Tuesday night’s game between the Boston Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes was a nightmare if you were rooting for the Bruins. This was one of those games were just nothing went right. The players came out flat. Worse than that, they simply couldn’t seem to connect much on the passes. There was bad decision making up and down the lineup. And unfortunately for those playing in front of him, Tuukka Rask simply didn’t have a good game—well period, since he was replaced by Linus Ullmark to start the second.
This was Rask’s second game since signing with the Bruins after having returned from surgery that kept him out until this month. He was originally supposed to get a couple of games with the Providence Bruins, but COVID-19 issues postponed those games. However, his performance against the Philadelphia Flyers last Thursday and tonight’s game were as different as night and day.
The loss certainly wasn’t just on his shoulders, though he carries tonight’s loss into his statistics, making him 1-1-0. And his save percentage certainly has taken a hit, going from a .926 after his win against Philadelphia and a 2.26 goals against average to a .821 save percentage and a 5.27 goals against average after Tuesday’s game. Granted it is a small sample, but since he only played 20 minutes on Tuesday and he let in five goals on 12 shots, it really hurt him.
Boston was already down two goals by 6:03 of the first. Patrice Bergeron got the Bruins only goal of the game on Frederik Andersen at 11:13 of the opener to cut Carolina’s lead in half only to have the Canes come back 13 seconds later to score their third off the stick of Jesperi Kotkaniemi. It was his second of the game as well.
“Yeah, burn the tape on that one. That was not our team. We’ve got to be better. I think the last few weeks we’ve all seen how good we can be, the steps forward we have taken,” said Bergeron after the game.
After regaining their two-goal lead, the Hurricanes mopped the ice with the Bruins. Seth Jarvis, unassisted, gave Carolina their fourth of the game and of the period at 16:01 and 56 seconds later Derek Stepan put the Canes up 5-1, where the hemorrhaging would stop, in part because the period mercifully came to an end.
As things got underway in the second, Ullmark had replaced Rask. The Bruins had a bit more speed in their skates, but that was about all that could be said. They simply couldn’t solve Carolina. However, when the final horn sounded, the Hurricanes had added two more goals in the third for a final score of 7-1.
“This is less about the opponent, more about where we’re at. Obviously, they forecheck hard, and some of the things they do well, some of the top teams do well—hard on pucks, get on top of you, get to the front of the net. That we weren’t nearly good enough, and we wouldn’t have been good enough against the worst team in the league tonight. We weren’t competitive, and we paid the price,” said Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy.
“It was just flat, just no execution. It’s gotta be better for sure. It’s one of those you just burn, and you try and move on,” concurred Bergeron.
Indeed, the Bruins do need to wipe the memory banks of Tuesday’s game as they must face the Washington Capitals on Thursday evening.
Wednesday night’s game between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens was originally supposed to be a road game for Boston, but with the mandate of no fans in the arenas in Canada due to COVID-19, the home game originally expected to be played March 21 in Boston became a home game on January 12.
The first 12 minutes of the opening period didn’t display much energy. It was unclear if the teams were feeling each other out or if perhaps the animosity between these rivals just wasn’t there. However, when Brad Marchand put Boston on the scoreboard at 14:43 of the first period with assists from Tomas Nosek and Curtis Lazar, things began to heat up. Of course, it could have had something to do with the fact that Marchand was able to pot his second goal of the game 15 seconds later, this time assisted by his line mates Craig Smith and Patrice Bergeron.
Since the COVID pause the Bruins have reached another level in their playing. However, the break-up of the Bergeron line that saw David Pastrnak moved to the second line and Smith moved up to the first beginning with the January 4 game against the New Jersey Devils has really put the team in forward motion, and that motion continued against Montreal—especially with the secondary scoring.
After Marchand’s second goal, which was more of a baseball hit than a hockey shot, the Canadiens had to swap out their starting goaltender Jake Allen, who apparently suffered an injury, putting in Sam Montembeault.
Lazar added a late first period goal at 19:10 assisted by Jake DeBrusk and Matt Grzelcyk to give the Bruins a 3-0 lead entering the first intermission. Grzelcyk came into Wednesday’s game riding a stellar five-point (1G, 4A) career-high game on Monday in Washington, D.C.
Brad Marchand (Photo: Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)
Early in the second the Bruins were called for two penalties while the Canadiens were whistled for one. Bergeron went off for a slashing at 3:18. Three and a half minutes later Erik Haula was sent for a hooking penalty and then Ben Chiarot was sent at 7:50 for roughing. However, while killing Haula’s penalty, Marchand notched his 19th goal of the season, and his third of the game, a shorthanded goal, at 7:10 and the hats came flying down onto the ice.
