Brewin Flames Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 Boston Bruins: 3 Bold Predictions for 2023-24 August 30, 2023 by Scott Roche As the calendar turns to September in two days, that means the 2023-24 NHL season is right around the corner. The Boston Bruins will gather at Warrior Ice Arena in the middle of the month for training camp with a different-looking roster than the one that ended the season in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Florida Panthers. It will be challenging for the Bruins to come close to doing what they did last season in winning the Presidents’ Trophy and setting a new NHL record for wins and points in a season. With that said, here are three bold predictions for the upcoming season. Bruins Trade for Top-Six Center During the Season Losing Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci are two losses that are going to be tough to overcome as there is not really an option already within the organization. Entering training camp, Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle are the two most likely options to fill those roles, but can either of them be able to handle the responsibilities for an 82-game schedule? There certainly are no prospects ready to make the jump to the NHL to fill a void. Pavel Zacha, Boston Bruins With no answers available currently in the organization, help will have to come through a trade for either Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets to Elias Lindholm of the Calgary Flames. Acquiring either of those players is going to include players off of the current roster, prospects, or draft picks. How they would go about putting a package together would be interesting, but it’s going to be likely they will need to trade for a center. Waiting until either one of those players reach free agency is unrealistic. If they get traded, they are more than likely going to sign with that team long-term, if not with their current team. In the big picture, a trade is going to the route that general manager (GM) Don Sweeney will need to go to get his future top center. Bruins Power Play Will Finish in Top 5 Despite all of the success the Black and Gold had last season, their power play actually got worse as the season went along. Both units struggled and even at times, their zone entries were as bad as they had been in a long time. Turnovers at the offensive bluelines led to shorthanded goals down the other end.Now Bergeron is gone on the top unit and Krejci is gone from the second unit and you would think that they would take a step further back. I’m going in the opposite direction and think they will find their groove again, be a big part of their offense this season, and return to a top-five unit in 2023-24. There is still too much talent on the roster to continue their slide into a new season. Brad Marchand, Jake DeBrusk, Charlie McAvoy, and David Pastrnak return while Zacha is more than capable of sliding onto the top unit as he played well on the second unit last season. James van Riemsdyk, Jesper Boqvist, and Morgan Geekie are additions this offseason in free agency that could see some time on the man advantage as well. Again, there is too much talent to see this unit fall off again. Bruins Will Miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs Some might think is not a bold prediction, but there are multiple reasons why the seven straight seasons of making the postseason come to an end in 2023-24. First of all, their lack of center depth, unless a trade is made (hello prediction No. 1) is going to catch up with them over a long season, nevermind if there is an injury to two up the middle. Second, the rest of the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference got better and three teams, the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and Pittsburgh Penguins all got better this offseason after missing out on a wild-card spot last season. Connor Clifton is a nice addition to the Sabres’ defense, while the Red Wings adding Alex DeBrincat, and the Penguins trading for Norris Trophy-winner Erik Karlsson are big additions to teams that were close last season. Scoring depth is a big question mark for the Bruins entering the season and placing a lot of pressure on their defense and goaltending to win a lot of 2-1, 3-2 games is a tall ask in the NHL. The Centennial Season for the Bruins will be one that seems to be a transition year ahead of the 2024 summer where they will have a lot more cap space for free agency. Lacking a top-six center is not something that they can survive through an 82-game schedule and with other teams in the division and conference getting better, it’s easy to see them taking some steps back in 2023-24. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted September 24 Author Share Posted September 24 First bruins pre-season game tonight. Alot of youngsters in the line-up, should be interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted September 25 Author Share Posted September 25 Bussi Shuts Out Rangers in Exhibition Opener Goalie’s 29-save performance highlighted by sensational glove stop ByEric Russo @erusso22 BostonBruins.com 11:35 PM BOSTON – Normally, the preseason atmosphere can be a bit dull. The names on the roster aren’t always familiar, the play on the ice generally isn’t as fast or intense, and the buzz around the rink tends to be a bit blander. But on Sunday night at TD Garden, the stands were packed and the Black & Gold faithful produced some more juice than usual for an exhibition tilt. Perhaps, it was because the Bruins – particularly backstop Brandon Bussi – gave them plenty to cheer about during a 3-0 victory in the preseason opener over the New York Rangers. “Just a wild experience overall,” said Bussi. “I don't think I've ever played in front of a crowd that excited, that much energy. And it’s only preseason. It's a testament to how great our fans are. And it was just a super exciting experience to do it here for the first time.” The 25-year-old netminder was responding to a question about the raucous standing ovation he received for what will surely end up being one of the saves of the season. Early in the third period, Bussi went into a full extension as he lunged to his right to snag a one-timer off the stick of Rangers forward Jonny Brodzinski. Bussi, who catches with his right hand, pulled the puck back off the goal line in mid-air to keep his shutout alive en route to a 29-save blanking of the Blue Shirts. “Credit to their power play, they were snapping the puck around,” said Bussi. “Sometimes you’ve just got to compete and get a little luck…so I'm pretty fortunate. I made that save, and a lot of credit to the team for the defense in front of me. It was a great effort tonight.” “It was unreal. Honest to God,” said Bruins coach Jim Montgomery. “It was a great play by them, but the fact that he read it, I mean, that’s a double slot line play – they go in at 75% [rate] because it’s a yawning cage that someone’s looking at, and they put it three quarters of the way up the net. That wasn’t low glove…he went and snared it. That’s big-time athletic ability.” Bussi, a native of Sound Beach, New York, was eager to seize the opportunity to start the exhibition opener as he kicks off his second professional season, while knowing the competition between the Boston pipes – with reigning Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman ahead of him – is quite stiff. “I think I was just more excited for the opportunity,” said Bussi, who was signed to a one-year, two-way extension in June. “I worked really hard last year and kind of climbed the ladder in a way…excited with the opportunity, didn't really have an expectation. I think the whole point of preseason and training camp is to be ready for opening day. So that was my goal. Did I know that tonight was going to happen like this…I mean, you just compete and you see what happens.” It's that approach that has served Bussi well over the past several years as he has continued to surprise. After quietly making the way through the ranks at the junior level, Bussi jumped to Western Michigan where he played for three seasons before signing as a free agent with the Bruins in March 2022. “Just how he started the year, [the Providence Bruins] weren’t sure what they had, and every time he went in net, kept making saves and saves, and stole a lot of games last year for them down there in tight games,” said Montgomery. “He wasn’t a highly recruited player until his last year of junior hockey, then he went to Western Michigan and wasn’t there very long. He’s a late