Bruins Fall to the Calgary Flames

The Boston Bruins returned to TD Garden Tuesday night after their annual western Canadian tour of Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver after having begun the road trip in New York. Of the four away games the Bruins were able to take six of a possible eight points, which at any other time would have been considered a major win. However, while in Vancouver, they had one of those games that everyone wants to forget, losing 9-3.

On Friday, February 21, the Bruins acquired Ondrej Kase from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for David Backes, Axel Andersson and the Bruins 1st Round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Then on Monday, the Bruins sent Danton Heinen to the Ducks in exchange for Nick Ritchie, whose brother Brett is also in the Bruins system, currently playing for the Providence Bruins. Kase, who while skating with the Bruins players on Monday was not scheduled to play in Tuesday’s game. Meanwhile Ritchie hopped a plane and was suited up for the pre-game practice Tuesday morning before being part of the starting lineup Tuesday night.

After a pre-game ceremony to honor Jaroslav Halak’s milestone 500 NHL games as a goaltender—complete with the silver hockey stick, the teams got to business. As has happened in many of the Bruins’ games this season, the opposition got on the scoreboard first as Matthew Tkachuk managed to pot Mikael Backlund’s back board rebound past Tuukka Rask at 11:35 of the period. The Bruins had been unable to capitalize of the man advantage when TJ Brodie was sent off for interference at 6:44. Brad Marchand would be sent off for an interference himself at 14:50 which the Boston was able to kill. As the period ended, the Calgary Flames were leading 1-0.

Just as the game reached its halfway point, while Karson Kuhlman was in the box for a slashing penalty, Marchand, assisted by Charlie McAvoy, got the Bruins on the scoresheet and tied the game on a shorthanded goal. Unfortunately for the Bruins Calgary’s Sean Monahan would reclaim the lead for the Flames at 13:25 assisted by Johnny Gaudreau and Michael Stone. Monahan would give the Flames a two-goal lead just 1:12 later, while on the power play, when Matt Grzelcyk was sent off for roughing—responding to what appeared to be his dislike of a hit on McAvoy just before. As the period came to an end, the Bruins were down two goals, had been outshot in the middle frame by one, and seemed to be struggling to find their legs and their momentum.

“I thought some guys came to play and some guys didn’t. Didn’t break a sweat, some of them it looked like. I’m sure there was effort, they were trying, they were just in between, couldn’t execute or whatever. But at the end of the day, it wasn’t good enough,” said Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy.

Things didn’t seem to be much better at the start of the third. The Bruins were overpassing—looking for the pretty play rather than going for the dirty plays. However, at 13:09, as the Flames goaltender David Rittich was struggling in the crease, and the traffic in wore sweaters from both teams, Chris Wagner got the Bruins back within one goal. As the clock continued to count down, and the Bruins continued to struggle Coach Cassidy elected to go with four forwards and a defenseman in an effort to jumpstart his team.

Unfortunately, the Flames felt they could win the game, and Backlund gave the Flames back their two-goal lead at 18:30 and notched his second of the game (and third point) when he scored on the empty net at 19:11.

“We weren’t at our best, for sure. We didn’t have it all the way through the game. We were a little sleepy, I guess, at times. Not our normal, upbeat, high-energy game. But that’s going to happen. In an 82-game schedule you’re not going to be perfect. Unfortunately, we didn’t get this one. But thre’s lots left,” said Marchand after the game.

The Bruins players know it wasn’t their best effort, and with the loss, it ended Rask’s home point streak at 20 games—as this was his first regulation loss. In fact, this was just their third regulation loss at home. And if they had to lose, fortunately the results of the other games that were played Tuesday night leave the Bruins in the same position in which they were in before the game started.

The Bruins have little time to dwell on this game. The schedule continues. They play host to the Dallas Stars on Thursday night before heading to New York to take on the Islanders on Saturday.