As has been seen during many Bruins games where a player scores the hat trick, Marchand selected one of the thrown hats.
“That tradition’s been going on for a very long time. It’s been as long as I’ve been here, and I know it dates back a lot longer than that. Just happy to be a part of the tradition,” Marchand said.
Michael Pezzetta would put Montreal on the scoresheet at 10:46 of the middle frame, with an assist from Brett Kulak.
Patrice Bergeron and Christian Dvorak (Photo: Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)
About a minute later though, Bergeron took exception to a hit by Pezzetta on Grzelcyk, which saw Bergeron manhandling the forward before he was pulled off by Christian Dvorak and they tussled. Bergeron was again sent to the box, this time for roughing. And frustrations could be seen mounting in the Canadiens players. Nick Suzuki was whistled for a hold just nine seconds before Bergeron’s penalty came to an end, and then Kulak was sent off with 50 seconds remaining in the period for a slash.
The parade to the sin bin continued. Just 47 seconds into the third period, Smith was sent off for tripping, negating the carryover power play the Bruins had. Five minutes later Marchand was sent off for interference. It was while the Canadiens were on that power play that the kettle boiled over.
The Bruins were able to lock up the puck in the corner while on the penalty kill, which saw three players from each team trying to do something to get the puck. Out of that though emerged Haula and Chris Wideman who were going at each other. It was later seen, in replay, that while they and the others were tangled up in the corner, Wideman gave Haula a headbutt and Haula responded. Brandon Carlo and Pezzetta (who seemed to be everywhere things were happening) were also sent off. Carlo, Pezzetta, and Haula each got roughings, as did Wideman, but he got an extra two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct all at 6:57.
At 10:19 of the final frame, it looked like Urho Vaakanainen had notched his first career NHL goal, but it was ultimately awarded to Lazar, with assists from Vaakanainen and Anton Blidh. For Lazar, this gave him his first ever two-goal game.
With just under five minutes remaining in regulation the final dust up took place between the rival teams. Laurent Dauphin had been doing his best to get in the way of Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark. Ullmark did not approve and grabbed at Dauphin as he was skating around the net. And the next thing everyone saw was Haula dropping the mitts with Dauphin. When things shook out, Ullmark had an interference penalty, Haula had five minutes for fighting and Dauphin received the five for fighting an extra two embellishment. Haula gained acceptance from the Bruins fans for his willingness to get physical on Wednesday night.
When the final horn sounded, the Boston Bruins took the 5-1 victory and since coming out of the COVID pause, they are 6-1-0. Wednesday night’s game was the first of a seven-game homestand.
After having taken five out of a possible six points on their western Canadian three-game road trip this past week, the Boston Bruins returned to home ice on Tuesday evening to welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. However, Monday saw them lose two valuable players in Brad Marchand and Craig Smith to the COViD-19 protocol.
As a result, there was a shuffling of lines that put Taylor Hall in on the top line for Marchand. Meanwhile the second line saw Eric Haula on the left wing and Nick Foligno on the right with Charlie Coyle centering. Jake DeBrusk, Tomas Nosek and Karson Kuhlman played the third line while Anton Blidh, Trent Frederic and Curtis Lazar took the fourth line.
There is always something about their return from the western Canadian trip, regardless of how well or poor they did, that seems to lack energy. That was evident in the first period and was coupled with a lot of additional struggles in communication. The mixing of the top two lines certainly played into some of the miscommunications to be sure, but what was really hurting them was their inability to maintain any puck possession. Credit certainly goes to the Golden Knights who had some timely takeaways during the opening frame.
By the end of the first period Vegas was up 3-0 and it looked like Jeremy Swayman’s own players weren’t doing him any favors. The first goal, from the blue line, by Shea Theodore bounced off of Derek Forbort to get by Swayman. The third goal, a power play goal by Jonathan Marchessault with four-tenths of a second remaining in the period ricocheted off two Bruins players to change direction before getting past Swayman.
The second goal of the period was really the only one that Swayman should have had. It was the result of the Bruins inability to keep the puck in the offensive zone. Coyle couldn’t handle the dump which did end up bouncing up just at the top of the circle allowing Chandler Stephenson the opportunity to make a solid cross-ice pass to Max Pacioretty who saw what was happening and got himself back to the Bruins’ blue line. Stephenson put the puck right on Pacioretty’s stick and he got in behind everyone. Forbort was the closest defenseman, and he simply couldn’t catch up. Pacioretty’s wrist shot went five-hole.