bloomer and he just keeps getting better.” After starting the 2022-23 campaign with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL, Bussi went on to have a strong showing with the P-Bruins, posting a 22-5-4 record with a .924 save percentage (second in the AHL) and 2.40 goals against average. The 6-foot-4, 218-pounder was also named to the 2023 AHL All-Star Game and the 2022-23 AHL All-Rookie Team. “Just so much learning,” Bussi, who also backed up for a few games in Boston toward the end of last season, said of his first full year in Providence. “Through the coaching staff, the vet players, just playing, seeing different places, everything was just an overall learning experience. And I definitely feel a lot more comfortable being here for training camp this year than last year.” Bruins center prospect Johnny Beecher saw firsthand last season the way Bussi was able to command the crease. “He’s a gamer,” said Beecher. “I think the biggest thing about Bussi is he’s an amazing guy and everybody in the locker room loves him, everybody’s rooting for him. He’s done a spectacular job since he’s signed with the program. “Last year, starting in the [ECHL] and then coming up here and getting the back-up for some games, it’s pretty special to see what he’s done. Couldn’t be happier for him.” Bussi speaks with media after preseason shutout Poitras Pots One It was a strong night for the Bruins’ youngsters as center prospect Matthew Poitras also impressed in his preseason debut with a goal and an assist. The 19-year-old pivot opened the scoring at 7:20 of the first period when he took a feed from blue liner Reilly Walsh and sneaked a wrister through Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick on the power play. “Just being able to get on the power play, feel the puck, gain a little bit of confidence – and seeing that one goes in definitely goes a long way to settle the nerves down, just get going,” said Poitras, who later in the second period made a nice feed to Jake DeBrusk on the winger’s goal that doubled Boston’s lead at 3:04 of the middle frame. “Felt pretty good. Obviously, it’s a lot different than I’m used to. It’s faster, guys are bigger, so just felt better as the game went on and felt more confident with the puck.” When it comes the details of Poitras’ game, Montgomery pointed to the Ontario native’s compete level as being one of his strongest attributes. “He competes on draws, he competes for loose pucks, not timid at all in any area,” said Montgomery. “There’s one play in the second period where he dove down to win a battle and he got low and he won that battle and he drove by someone to take a hit. “He could’ve taken a hit – he took a glimpse of a hit, and, again, a sign of an elusive player that they didn’t get a big piece of him. Those kind of plays show me his competitive fire, that he wants the puck.” While Poitras was certainly trying to avoid taking any big hits, the 2022 second-round pick did say the uptick in physicality was noticeable. “Obviously the hits along the wall hurt a bit more and they drain your energy a bit more. That’s the main thing I noticed, but I felt good out there,” said Poitras, who added that he’s been told by the Bruins’ brass to focus on being more reliable in the defensive zone. “For me it’s just trying to be hard on pucks, get body positioning, be in the right area for the D if they need me coming up the middle. I think just keep supporting the D, being strong down low, and being a bit physical.” Montgomery said that it will be “a big challenge” for Poitras to break camp with the big club but that the young put himself in a strong position to start the preseason. “It’s a man’s league out there,” said Montgomery. “He didn’t see the NHL tonight, so it’s a really good start, but that’s what he needs to do, right? He played a really good game, and he’s gonna get another game, and if he keeps playing, he’s gonna get rewarded and continue to get rewarded for it. It would be a pleasant surprise if he was able to do it.” Poitras posts a 1-1-2 in B's 3-0 win Beecher Buries Continuing the youngsters theme, Beecher capped the scoring for the Bruins when he took a feed from Jakub Zboril in the neutral zone and finished off a semi-breakaway with a five-hole finish on Quick at 8:07 of the third period. “It’s huge. Just a confidence booster,” said the 22-year-old. “Obviously, everybody loves seeing the puck go in the back of the net. I think it’s a big thing for me relying on my shot, all the training that I had this summer. Always nice to get the first one out of the way.” Beyond the goal, Montgomery said he was pleased with overall effort of the 2019 first-round pick. “He had a good game,” said Montgomery. “He needs to continue to show it throughout camp. That’s the thing…as camp goes on it gets harder and the people that rise to the top are the ones that are gonna make it, so it’s a really good start for several players tonight, and they got to keep building on that.” Beecher echoed Montgomery’s sentiments, saying that he must build off and learn from his performance if he wants to crack the Boston lineup come Opening Night. “I think looking throughout the game, a lot of good things but a lot of little detail things that I either made the wrong read on or just kinda jumped the zone a little bit,” said Beecher. “I think the good thing is that I can recognize those pretty much as soon as they’re happening. At this level, plays are getting made so fast and I think a big thing for them that they want to see is all the little details taken care of. I’m just cleaning up those little things and the rest should fall in place.” Beecher scores as Bruins beat NYR 3-0 Wait, There’s More Patrick Brown and Zboril both left the game early and did not return due to injury. Montgomery said both exits were precautionary. “We just didn’t want to take any chances,” he said. Montgomery on Fabian Lysell’s performance: “I thought he showed really good speed. I thought his best period was the third period…because of special teams and rotation assignments, the second period we killed and he didn’t kill tonight. But the third period I thought he showed a lot of poise, a lot of attacking the middle of the ice.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 12 Author Share Posted October 12 Game # 1 Bos 3 Chicago 1 Rookie Bedard scores, but Pastrnak pots 2 to lead Bruins past Blackhawks 3-1 0:40 Connor Bedard scores his first NHL goal for the Blackhawks Connor Bedard is relentless in front of goal as he grabs his own rebounded shot and slots it in. ByAP Updated: Oct 11, 2023, 11:28 pm BOSTON -- — With Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito and other hockey greats in the building to celebrate the start of the Bruins' 100th season, Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard took another early step toward joining them on Wednesday night when he scored his first career NHL goal. “It’s a big relief,” said Bedard, who posed with the puck in the locker room after the 3-1 loss to Boston. “You want to get one really bad, quick, and kind of get that out of the way. But it was really cool moment and cool building to do it in.” David Pastrnak scored to break a second-period tie and added an empty-netter for Boston, which won its season opener a year after setting NHL records for wins and points but then losing in the first round of the playoffs. The Bruins victory spoiled the milestone for Bedard, the league's most anticipated rookie in nearly a decade. The No. 1 overall draft pick also registered his first penalty and gave the Blackhawks a scare when he crashed into the boards skates-first late in the third period and was slow getting up. He remained in the game and pronounced himself “great” afterward. “I think he was more gassed, and tired and disappointed that he missed,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said. “He’s fine. He just missed a chance there. When he was going in there, I thought the game was going to be tied.” Trent Frederic also scored for Boston and reigning Vezina Trophy-winner Linus Ullmark made 20 saves. Matthew Poitras, the Bruins’ top rookie, assisted on Frederic’s goal for his first career NHL point. Arvid Soderblom stopped 32 shots for the Blackhawks, who beat Pittsburgh in their opener on Tuesday, when Bedard had an assist for his first NHL point. He topped that in Boston when he scored on a wraparound that beat Ullmark and made it 1-0. “I remember, like, being behind the net and kind of seeing it and I was just like, ‘Don’t screw this up,’” Bedard said. “And then once it went in, just a lot