roughly 54 consecutive games to the Capitals so I would say that they are long overdue for two points against the defending champs. What better way to get out of this rut than by clearing that hurdle that has dogged them for years now ? Boston returns to its home ice next Tuesday (7, NESN) vs. the Islanders (29-15-5) who lead the Metropolitan Division and have the second best record in the Eastern Conference. Who saw that coming?

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