Pacioretty would notch his second of the game at 5:09 of the second period. While the Bruins continued to play a lot of “dump and chase” hockey which wasn’t working for them given their trials already with puck possession, they did pick up the pace in the hits department in the middle frame. Of the 16 hits tallied in the second, Foligno was credited with three, while Coyle, Lazar, Forbort and Haula each added two. Apparently, the feeling was if they couldn’t take the puck then they would take the player.
Patrice Bergeron finally put the Bruins on the scoreboard 21 seconds into the third period, with a snap shot in the slot off Hall’s pass from behind the net. This ended Robin Lehner’s bid for the shutout. The third period saw a much different Bruins team that started to slow the Golden Knights down in the neutral zone.
When Swayman was pulled for the extra attacker, the Bruins were stellar when it came to blocking shots – Moore and Foligno stepping up big. In fact, when Boston won the faceoff in the Bruins end after the final television time out and having possession behind their own net, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy was confident enough to pull Swayman again for the extra attacker before the Bruins had cleared the puck out.
Coach Cassidy, Jeremy Swayman, and Taylor Hall meet with the media following tonight's loss to the Vegas Golden Knights: pic.twitter.com/KpuMD5AYU9
The first period set much of the tone of the game, and Pacioretty’s second goal early in the second period dug a hole too deep for the Bruins to climb out of. They looked somewhat battle weary from the first puck drop of the game, not truly rising to a level that somewhat resembles Bruins hockey until the third period.
With the loss, the Bruins find themselves just outside the wildcard position, but they continue to have three or more games in hand on all but the Ottawa Senators within their division. They have little time to dwell as they must head back out on the road—taking on the New York Islanders on Thursday and then the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
The Boston Bruins identity has been questioned a lot this season as they struggle to string together wins. The roster itself has become shorter in height since the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning roster. Gone are the likes of Shawn Thornton, Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg, Adam McQuaid, and Johnny Boychuk. All of them were tall, willing to finish a check and refused to back down. Among other attributes, Bruins hockey has always come with a side of grit, though there have certainly been some games where the Bruins have appeared to be manhandled in the last couple of seasons.
Sunday night when Boston played host to the Vancouver Canucks, whom they beat in 2011 for the Stanley Cup, it did look like the Canucks were not only controlling the play but also the tempo of the game. Vancouver notched an early power play goal in the first period from Tanner Pearson and the Bruins Anton Blidh tied things up a little over two minutes later and took that tie into the first intermission.
The second period saw the Canucks take the lead just a little more than halfway through the middle frame. And that’s when the diminutive Brad Marchand decided to spark his team. After the first period the Bruins had eight hits, with two of them from Brandon Carlo and one each from Mike Reilly, Nick Foligno, Curtis Lazar, Marchand, Blidh, and David Pastrnak. By the end of the second Boston had added nine more hits. Marchand adding three to his tally, Jakub Zboril had two and Derek Forbort, Blidh, Karson Kuhlman and Tomas Nosek each with one.
The end of the game saw the Bruins with 28 hits total, including three in the third from Trent Frederic, a fifth from Marchand and all but four Bruins getting at least one hit in the game. The energy that began with Marchand in that second period sparked the team on the bench and they came out in the third more closely resembling the Bruins teams that get wins, which they did. Marchand notched the tying goal while the Bruins were on the power play almost midway through the third and then he got the primary assist on Pastrnak’s go-ahead power play goal with 3:24 remaining in regulation.
“When things aren’t going your way you need to create energy. We’ve got to continue to rely on the system and you know, hits don’t always present themselves, but a few just happened to in that [second] period. But we definitely didn’t play the way that we can in the second which, you know, we haven’t been able to string together too many real good 60-minute efforts. But I think we’ve got to be happy with the way that we were resilient in the third. It’s something that’s been a strong suit for our team for a long time and we did a great job getting back to that and not folding; again, being resilient. So, it’s a big win,” Marchand said.
Head coach Bruce Cassidy expressed a desire to see Marchand’s physicality rub off on the other players and mentioned that Marchand’s hits were just one of the many ways that he helps push the Bruins to a win. Based on the number of players that stepped up and began finishing their checks, it appears that indeed the message had been received and understood by Marchand’s teammates.
And while the team may have a number of smaller players that doesn’t mean that they can’t get physical.