of joy, for sure." Frederic tied it midway through the first and Pastrnak beat Soderblom on his glove side to give Boston the lead on a feed from Milan Lucic. Pastrnak made it 3-1 with just under a minute left when Soderblom was pulled for an extra skater. OTHER FIRSTS Bedard drew a penalty for tripping Brad Marchand in the second period. He remained in the game after his awkward collision into the boards with about five minutes left, but was working out the kinks in his right shoulder after talking to reporters in the locker room. Boston rookie Johnny Beecher picked up his first penalty when he got in a fight with Jason Dickinson in the third period. HALL PASS Chicago forward Taylor Hall did not play in the third period after leaving the ice in the second following a hit from Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo. Hall, who played in Boston last year, tried one more shift but then told the trainers he was done. Richardson pronounced the 2010 No. 1 overall pick week-to-week with an unspecified upper body injury. “I think — especially being in Boston — he really wanted to get back out there and give it a go,” Richardson said, saying the blindside hit from Brandon Carlo was illegal. “I know exactly what it is because I used to do it all the time. But now it’s not in the game. So we just hope that there’s not a lot of those there that we see because they’re they’re not great for anybody.” A CENTURY OF BRUINS The Bruins opened their 100th season with a ceremony to welcome back some of their greats, including Orr, Esposito and Ray Bourque. More recent players and members of the 2011 Stanley Cup champions included Patrice Bergeron, Tim Thomas and Zdeno Chara. Family members representing the late Eddie Shore, Dit Clapper and Milt Schmidt also took part. Willie O’Ree, who broke the NHL’s color barrier in 1958, appeared by video from his home in San Diego. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegx.ca Posted October 12 Share Posted October 12 Looch with an assist too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J0e Th0rnton Posted October 12 Share Posted October 12 They won, but their PP1 looked worse than PP2 and shatternkirk looked like the best PP player. That's frightening lol Marchand and debrusk looked lost all night. So did pasta but he managed 2 goals anyways. Poitras looked good 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegx.ca Posted October 14 Share Posted October 14 Like their team this year as I did last year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 15 Author Share Posted October 15 Game # 2 Bos 3 Preds 2 James van Riemsdyk scores 2 PP goals; Bruins beat Nashville 3-2 0:30 James van Riemsdyk scores on the power play for Bruins James van Riemsdyk scores on the power play for Bruins ByAP Updated: Oct 14, 2023, 10:53 pm BOSTON -- — James van Riemsdyk broke a tie with his second goal of the game early in the third period, David Pastrnak scored on a penalty shot, and the Boston Bruins beat the Nashville Predators 3-2 on Saturday night. Both of van Riemsdyk’s goals — his first two in his initial season with the Bruins — came on a power play. “Anytime you get your first one, it definitely helps you relax a little bit,” he said. “We moved the puck around pretty well and we made good plays just to get the puck to the net. We kept it simple and tried to get traffic down there and, obviously, we got rewarded.” Jeremy Swayman made 33 saves in his season debut for Boston (2-0), which killed seven penalties. Colton Sissons scored both goals for the Predators (1-2) and Juuse Saros made 28 stops. Saros has played all their games so far this season. “I think both sides of the special teams left wanting more tonight,” Sissons said. “We had a lot of opportunities on the power play, but we've got to do our job on the penalty kill.” Nashville went 0 for 7 on the power play. “That’s why we got that win,” Swayman said. “It was special to see guys stick to a game plan and not get down on themselves when we get penalty after penalty.” Positioned in the slot, van Riemsdyk tipped in Charlie McAvoy’s shot for the go-ahead goal 2:52 into the final period. Pastrnak’s goal — his third of the season — came with 5:14 left in the second, giving the Bruins a 2-1 edge. Pastrnak was awarded a penalty shot after Alexandre Carrier held his stick on a clean breakaway. Pastrnak slowly skated down the center and fired a wrist shot over Saros’ left shoulder. Nashville tied it with the goalie pulled for a delayed Boston penalty when Sissons tipped in Roman Josi’s shot from the point at 16:54. Coming off a shutout win over Seattle in their home opener, the Predators grabbed a 1-0 edge when Sissons one-timed Kiefer Sherwood’s drop pass inside the left post 3:29 into the game. Boston tied it on van Riemsdyk’s first goal at 14:48. He was attempting to center a pass from the side of the net when it caromed in off Nashville defenseman Dante Fabbro. With Nashville on a power play midway through the second period, Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort knocked the puck out of the crease just before it crossed the goal line. “When you lose the special team battle, it’s hard to win in this league,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. “We lost it pretty big time tonight.” NEW PACE Bruins coach Jim Montgomery feels like the Predators have a different approach this season after missing the playoffs. “They’re much more of a fastbreak team, more of a transition team than they were before,” he said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 20 Author Share Posted October 20 Game # 3 Bos 3 SJS 1 Bruins beat the winless Sharks 3-1 for their 3rd straight win to open the season 1:47 Boston Bruins vs. San Jose Sharks: Full Highlights Boston Bruins vs. San Jose Sharks: Full Highlights ByAP Updated: Oct 20, 2023, 01:53 am SAN JOSE, Calif. -- — Brad Marchand and James van Riemsdyk scored 21 seconds apart late in the first period and the Boston Bruins won their third straight game to open the season, beating the San Jose Sharks 3-1 on Thursday night. David Pastrnak scored for the fourth time this season and Linus Ullmark made 26 saves to get the Bruins off to a good start on their four-game trip. “I think it’s a good opportunity to get on a little bit of a roll,” van Riemsdyk said. “We have a lot of kind of games in a short span and I think that’s good this time of year to kind of get in the rhythm of our playing games and going from there.” The Sharks wrapped up a season-opening, four-game homestand with another loss. San Jose earned only one point in the four games against reigning division champions, losing in a shootout to Colorado on Saturday night. The Sharks became the third team ever to go winless when opening the season with four straight games at home. The California Golden Seals had two losses and two ties in 1971-72 and Calgary had three losses and a tie in 1997-98. Anthony Duclair scored the lone goal for San Jose. Kaapo Kahkonen made 34 saves. “We made a step forward with the things we touched on after our last game," coach David Quinn said. "I thought we spent more time in the o-zone and there was definitely more possession and forechecking. But, we’ve got a long way to go to where we want to get to, and you’re not going to get from A to Z without going through the alphabet.” The Sharks have lost 12 straight against Boston for their longest losing streak ever against an opponent. San Jose got some decent opportunities early but the Bruins took control of the game in the final two minutes of the opening period. Marchand beat Kahkonen with a wrist shot from the circle for his first goal of the season. On the next shift, van Riemsdyk jammed a puck under Kahkonen's pad during a scramble in front of the net to make it 2-0. “I thought the first five minutes were good,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “I thought the the next 10 kind of blah and then the last five were really good.” Pastrnak got a bit of luck to score in his third straight game late in the second period. He was on a 2-on-1 rush when a back-checking Marc Edouard-Vlasic poked the puck away but it deflected off Pastrnak's skate and went into the net. ROUGH SCHEDULE The Sharks were dealt a rough opening to the schedule with games against the four division winners from last season: Vegas, Colorado, Carolina and Boston. This is the first time since the realignment to four divisions in 2013 that a team opened the season by playing all four defending division champs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 22 Author Share Posted October 22 