“Well, I think it’s just, it needs to be and it is something that’s been in our organization. It’s a staple of… part of the Bruins culture and way is to play hard all the way through. And the game just in general is getting away from that but, you know, the good teams still play hard and finish their checks and make it hard on opposing teams and we’re no different. But again, that’s… every guy, regardless of their size, can finish their check. And again, sometimes they just they present themselves more than other nights and tonight was one of those nights,” said Marchand.
Momentum can swing in the game as a result of a variety of different plays and for the Bruins on Sunday night it came from Marchand’s physicality that built an energy throughout the team.
The Boston Bruins had most of this past week off—five days—before going to Philadelphia on Saturday where they beat the Philadelphia Flyers with a strong game. In a back-to-back weekend, they flew back to Boston to host the Calgary Flames on Sunday night.
The game saw the return of Daniel Vladar, a goalie that the Bruins traded in the offseason to Calgary in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2022 draft. Calgary elected to start him in net. At the other end the Bruins started Jeremy Swayman who before had been a goaltender partner with Vladar in Providence and at the NHL level toward the end of the 2020-21 season. Vladar earned his first NHL career shutout last week, and by the time Sunday’s game was over he had his second.
“If you would have told me yesterday that I’d get a shutout I wouldn’t have believed you,” Vladar said after the game.
He had backstopped the Bruins and was well aware of their talented top line, which is why he was anticipating a tough night. His teammates in front of him however ensured that many of the shots on Vladar would be outside shots and when needed, Vladar came up big.
"I was really trying to focus on my game – our game – and just get the W."
At the other end Swayman came into the game having never lost on home ice. Unfortunately, while the forwards and defenders weren’t playing their best hockey, Swayman was letting up some uncharacteristic rebounds and that hurt the Bruins.
“It’s young guys that find their way in the league that think their primary focus is making sure there is a rebound that they’re stopping the puck right and it’s controlling it so yeah, there was some that got away from home,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy.
“Got a young goaltender in there so that’s another thing you want to do is force him to control rebounds, the guy’s not playing all the time. So we weren’t able to do that. Being off net, you’ve got to work to get inside. So, we know what Calgary is all about even though we’re not in their division. They’ve been through the East here twice now. So, you’re seeing them and they’ve got six or seven shut outs for a reason. They work hard to keep the puck out and so you’re gonna have to be willing to go in there. Not enough guys wanted to do that tonight and it’s been a problem against some teams that are harder—defend well—so, we have to keep working at it,” said Cassidy.
Bruce Cassidy, Jeremy Swayman, and Patrice Bergeron react following the #NHLBruins 4-0 loss to Calgary on Sunday night at TD Garden: pic.twitter.com/MCDlTjQLH5
While Calgary’s defense was doing an impressive job of smothering the Bruins and denying them shooting lanes, the Bruins themselves were not putting their best skate forward. They struggled some with the puck and turning it over much more frequently than they traditionally do. The “giveaways” that were counted on the statistics showed 12 and those were just some of the turnovers.
“I think it was all execution tonight, you know, a lot of it was on us not making the plays, not executing and not sticking to … I think when it’s gonna be a game like that, I think you have to simplify. I don’t think we did that. So, obviously they took advantage and they capitalized,” said Patrice Bergeron.
At the end of the second period the Bruins were only down by a pair going into what has traditionally been their best period Instead of simplifying though, their play was anything but.
“If it’s frustrated, I think, you know, in a way when we’re starting to make plays and the game gets away from you then you start to force plays. Last thing you should do. You should probably go back to… especially when pucks are not going your way. When the plays are not there, I think you have to simplify. Going back to just making the right decision which is usually putting it on net, getting there, and neutral zone in a straight line. That was not what we did tonight obviously,” said Bergeron.
Currently Boston is having a bit of difficulty with consistency. Part of that could be some of the new arrivals to the team. Part of it also could be the strange start to their season. Boston played their 15th game on Sunday, and they have anywhere from three to five games in hand on other teams in their division. The only team currently with fewer games played is the Colorado Avalanche who have played only 14 games.
Film will be reviewed; discussions will take place. While Boston certainly wasn’t happy with the outcome of Sunday’s game, they do not see this as a time to panic. Instead, they see it as a time to get back to playing their game their way which is usually a recipe for success rather than the burning they got from the Calgary Flames.