Game # 4 Bos 4 LA 2 Marchand scores twice, Pastrnak has goal, 2 assists as Bruins beat Kings 4-2 to stay unbeaten ByAP Updated: Oct 22, 2023, 02:36 am LOS ANGELES -- — Brad Marchand scored twice, David Pastrnak added three points and became the first Boston player in 21 years with a goal in each of the first four games, and the Bruins remained unbeaten with a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night. It is the third time in Marchand’s 15-year career he has recorded a point in each of the Bruins’ first four games (three goals, three assists). He scored Boston's final two goals and had an assist in the first period. Pastrnak, who was second in the league with 61 goals last season, had a goal and two assists. He is the first Bruins player since Dimitri Kvartalnov in 1992-93 to open the season with a goal in four straight games. Pastrnak is off to another fast start with five goals and eight points. Morgan Geekie scored the go-ahead goal in the second period for the Bruins, who are off to their first 4-0 start since 1990-91. “I think we started to get more physical. We got emotion into our game. … And then I think we just wore out the back of the net," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. "We held onto pucks. I think we really saw the type of team we believe we can be.” Los Angeles had its two-game winning streak snapped on a night when Anze Kopitar skated in his 1,297th career game, passing Dustin Brown for most games played in franchise history. Los Angeles' Alex Laferriere scored his first NHL goal to tie it at 1 in the second period before Geekie and Marchand scored in a 48-second span later in the period to put the Bruins up for good. Boston's Derek Forbert had a pair of assists and Jeremy Swayman stopped 32 shots. Carl Grundstrum had a power-play goal late in the third period for Los Angeles, and Cam Talbot made 21 saves. Pastrnak opened the scoring at 13:10 of the first period. with a wrist shot from the top of the left faceoff circle that went off the crossbar and into the net. Laferriere evened it at 1 at 6:28 of the second period on a breakaway. The 21-year old forward, who was playing in his fifth NHL game, was able to get a wrist shot as he was going down to one knee after being pressured from behind by Boston defenseman Brandon Carlo. “It was just an unbelievable play by my linemates. Kevin (Fiala) made a great pass to PL (Pierre-Luc Dubois) and then PL found me kind of right up the middle,” Laferriere said. "I was feeling the pressure, so good to get the first one.” Geekie put in his first as a member of the Bruins at 14:45 of the second with a rebound after Derek Forbert’s shot from near the blue line went off Milan Lucic’s skate. “Just right place, right time kind of thing," Geekie said. "Just try to give it a little extra effort to get through there and just get inside and make a play on the puck.” Marchand then made it a two-goal lead at 15:33 when his wrist shot from the top of the slot went between Talbot’s legs for his second of the season. Marchand extended the lead to 4-1 at 17:48 of the third after getting a great pass from Pastrnak in front of the net. TOUGH START AT HOME Los Angeles was one of the top teams in the league at home last season, but are 0-2-1 in their first three to open this campaign. The Kings though did not get an easy schedule to start the year on home ice with two division champions (Colorado and Carolina) and President's Trophy winner Boston as the opposition. “We talked about needing measuring tools and measuring sticks. Those are three teams that you have to beat especially on home ice at some point,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said. "When I look at how we lost those games, we gave up two shorties, we lacked details on face offs, our net play, we gave up 13 goals against those three teams in our building. "I think we have a pretty good path right now as a team of where we need to go and what we need to work on. We can get there. I really believe we can. But we now have some direction. And that’s not a bad thing to have.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 23 Author Share Posted October 23 Game # 5 Bos 3 Ducks 1 Bruins rally past Ducks, extend season-opening win streak to five 0:42 Matthew Poitras' 2nd goal puts Bruins ahead for good ByAP Updated: Oct 23, 2023, 12:17 am ANAHEIM, Calif. -- — Matthew Poitras scored his first two NHL goals in the third period and the Boston Bruins beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 Sunday for their season-opening fifth straight win. The 19-year-old Poitras, playing in his fifth career game, scored at 6:29 of the final period to erase the Ducks' lead and then got the go-ahead goal nearly 4 minutes later when he stuffed home the rebound of Jake DeBrusk's shot. Brad Marchand added an empty-net goal and Linus Ullmark made 32 saves as the Bruins remained one of three undefeated teams along with Vegas and Colorado. Marchand extended his points streak to five games while David Pastrnak saw his four-game goal-scoring streak come to an end. “It was a good win and we just kind of stayed together and stuck with it,” Poitras said. “It was maybe not our best, but we were able to get the job done.” Mason McTavish scored the lone goal for the Ducks, who lost their third straight and fourth in five games this season. John Gibson made 25 saves. Anaheim lost despite a 31-26 advantage in shots on goal, but Ducks coach Greg Cronin hardly was satisfied. Cronin said his team should have put at least 40 shots on goal, if not more, in a refrain of what he has been preaching in the early part of the season. “At this point, it's going to be like a value system,” said Cronin, who insisted that simple math says more shots on goal will yield more goals. “We're going to just shoot pucks. I don't care if it's from the (opposite) goal line. Just put them at the goalie's pads.” The Ducks were the first to break through in the scoreless game as McTavish scored on a rush with Ryan Strome at 5:05 of the third period. Strome’s shot on Ullmark rebounded into the slot and McTavish got enough on his shot to slide in the goal off the left post for his second of the season. Poitras needed just 1:24 to even the score when he took a centering pass from Morgan Geekie from the left side of goal and scored out front past Gibson, who was late to get back into position from the left post. It was a goal Poitras said he had been dreaming about, “my whole life, really.” “Especially a lot more the last couple of weeks and knowing that I'm playing here.” Poitras said. “Maybe I was a little tired at the start of the third (period) but to see that one go in, it felt great.” Piotras was later in perfect position when DeBrusk’s shot rebounded off Gibson’s chest. Piotras cleaned up the loose puck for his second goal and a 2-1 advantage at 10:20. Marchand’s fourth goal of the season came with 2:34 remaining after the Ducks pulled Gibson for an extra skater. The Bruins missed a prime chance to take an early lead on DeBrusk's short-handed breakaway just over a minute into the game, but his shot on Gibson hit the left post. DeBrusk returned to action after being held out from Saturday’s victory over Los Angeles for being late to a meeting. Boston had a 13-8 advantage on shots in the first period, while Anaheim forced the issue in the second period with a 10-4 advantage. “I have a lot of faith in my boys in front of me, making the right plays and keeping their guys to the outside” Ullmark said. “That's what we have to do. ... We did all the things in the right way there in the third when we had the lead." Bruins forward Trent Federic went to the locker room late in the second period after he absorbed a hip check from the Ducks’ Radko Gudas in the lower abdomen. Bruins defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk made his return to Anaheim and received a short tribute video in the first period after playing the previous three seasons in Anaheim. Ducks rookie Leo Carlsson was an observer Sunday as a healthy scratch following a road game Saturday against Arizona. Carlsson, the No. 2 overall selection in this year’s NHL Draft, made his NHL debut Thursday and scored a goal on his first career shot against Dallas. He did not register a point in 22 minutes against the Coyotes. The Ducks are expected to keep the 18-year-old forward on a moderate early workload as he adapts to the NHL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 25 Author Share Posted October 25 Game # 6 Bos 3 Chicago 0 Poitras and Frederic help undefeated Boston Bruins blank Chicago