The Boston Bruins looked across the ice to see the Montreal Canadiens at TD Garden on Sunday night. This was the first game between these Original 6 rivals in 641 days, the result of the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to limit travel during the shortened 2020-21 season. Absence makes the heart grow fonder they say, but that doesn’t work in hockey, especially not in a rivalry such as the one between the Bruins and the Canadiens.
“It’s not one of 82 when it’s Montreal. It isn’t to me, anyway, and it shouldn’t be to anybody who knows anything about the Boston Bruins. Right? I even heard Nick Foligno talking about it in the room after. He’s new. But you know he’s got a father that participated in a lot of NHL rivalries, and he’s in one here. So no, there’s always more. I mean, yes, it’s one of 82 tomorrow. But it’s still the Montreal Canadiens and we want to beat them every time we step on the ice, and that’s the attitude we need to have around here,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy.
The first period saw the Bruins perhaps a little out of sync, with some incomplete passes and possible miscommunication. Oskar Steen had been recalled from the Providence Bruins and was slotted on the right wing of the third line with Jake DeBrusk and Tomas Nosek. Foligno, in his second game back from injury, was playing right wing on the second line with Taylor Hall and Charlie Coyle.
The Canadiens, despite being held together with spit and bailing wire as a result of 11 of their regular players out with various injuries, were doing a good job of getting in the way of the Bruins through the first period. Joel Armia earned his first goal of the season and put Montreal on the scoreboard. That one-goal lead carried into the first intermission.
During the first half of the second period Boston had a two-on-zero breakaway that was denied by Sam Montembeault. It was beginning to look like the Bruins couldn’t buy a goal. In fact, as the game progressed Montembeault stood tall between the pipes on many of the Bruins’ chances.
Charlie McAvoy tied the game as he charged hard at the net that not only saw him put the puck behind Montembeault at 8:27 of the second period but also saw him steamroll right over his teammate Foligno. Foligno didn’t seem to mind though, being the first player on the ice to hug McAvoy as they celebrated the goal.
Michael Pezzetta got his first goal of the season and gave the Canadiens back the lead at 16:25 of the second. It would have been nice to have seen a strong response from the Bruins after that goal, but once again Montreal went into the intermission with the lead. Statistics showed they had been unbeaten when leading after two periods while the Bruins had yet to win a game when trailing after two periods.
The Bruins had played a much better second period even if they didn’t have the lead. Despite the lack of push back after the Canadiens’ second goal it was anticipated that the Bruins would work hard in the third.
Jeff Petry was sent off for Montreal on a holding call early in the third. While on their fourth power play of the game, a power play that was 0-3, McAvoy made a strong shot from the high slot, 49 seconds into the man advantage, and once again knotted the score.
Coyle came along just shy of four minutes later and gave the Bruins their first lead of the game, when Petry’s attempt to clear Montembeault’s rebound bounced off Coyle’s head and into the net. The puck actually hit Coyle’s visor, but fortunately he was not hurt. Three minutes later, Coyle netted his second goal of the game with a nice top shelf shot as he was cruising across the crease.
It may have seemed that if your name was Charlie then you were destined to score, but in truth both McAvoy and Coyle had been putting rubber on Montembeault throughout the game. Coyle had four shots on goal while McAvoy had seven. Coyle was also an impressive 71% in the face off, having won 10 of 14.
Unfortunately, the Bruins once again find that they cannot ride this momentum into the next game, since their next game is six days away, but they can enjoy a solid win against their rival in what felt like a world getting closer to normal.
That’s right, it’s Patrice Bergeron’s world–well rink—and we are all just fortunate to be living in it with him. Of course, he wouldn’t see it that way. He prefers to see himself only as he fits into the team, but in Thursday night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, he was practically unstoppable.
The Boston Bruins came into Thursday’s game with a 4-3-0 record, in an early regular season schedule that, for the team in black and gold, has been play a game and then sit back for three or four days before getting more game action. This made it difficult to ride the momentum of their overtime win this past Saturday over the Florida Panthers into Thursday’s home game against Detroit.
It took the Bruins top power play unit—comprised of Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Taylor Hall, and Charlie McAvoy—just five seconds to score on the man advantage after Vladislav Namestnikov had been sent off for playing without a helmet. It was Bergeron’s goal with assists from Marchand and McAvoy. Though the team had a second power play about five minutes later, they couldn’t capitalize.
Normally the second period has been a difficult twenty minutes for the Bruins, but they came out strong and when they were once again on the power play almost halfway through the period, Bergeron put his second marker in, this time assisted only by Marchand. Eight minutes later and the hats came raining down onto the ice when Bergeron earned his third power play goal of the game, once again assisted by Marchand and McAvoy.
This was Bergeron’s 7th NHL career hat trick—a natural hat trick—and the game hadn’t even played two full periods.
When the game ended, the Bruins had outscored the Red Wings 5-1 and Bergeron had the first, second, third and fifth goals of the game—that fifth one was an even strength goal assisted by Marchand and Mike Reilly. And it was Reilly who got the fourth goal of the game—a shorthanded goal.
There had been conjecture about the lack of production by Bergeron, as the four goals he scored on Thursday were also his first four goals of the 2021-22 season. However, he wasn’t worried about it.
“I’ve been in the league long enough to know that it’s going to come back.”
Patrice Bergeron
Patrice Bergeron looking regal (Photo: Alan Sullivan)
“Honestly, I think it’s one of those things where I’ve been in the league long enough to know that it’s going to come back. Right? So, I think I have the experience too I can rely on and, you know, I think it’s about making sure you don’t force plays, or you don’t try to think about the end result but really go back and look at details and making sure you play the right way. Put yourself in good positions and eventually it’s going to come your way, right? So, that’s how I was approaching it. And ultimately, you want, obviously you want to produce and, with that being said, I think the last thing you can do is to put pressure on your shoulders, it’s going to make it worse for yourself. So, I think it’s about doing the right things and making sure you do some other things to help the team win,” Bergeron said after the game.
No one in the locker room was worried about the lack of production from Bergeron.
“Well, he’s too good a player to keep him down for long and that whole line, to be honest with you. I think Bergy’s [Bergeron’s] had some looks that haven’t gone in on as many as we’d all like.,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy.
It was just a matter of time, and it wasn’t like it was January and halfway through the season. Bergeron’s “drought” was only seven games.
Talk to any of the Bruins players and they will all tell you they had faith in Bergeron and knew he would be back making plays, connecting on passes and scoring goals. Of course, probably not many of them would have bet he would have four out of the five goals of the game. He had five shots on goal and four went in.
Yes, it is Bergeron’s world, and his teammates are thrilled to be playing hockey with him in it. The rest of us are just happy we get to watch his skill and mastery of the game.
When David Krejci announced that he was returning to the Czech Republic at the end of the 2020-21 NHL season, the question became who would take his place on the second line? Boston had acquired Taylor Hall at the trade deadline, and he, Krejci and Craig Smith had proven to be a strong second line.
As the preseason got underway a couple of different players got a shot at that position, with Jack Studnicka showing some promise. Of course, since Coyle was still recuperating from offseason surgery during most of those games, it was expected that he would be getting some time with Hall and Smith when the season began. While Studnicka continues to improve, he doesn’t quite look ready for prime time.
Saturday’s home game against the Florida Panthers finished out a four-game week. The Boston Bruins took the win over the San Jose Sharks on Sunday then went on the road for back-to-back games. First they played against the Panthers on Wednesday in Sunrise and then against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. The Bruins lost both of the road games, and there were questions about if Saturday’s game would be a repeat loss given that the Panthers were undefeated in their first eight games.
As Coyle himself said later, the win wasn’t pretty. However he factored in heavily with just how Boston did get the win. Coyle started and finished the scoring for the home team. He put the Bruins on the scoreboard first at 19:18 of the opening period—an even strength goal assisted by Hall and Curtis Lazar. He also notched the shootout game-winning goal.
In between those important contributions though, he and most of the team seemed to be working hard but accomplishing little. Furthermore there were a couple of times while watching the second line that it seemed to be one too many passes.
“Charlie [Coyle], the plan is to play with Hall and Smitty preferably on the right wing. So we’d like see some chemistry develop there. I think it’s; I think it’s been good. Charlie and Taylor have a tendency to pass, you know, like just… When it’s your turn to shoot, shoot. Even the one Taylor gave to Charlie looked like, from the bench, he had a chance to let it rip but then you see that it’s kind of on the end of his stick. They had a two on one late, you know, if it connects it looks great, if it doesn’t, you know, then you’re like ahh jeez. Charlie had beat him [Spencer Knight] earlier, you saw him on the shootout it was just his night So, I hope that they develop that kind of shoot versus pass. That’s where that top line has been really good over the years because they found their niche—when to move it, when to shoot it. So, we’ll see. But I… We need it to work, you know, that was our plan so let’s give it some time,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said.