Blackhawks 3-0 0:53 Matthew Poitras' breakaway goal pads Bruins' lead Matthew Poitras gathers the puck on the breakaway and zips it past the goalie to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead over the Blackhawks. ByAP Updated: Oct 25, 2023, 12:37 am CHICAGO -- — Closing out a four-game trip that included multiple time zones, Matthew Poitras and the Boston Bruins had more than enough to put away the Chicago Blackhawks. Poitras and Trent Frederic scored 56 seconds apart in the third period, and the Bruins beat the Blackhawks 3-0 on Tuesday night to match the best start in franchise history. Pavel Zacha also scored for Boston, which began the trip with wins at San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim. Jeremy Swayman made 23 saves in his 10th career shutout. “It's special. That's important for us moving forward,” Swayman said. “We knew that we had a challenge ahead of us, coming to the West Coast, time change, everything that you can find excuses for. But I think we used it to our advantage and it's a lot of momentum moving forward.” The Bruins moved to 6-0 in the franchise's centennial season. Boston also won its first six games of the 1937-38 season. "Starting to see our team identity build because I think the LA game and this game tonight, you’re starting to see us become a heavy, grinding team, which I think is what we’re going to have to be,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. Petr Mrazek made 40 stops for Chicago in its third consecutive loss. The Blackhawks also lost to the Bruins on Oct. 11, falling 3-1 in Boston. The Bruins were in control for most of the night, but it was only good enough for a 1-0 lead before Poitras and Frederic helped put it away. The 19-year-old Poitras skated past veteran Blackhawks forward Corey Perry and beat Mrazek on the glove side at 4:06. The rookie forward scored his first two NHL goals in a 3-1 win at Anaheim on Sunday. “I saw a lot of open ice, so just skate as fast as I can and I was fortunate to pull away and find the back of the net,” Poitras said. Frederic made it 3-0 when he knocked home a slick pass from James van Riemsdyk. It was Frederic's second goal of the season. “I’m kind of at the point, tired, one year’s enough of we’re a hard-working team,” Chicago coach Luke Richardson said. “I think we want to push for more this year. I think we start off with a good intention, but I find the other teams, not outwork us work ethic wise, but I want to say the hardness of the work, I mean like physical 1-on-1 battles.” Chicago appeared to jump in front on Connor Bedard's power-play goal with 6:45 left in the first period. Boston defenseman Charlie Coyle passed the puck right to Bedard, who beat Swayman with a rocket from the slot. But it was waved off after an offside challenge by Montgomery. The United Center crowd of 19,370 booed when the ruling was announced. Boston grabbed the lead on Zacha's first goal of the season 3:50 into the second. Zacha tipped home a shot by Kevin Shattenkirk from just inside the blue line. Boston dominated the period, outshooting Chicago 18-7. But Mrazek kept the Blackhawks in the game. OUCH Bruins forward Jakub Lauko was clipped by Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson’s skate in the third, leading to a cut on his face. “Lauko’s good, thankfully," Montgomery said. "Scary with the skate, but he got it in the corner of the eye. It’s good. Nothing touched the eye. Stitched up. Not going to be looking good for a while.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 27 Author Share Posted October 27 Game # 7 Bos 3 Ducks 4 OT McTavish scores in OT as Ducks hand Bruins their first loss of the season with a 4-3 victory 1:06 Ducks hand Bruins their first loss on Mason McTavish's OT winner ByAP Updated: Oct 26, 2023, 10:57 pm BOSTON -- — Mason McTavish scored on a 2-on-1 break with 2:52 remaining in overtime to give the Anaheim Ducks a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night. McTavish converted on a pass from forward Leo Carlsoon and scored five-hole on Boston goalie Linus Ullmark. “It was nice to get rewarded there at the end,” McTavish said. David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist, while Charlie McAvoy added three assists, but Boston surrendered a 3-1 lead in the third period and lost for the first time this season. Charlie Coyle and Matt Grzelcyk also scored for the Bruins, now 6-1 on the franchise’s centennial season. Anaheim forced overtime on Troy Terry’s goal with 14.7 seconds left in regulation. Ullmark made 28 saves while John Gibson stopped 30 shots for the Ducks, who lost to the Bruins earlier this week on their home ice. “Sometimes you have luck and sometimes you don’t. That’s how it is. Hopefully we get a bounce the next game,” Ullmark said. “You can be (upset) right now and let it go for tomorrow.” Anaheim (3-4) jumped in front with five minutes left in the opening period with the help of a fortunate bounce. Defenseman Rako Gudas fired a rocket from just inside the blue line that deflected off the skate of Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm and past Ullmark. Bruins coach Jim Montgomery wanted the officials to review for possible goalie interference but the call on the ice stood. The Ducks outshot the Bruins in the opening period (9-6) but only enjoyed a 1-0 lead after going 0 for 2 on the power play. Anaheim outshot Boston 32-30. “We thought we played them tough in Anaheim and wanted to come out and play that same game and same style. Obviously it’s a great win,” Ducks forward Trevor Zegras said. After Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe was called for cross-checking, Coyle tied it early in the second period as he camped in front of Gibson and converted a feed from Pastrnak. The Bruins tallied the next goal as Grzelcyk fired from the right circle for the first goal of the season by a Boston defenseman. “These are games you want to finish the right way, but we’ve got to learn from it. That’s all you can do,” Coyle said. The third of three unanswered goals scored by Boston in the second period was delivered by Pastrnak, who pounced on the loose puck after tracking down his own rebound at 16:40. The forward now has six goals in seven games. Anaheim’s fifth and final power-play opportunity of regulation came with 3:59 remaining after Boston forward Patrick Brown — recalled from AHL Providence before Thursday’s game — was sent to the box for hooking. Still down two goals, the Ducks pulled Gibson for a 6-on-4 advantage and struck with 1:55 left as Carlsson crashed the net after Ullmark made several stops. “I thought we finessed it a couple of times and they kept it in the blue line,” Montgomery said. “Even when we went up 3-1, we had numerous opportunities to extend the lead, but we didn’t close out the game.” A four-year college hockey player at the University of Maine, Montgomery took time before the game to offer his condolences to the victims of the mass shootings in Lewiston on Wednesday night. “I know how great the culture is in that state, and I know how great the people are. My heartfelt sympathies to everybody that’s impacted,” Montgomery said. “The Boston Bruins offer our sympathy and condolences to the victims and families that suffered.” Added Ullmark, “Losing a hockey game while people up there lost lives and loved ones, it puts everything in perspective. It’s pretty easy to let this one go.