Yes, both Hall and Coyle have been known to go with the pass first though this doesn’t diminish their abilities. However, when you are looking for a strong second line that can produce, someone needs to think about shooting before passing.
I asked Coyle about how he and Hall could work together to shoot more.
“Yeah, I mean, that’s gotta be our mindset, you know, it’s kind of tell each other to shoot first. We talk a lot during the game and sometimes you go to your natural habits. When you should have shot it, you pass it and I think, when the play’s there, if the pass is there you’re gonna see it. So just to have more of a shot mentality and it just comes from playing together too. And just kind of having that focus to do that and then you know where the puck’s going, and then he can read off that and I can read off of him. But he’s, he’s a great player in this league. He has been. He’s great to play with and great to learn from. I still think it’s a work in progress. It always is. But we’ve had some chances last couple of games. We can feel it start to build. And that’s a good sign. We’re getting rewarded here and there. There can be a lot more on the way. We just got to stick with it. But it’s a good point that you made, a shoot first mentality, and that’s something I’ve been telling myself for years now. So, it’ll come,” Coyle said.
It can be difficult to change the muscle memory. Hockey is such an incredibly fast game, that there will be times when, as Coyle said, players go to their natural habits. Coyle and Hall haven’t really had that much time together in real game scenarios. The more they talk and the more they review the video of where things broke down, there is a strong possibility that, like the Bergeron line, they could find themselves a force with which to be reckoned.
Let’s face it, it’s been a long time coming! The Boston Bruins played in their first game of the 2021-22 season, a home game, before a full house, as they took on the Dallas Stars on Saturday, October 16, 2021. After the shutdown and bubble play of the 2019-20 season and then the shortened, limited teams 52-game 2020-21 season which began in an empty arena, it is safe to say that the Boston Bruins were happy to hear their fans chanting “Let’s Go Bruins.”
The Bruins look a little different this season to be sure, with David Krejci going back to the Czech Republic, Tuukka Rask not being re-signed, and the Seattle Kraken having taken Jérémy Lauzon in the Expansion Draft. Boston also added unrestricted free agents Tomáš Nosek, Erik Haula, and Nick Foligno on the first day of free agency, July 28, 2021.
The first line for Boston was always a given with Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrňák reuniting as the Bruins top line. After the chemistry of Taylor Hall, Krejci and Craig Smith on the second line last season the only question was who would center that line and Charlie Coyle has earned that spot. Haula centers the third line with Jake DeBrusk on his left and Foligno on his right. The fourth line currently slots Trent Frederic on the left, Nosek in the center and Karson Kuhlman on the right.
For the first time since 1995, the Bruins’ season opener had a rookie between the pipes. Jeremy Swayman is just 22, but he showed last season that he was up to the task of defending the net for those in black and gold. While he spent much of the first period of the game doing nothing, Dallas having their first shot on net at 7:17 and their second not until 15:58, overall, his play was strong allowing just one goal in the game for a .964 save percentage.
“Yeah, [Swayman] was, you know, he was good. He got beat on a clean shot. We had a breakdown and we addressed that, and we’ll look at it and clearly it kind of triplicated there. Guys got a little fatigued and that’s… Give them credit, they found the right guy and made a play. And after that he was rock solid. Pucks were hopping around, a little bit warm in there, so you know some knucklers coming in on both ends so thought both goaltenders played well. I thought he responded well, so good for him, but I mean, he’s done it for us almost every time he’s played, so it’s almost like we’re coming to expect that and that’s a good thing,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy after the game.
Meanwhile Marchand gave the Bruins the lead on a penalty shot at 17:38 of the first period as well as notching an empty netter at 18:23 of the third. The game winning goal came off the stick of DeBrusk at 4:43 of the third.
For the first home opener in a full TD Garden arena in two years, it was clear that the fans were happy to be there and that the Bruins were pleased to have their fans back. Boston will be on the road for their next two games before returning to Boston to host the San Jose Sharks on Sunday, October 24th.
The Buffalo Sabres are coming off of another disappointing season, but this seems to be the norm for this franchise. They finished the regular season in last place, and went on to win the NHL Lottery Draft. There are low expectations again this season, as they have a lot of younger players in key spots such as first-line and second-line center. The Sabres took Owen Power in the Entry Draft, and made a few key trades to get even more draft picks. The Pegulas didn’t exactly go out of their way to put a roster together that could win some games.
The Sabres traded defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to the Philadelphia Flyers and got draft picks and Robert Hagg back in the deal. Sam Reinhart now plays for the Florida Panthers with the Sabres acquiring another draft pick and a goalie prospect in return. Linus Ullmark went to the Boston Bruins in free agency. The team signed Aaron Dell, Craig Anderson, Vinnie Hinstroza, Mark Pysyk, and John Hayden in free agency. The Sabres did manage to re-sign young players like Rasmus Aslpund, Rasmus Dahlin, Henri Jokiharju and Casey Mittelstadt to bridge deals. The biggest thing the Sabres failed to do in the offseason was trade center Jack Eichel, but they did strip him of the captaincy.
The forward group is on the smaller side with the exception of Tage Thompson, who is listed at 6’7”. The forwards are on the younger side, and will be asked to do a lot this season. There are some veteran players in this group, like Jeff Skinner, who can score some goals. They are going to have issues scoring since the team doesn’t have a true sniper. There are a ton of question marks with this group since they are young and are inexperienced. Can the youngsters produce and deal with the drama that is going on in Buffalo.
The defense has no clear cut number one guy. Sure, they are going to put Dahlin in that role, but he did struggle at times last season. The blue line group is not very physical, but will contribute in the offensive zone since they can also move the puck. This blue line consists of lower end defenseman who are going to be asked to do more than they should. Hagg and Colin Miller will bring some physicality in their own zone. The blue line might be pushed around a bit since they are on the smaller side. They’ll need to shoot more, and are going to give up chances and goals because they will be out of position and turn the puck over.
The goalie situation in Buffalo is not good either. They went down to the wire trying to re-sign Linus Ullmark to a deal, but couldn’t get it done. By the time the team realized it would need not one, but two goalies, it was slim pickings in free agency. I don’t think the team was wiling to make a trade and give up assets for a starter, so instead, Kevyn Adams went out and signed Craig Anderson and Aaron Dell. Dell lost the backup battle to Dustin Tokarski in camp and preseason. It is going to be a long season in Buffalo and the goaltending will just add to it. The duo will give up a ton of goals because neither is very good, so expect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to be called up before the midpoint of the season.
Dylan Cozens is expected to be a big part of this team and he is going to surprise some people this year. He will likely be the second line center, and will see a ton of ice time. He should be used on the power play and that should help him get some points. The Sabres will put him in different situations, and he could play against the opposition’s top line. He is going to produce and be better defensively than some people think.
Skinner has been horrible since he signed a new long-term contract with the Sabres during the 2019 offseason. He’s scored a total of 21 goals the past two seasons, and had 37 total points. The loss of Eichel seemed to hurt him last season, which was the worst season of his career. The decline could also be due to age. The Sabres need him to bounce back and score some goals since they have some youngsters that they will be depending on this season. If he plays with a couple of younger line mates that could rejuvenate him and help him to have a bounce back season. He needs to shoot more, and that could also help him get more goals.
Mittelstadt is finally going to stick with the big club and have his breakout season. He has the potential to play with Skinner and Victor Olofsson. Mittelstadt struggled at times last season, but had nine goals, eight assists and 17 points in his final 22 games played. He will play under head coach Don Granato, who was his coach for the few months of the season last year. He is going to play minutes and see ice time so this should bode well for his confidence. He can create and finish, but if the shot is there he needs to be selfish and take it.
The youngsters are going to feel the pressure this season. The Sabres are going to have to rely on them especially on the offensive side of the puck. Will they be able to produce and handle the pressure? The veteran forwards are going to have to take the kids under their wings. The kids could face another tough situation if Eichel is still with the team come the later months of the season as that could be a big distraction.
If the team wants to win some games then they are going to have to score. The defense and goaltending are not going to be great this season. If the offense can average scoring three or more goals per game then the team will be in good shape. If not, then it will likely be another bottom dwelling season in the Atlantic Division.
The goalies have a chance to be the x-factor since I’m not expecting much from the duo at all. Anderson and Tokarski can’t let in any cheap goals and will have to steal some games. The defense is going to give up chances so the goalies will need to erase some of those mistakes that they will make. The best way to do this is to make the easy save, and avoid second chances by having good rebound control.
The Sabres will win a few game that they aren’t supposed to because, well, hockey. I just don’t see this roster competing with too many other NHL teams as it stands before the season. Luukkonen will get the call up early, but will in no way save the season. It will be another year at the bottom of the League to go with another shot to get a top player in the NHL Draft Lottery.
Coach Cassidy, Jeremy Swayman, and Taylor Hall meet with the media following tonight's loss to the Vegas Golden Knights: 
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