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 29 Author Share Posted October 29 Game # 8 Bos 4 Wings 1 David Pastrnak scores 2, including 2nd penalty-shot goal of season, Bruins beat Red Wings 4-1 1:48 Detroit Red Wings vs. Boston Bruins: Full Highlights ByAP Updated: Oct 28, 2023, 10:45 pm BOSTON -- — David Pastrnak scored his second penalty-shot goal of the season and banked in an empty-netter, leading the Boston Bruins past the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 on Saturday night. Pavel Zacha and Charlie McAvoy scored first-period goals and Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves for the Bruins, who improved to 7-0-1. Boston posted NHL records with 65 wins and 135 points last season. After blowing a two-goal lead in the final minute of regulation before losing in overtime against Anaheim on Thursday, the Bruins closed this one out in an Original Six matchup between two Eastern Conference teams off to strong starts. Joe Veleno sent a wrister over Swayman’s left shoulder from the slot, slicing it to 2-1 midway into the third period. But Pastrnak was awarded the penalty shot when he was slashed by defenseman Jake Walman breaking to the net. The Bruins winger went down the middle, shifted the puck a few times before lifting a wrister over Ville Husso 11:19 into the third period. “He's got a mixed bag,” Swayman said of Pastrnak's penalty shot. “That's hard to do in this league, be unreadable and have so many different ‘go-to’ moves. I think he's really good at reading the goalie when he has the puck on his stick. That's why he's a world-class player.” Pastrnak fired a shot off the side boards near center ice that caromed into an empty net for his team-leading eighth goal with just over 2 minutes left. “I was just trying to get it out (of the zone) and get a change, honestly,” Pastrnak said. “It kind of picked up the speed off the board, a lucky bounce.” Husso made 27 stops for the Red Wings, who dropped their third straight game. Zacha charged toward the net and sent a backhander past Husso 10:33 into the opening period about a minute after the center was robbed on a shot from the slot. McAvoy’s unassisted score made it 2-0 at 14:36 of the first. He cut around defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere near the right circle, skated across the crease, and flipped a shot that hit Husson’s glove and trickled into the net. The Bruins held the Red Wings to single digits in shots on goal until midway into the second period. “We fell short, obviously that penalty shot didn't feel too great,” Veleno said. “I didn't think we got enough traffic in front of the goalie's eyes. In general, they were outcompeting us.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted October 31 Author Share Posted October 31 Game # 9 Bos 3 Panthers 2 Bruins rally for OT win against Panthers, point streak at 9 Zacha scores at 3:36, Ullmark makes 35 saves for Boston Recap: Panthers at Bruins 10.30.23 ByJoe Pohoryles NHL.com Independent Correspondent October 30, 2023 BOSTON -- Pavel Zacha scored at 3:36 of overtime for the Boston Bruins, who extended their season-opening point streak to nine games with a 3-2 win against the Florida Panthers at TD Garden on Monday. Zacha, who also had an assist, scored with a wrist shot from down the right wing that beat Sergei Bobrovsky blocker side. “I was looking if we were going 2-on-1, and kind of on the way there I was looking if there was going to be a chance to pass,” Zacha said. “But then the [defense] kind of went away, so I was just looking at where it was open in the far side, and I’m happy that I did it low blocker there.” Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy scored, and Linus Ullmark made 35 saves for the Bruins (8-0-1), whose point streak is the longest in their history. “They looked super fast, we looked super slow and we just wanted to simplify our game (after the first period),” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. “Get to the forecheck, try and wear them down in their own end.” Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart each had a goal and an assist, and Bobrovsky made 23 saves for Florida (4-3-1). “We have good periods and bad periods, but obviously, it’s early in the season,” Barkov said. “But we want to establish that game, that we’re playing [an] even 60 minutes as hard as possible, not just 20 minutes or 40 minutes. I know [Boston is] a good team, they’re first place, so if you give them chances, they’re going to score.” Barkov gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead at 6:13 of the first period, shooting over the left pad of Ullmark on a 2-on-1 with Reinhart. Reinhart made it 2-0 at 15:08, one-timing Barkov’s pass from behind the net. “They’ve (Barkov and Reinhart) got just a nice bit of chemistry,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “It’s not a particularly heavy line, but it’s very smart.” Marchand cut it to 2-1 at 3:38 of the second period, tapping in Jake DeBrusk’s centering pass. “We started supporting each other better,” Marchand said. “Allowed us to still come up with pucks after, you know, when they’re playing physical, and kept moving it forward and kind of catching them coming the wrong way, so it was working for us.” McAvoy tied it 2-2 at 7:20 of the third period with a forehand deke off David Pastrnak’s pass in the slot. The Panthers had a chance to regain the lead after McAvoy was assessed a match penalty for a check to the head of Oliver Ekman-Larsson at 9:28, but despite getting six shots on goal during the five-minute power play, they couldn't score. “That’s why it was so good for us that we never gave them the momentum,” Ullmark said. “We always [got] the puck out in 15, 20 seconds, so they always have to redo it or break out and come in. And then maybe there’s a face-off or whatever, so we kept them away from establishing something. And like I said, I’ve got to give all the credit to the [penalty kill] guys. They [did] a tremendous job throughout the game, not just that five-minute one.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 3 Author Share Posted November 3 Game # 10 Bos 3 Leafs 2 SO DeBrusk, Coyle score in the shootout, leading the Bruins to a 3-2 win over the Maple Leafs 0:20 Coyle's shootout goal secures win for Bruins ByAP Updated: Nov 2, 2023, 11:10 pm BOSTON -- — Jake DeBrusk and Charlie Coyle scored in the shootout and the Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Thursday night. DeBrusk and Paval Zacha scored in regulation for the Bruins, who lead the Eastern Conference with a 9-0-1 record. Jeremy Swayman made 33 saves. Mitchell Marner and Auston Matthews scored for the Maple Leafs. Ilya Samsonov stopped 38 shots. Toronto forward William Nylander extended his season-opening, franchise-record point streak to 10 games. He was credited with an assist on the Maple Leafs goal that tied the game in the second period after Boston jumped out to a 2-0 lead. The Bruins, who have not lost in regulation this season, opened the scoring at 18:51 of the first when Charlie Carlo centered a pass from the right circle and Zacha finished in the slot for his third goal in as many games. Boston defenseman Mason Lohrei, a 22-year-old making his NHL debut, was also credited with an assist. Boston doubled its lead in the opening minutes of the second period when Marchand had the first chance and DeBrusk scored his first goal of the season. “I’ve had slow starts in my career before, but it was a sense of relief,” DeBrusk said. Boston head coach Jim Montgomery said DeBrusk's performance could get the player back on track. “He was humming all night long," Montgomer said. "That was the JD we saw last year. Sometimes, all it takes is for that first one to go in and that monkey is off your back and you start being the player who you are.” The momentum then shifted and Toronto evened the score at 2 heading into the third. Marner made a nice move to free himself before getting off a wrister that got Toronto on the board at 6:31 of the second. The equalizer came 63 seconds later as a turnover in the Boston zone led to Matthews sending a shot past Swayman, now 5-0 on the season. “The way we bounced back from those second-period goals, it bodes well going forward,” Swayman said. “The two quick goals can skewer momentum, but to see us close out is important for us.” The Bruins went to overtime for the third time in four games and made quick work of the Maple Leafs (5-3-2) in the shootout, as Swayman stopped both shots he faced. “See the puck, stop the puck,” Swayman said when asked about his mindset during a shootout. “All of these guys are so good and in the NHL for a reason. I wanted to make sure I got good depth and squared the puck.” Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren was ruled out for a return with a lower body injury that he sustained on a hit from Marchand late in the first period. After the game, Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe is expected to miss significant time. Boston played its first game without No. 1 defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who was suspended four games by the NHL for an illegal check to the head of Florida’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson during Monday’s game. McAvoy was one of three regulars on the blue line that the Bruins didn’t have, making the performance of fill-ins like rookie Lohrei even more impressive. “It’s good for your confidence when they keep calling your number to go out there,” Lohrei said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 5 Author Share Posted November 5 Game # 11 Bos 4 Wings 5 Red Wings rally, end Bruins' season-opening point streak at 10 Score 3 goals in 3:44 span in 3rd period; Pastrnak has goal, assist in loss ByDave Hogg NHL.com Independent Correspondent November 04, 2023 DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings ended the Boston Bruins’ season-opening 10-game point streak with a 5-4 come-from-behind win at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday. "We played 20 good minutes only to find ourselves down 2-1, then played an excellent second period to find ourselves down 3-2," Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. "The guys kept at it, and I think we got the result we deserved." David Perron had a goal and two assists, Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond each had a goal and an assist, and J.T. Compher had two assists for the Red Wings (7-4-1), who had lost four of five. Ville Husso made 26 saves. "It is only one game, but it is definitely nice to give the Bruins a loss," Perron said. "We just have to keep playing the right way and building off these games." David Pastrnak , Matthew Poitras and James van Riemsdyk each had a goal and an assist for the Bruins (9-1-1), who were assessed 12 penalties and allowed two power-play goals. Linus Ullmark made 35 saves. "We thought Linus was at the top of his game because he had to make a lot of really good saves, especially on their power plays," Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. "We just gave up too many glorious chances." Van Riemsdyk gave Boston a 1-0 lead at 5:21 of the first period. Husso saved Pastrnak’s initial shot, but he couldn't cover up the rebound, and van Riemsdyk tucked the puck in at the left post. “We can’t give up freebies,” Lalonde said. “We’re not a good enough team to allow free goals.” Poitras made it 2-0 at 9:28, but Raymond scored five-hole from the right circle during a power play to cut it to 2-1 at 16:20. Jake Walman tied it 2-2 at 9:59 of the second period, beating Ullmark over his left shoulder with a one-timer from the top of the right circle with one second remaining on a power play. Detroit went 0-for-13 with the man-advantage in its previous four games (one short-handed goal allowed). “The power play started out really hot, but we knew it couldn’t stay that way,” Compher said. “Tonight, we had a good attack mentality.” Charlie Coyle put the Bruins back in front 3-2 at 13:41 of the second, tapping in a return pass from Jake DeBrusk at the right post. Detroit then rallied with three goals in a 3:44 span in the third period. Larkin tied it 3-3 at 6:50. He took a pass from Raymond and beat Bruins defenseman Parker Wotherspoon down the left wing before scoring short side on Ullmark. Perron put Detroit ahead 4-3 at 8:56, scoring five-hole after he whiffed on his initial attempt in the left circle. Andrew Copp pushed it to 5-3 at 10:34 when he shot into an open net after Compher hit the crossbar. The Red Wings lead the NHL with 20 goals in the third period this season. Pastrnak cut it to 5-4 with a power-play goal at 14:11. However, Pastrnak (tripping at 18:32) and Coyle (holding at 18:48) each was assessed a minor penalty late in the third, denying the Bruins the chance to pull Ullmark and tie the game. “They wanted that win and we didn’t play our best hockey in stretches,” Boston defenseman Hampus Lindholm said. “But we fought back and were still in the game at the end, even with the penalties.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 7 Author Share Posted November 7 Game # 12 Bos 3 Stars 2 Boston rookies Beecher and Lohrei score 1st NHL goals in Bruins' 3-2 victory over Stars 1:49 Boston Bruins vs. Dallas Stars: Full Highlights Boston Bruins vs. Dallas Stars: Full Highlights ByAP Updated: Nov 7, 2023, 12:01 am DALLAS -- — Boston rookie defenseman Mason Lohrei pulled the puck out of his pocket, the keepsake from his first NHL goal. John Beecher had one, too. Beecher and Lohrei became the first Boston rookies in more than six years to score their first goals in the same game, doing so less than four minutes apart in the first period to put the Bruins ahead to stay in a 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. “Had to steal my thunder a little bit I guess,” Beecher, who scored first, said with a smile. “That’s special. that’s something that’s going to get us rolling off right off the bat,” Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman, who stopped 34 shots, said of the rookie scorers. "They’re not even close to done yet.” Brad Marchand added a power-play goal in the third period for the Eastern Conference-leading Bruins (10-1-1), who rebounded from their first regulation loss two nights earlier at Detroit. It was the sixth goal this season for Marchand, the first-year Boston captain. Central Division leader Dallas had its net empty and an extra skater when Joe Pavelski scored his fifth goal with 27 seconds left. They had a power play for the final 5.7 seconds after a tripping penalty by Hampus Lindholm. Miro Heiskanen got off a shot that appeared to get by Swayman, but then bounced off the post as time expired. The Stars just couldn't overcome the slow start when coming off a three-game trip to Canada. “I expected that we might come out a little flat tonight, coming back from the road trip. ... This is one of those ones where you give them a little bit of leeway,” Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said. “I thought the second and third period, we pushed hard, we did some good stuff." Wyatt Johnston, the 20-year-old Stars center who was one of the NHL’s top rookies last season, scored his fourth goal with his deflection in front of the net after Esa Lindell’s shot from just inside the blue line about five minutes into the third period. Beecher, the 22-year-old center who was Boston’s first-round pick in the 2019 NHL draft and has played in every game, got a hard ricochet off the board behind the net. He skated around and into the right circle for a wrister past Jake Oettinger with 9:39 left in the first period. Lohrei made it 2-0 from the top the slot on a pass from Danton Heinen with 5:51 left in the first. The 22-year-old defenseman, a second-round pick in 2020, had an assist in his NHL debut Thursday and was playing only his third game. “Pretty cool to watch that one to get in,” said Lohrei, crediting Heinen's pass and traffic in front of the net. “That all made it easy on me. Just had to hit the net." The last Bruins rookies to get their first goals in the same game were Jake DeBrusk and Charlie McAvoy against Nashville in a season opener Oct. 5, 2017. McAvoy was still out of the Bruins lineup Monday, serving the third of his four-game suspension from the NHL for an illegal check to the head of Florida’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson on Oct. 30. Oettinger had 26 saves for the Stars, who played with 11 forwards and seven defensemen with forwards Radek Faksa and Matt Duchene both out with upper body injuries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 10 Author Share Posted November 10 Game # 13 Bos 5 NYI 2 Coyle has 1st career hat trick, leads Bruins to 5-2 win over Islanders 0:39 Charlie Coyle scores third goal for first career hat trick Charlie Coyle scores third goal for first career hat trick ByAP Updated: Nov 9, 2023, 10:50 pm BOSTON -- — Bruins forwards Charlie Coyle and David Pastrnak were racing toward the empty Islanders net, with one New York defender trying to keep up. Coyle, who already had two goals on the night and has never had three in an NHL game, slid it over to Pastrnak. Pastrnak passed up the open shot and slid it right back to Coyle. “He was screaming, 'Shoot!’" Coyle recalled after registering his first career hat trick in Boston's 5-2 win over the Islanders on Thursday night. “He was tired. I backhanded that over and he was kind of like, ‘What are you doing that (for)?’ But I’m glad it worked out.” Coyle added an assist for his first four-point game since 2016, and Linus Ullmark made 27 saves for the Bruins. Pastrnak had a goal and two assists and Trent Frederic also scored for Boston to help the defending Presidents Trophy champions earn their 11th victory in their first 13 games. They ended the night tied with Stanley Cup champion Vegas for the most points in the NHL, with 23. A 13-year NHL veteran playing in his 798th career game, Coyle scored a power play goal in the second period on crisp passing from Pastrnak to Pavel Zacha to Coyle, in the slot. He added a second score to make it 4-2 midway through the third period, crashing the net to receive the pass from James van Riemsdyk. The hat trick came with 1:21 left and Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin off for an extra skater. “In a sense it kind of feels like getting your first goal out of the way,” Coyle said. “Those are milestones you kind of think about, but you never really focus on that stuff, honestly. Sometimes it just pans out like that.” Simon Holmstrom scored a short-handed goal for New York 10 seconds after the faceoff to open the power play, tying it at 2 early in the third period. But Pastrnak gave the Bruins the lead with a wrist shot that squirted through Sorokin’s pads. The Boston scoring leader had no interest in a second goal Thursday. “That’s why I love working with this team,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “To see Pasta waving at him, like ‘Go to the net! I’m going to give it back to you for the hat trick.’ They’re incredibly unselfish and thoughtful people and it shows in the way they love playing for each other.” Brock Nelson also scored and Sorokin stopped 30 shots for the Islanders. They have lost three in a row. The Bruins were without top defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who was serving the final game of a four-game suspension for head hit on Florida’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 12 Author Share Posted November 12 Game # 14 Bos 2 Habs 3 OT Guhle scores in OT to lift Canadiens to 3-2 win over Bruins 0:30 Kaiden Guhle wins it in OT for the Canadiens ByAP Updated: Nov 11, 2023, 11:13 pm MONTREAL -- — Kaiden Guhle scored the unassisted game winner in overtime to lift the Montreal Canadiens to a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Saturday night. “Like every team you have some off games, but our good is really good. When we’re on top of it, we can beat any team in the league,” Guhle said. Nick Suzuki and Brendan Gallagher also found the back of the net for Montreal (7-5-2), which beat Boston (11-1-2) for the first time since the 2019-2020 season. “It’s a group decision and a group effort to get back in a game and get something out of it,” said Canadiens coach Martin St Louis. “You have to understand the way you need to carry yourself on the ice every game to give yourself the best chance of winning. It doesn’t guarantee a win, but you understand what is needed to be done with and without the puck.” Pavel Zacha deflected a point shot from Charlie McAvoy past Montreal goalie Samuel Montembeault and into the top corner just 36 seconds into the game to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. Montembeault had 26 saves. Montreal’s best chance to equalize in the first period came when Sean Monahan and Gallagher found themselves on a two-on-one, with the latter hitting the post from a tight angle. The Canadiens scored two goals just 27 seconds apart in the first minute of the third period for a 2-1 lead. Suzuki’s shot from the right side drew them level 24 seconds in. Gallagher jumped on a rebound in the crease and scored Montreal’s second goal 51 seconds into the period. “It was a great 60 minutes. We couldn’t score in the first two periods, but we just kept fighting,” said Suzuki. “They’re a really hot team with a lot of great players. It’s definitely satisfying that all the work you’re putting in gets rewarded … I think we deserved that win.” “I think the first two minutes were a microcosm of the two periods," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. "We were lucky to be in the position we were in. We had players in moments playing OK, but for the majority it looked like it was a team thing, not an individual thing. So we have to look at what we’re doing to internally to get rest and have energy for games.” Boston thought it had the equalizer when Oskar Steen deflected a shot from the point. However, after Montreal challenged the play the goal was waved off because of goaltender interference. After failing to score on a 5-on-3 power play, Brad Marchand got on loose puck at the back post to tie it at 2 with a power-play goal. Jeremy Swayman finished with 24 saves for the Bruins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 15 Author Share Posted November 15 Game # 15 Bos 5 Buff 2 Pastrnak, with a goal and 2 assists, leads Boston Bruins to 5-2 win over Buffalo Sabres ByAP Updated: Nov 14, 2023, 11:06 pm BUFFALO, N.Y. -- — David Pastrnak had a goal and two assists to lead the Boston Bruins to a 5-2 victory against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. Danton Heinen, Brandon Carlo, Oskar Steen, and Hampus Lindholm all scored their first goals of the season and Linus Ullmark made 32 saves for the Bruins, who are 3-0-1 in their last four games. Pastrnak’s 11th goal of the season was the second of five straight goals scored by Boston. “(Pastrnak) allows you to have a lot of success as a team because he’s a difference maker, right,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “He makes people around him better. As good a goal scorer he is, he’s as equal a passer, and the way he competes as a leader on our team and our most skilled player, it shows everybody that you have to work to have success.” Victor Olofsson scored two goals for Buffalo. Devon Levi made 13 saves on 18 shots before he was replaced by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the second period. Luukkonen made 14 saves for Buffalo who are 1-2-1 in their last four. Heinen gave Boston a 1-0 lead when he put a rebound of Charlie McAvoy’s shot past Levi at 3:01 of the first period. Pastrnak made it 2-0 with a one-timer 1:08 later. Carlo made it 3-0 at 15:14 of the first when he scored on a 3-on-1 from a pass by Pastrnak. “I think the first period kind of set the game up,” Pastrnak said. “Obviously, it wasn’t a great game for us overall, there was mistakes but most importantly, we got the goals and we got the saves and we got the dub.” Steen gave Boston a 4-0 lead at 4:07 of the second period and Lindholm made it 5-0 with a power-play goal at 12:23. Olofsson cut the Bruins lead to 5-1 with his first goal of the season at 15:07 of the second period when he put the rebound of Owen Power’s shot off the end boards past Ullmark. His second at 15:02 of the third made it 5-2. “I feel like I just kind of attacked a little bit more,” Olofsson said. “I kind of searched those pucks around the net. I’m kind of not just looking for open ice. I tried to just go to the net and had a lucky bounce there, the first one. And then the second one, JJ (Peterka) found me with a great pass.” Sabres center Tage Thompson sustained an upper-body injury after he blocked a shot by McAvoy in the second period off his arm and did not return. Thompson was cut by a skate blade in a separate collision with McAvoy in the first period and left the game momentarily but returned for the second period. OKPOSO HITS MILESTONE Sabres captain Kyle Okposo played in his 1,000th NHL game on Tuesday. At 35 years old, Okposo is the 381st skater and 384th player in NHL history to play a thousand games in the league. Okposo made his NHL debut March 18, 2008. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 19 Author Share Posted November 19 Game # 16 Bos 5 Habs 2 Trent Frederic scores twice as the Bruins roll past the Canadiens 5-2 ByAP Updated: Nov 18, 2023, 10:39 pm BOSTON -- — Trent Frederic scored two goals, Brad Marchand collected his 500th career assist and the Boston Bruins cruised past longtime rivals the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 on Saturday night. Facing the Canadiens for the second time in eight days, Boston got some payback for a 3-2 overtime loss in Montreal last Saturday. Pavel Zacha, Charlie McAvoy and James van Riemsdyk also scored for the Bruins (13-1-2). Boston posted NHL records for wins (65) and points (135) last season. On a night when members of the 1970 and ’72 Stanley Cup-winning teams — led by Hall of Famers Bobby Orr and Johnny Bucyk — raised a banner to the rafters, the Bruins jumped out fast in the 759th regular-season meeting between the Original Six clubs. “When you bring a lot of people in town and there's a ceremony, you never know how the team is going to come out,” Marchand said. “I thought we had a great game. We kind of owed it to those guys. They're the ones that built the foundation that we try to uphold today. It's great that we were able to put a game like that in front of them.” Juraj Slafkovsky and Johnathan Kovacevic scored for the Canadiens, who lost a fourth straight. The Bruins are 11-0-1 in their last 12 games against Montreal. Jeremy Swayman, who took the OT loss last weekend, improved to 7-0-1 and made 20 saves. “I would love to be in their shoes doing the same thing one day,” Swayman said about the Cup winners. With Boston skating on a two-man, power-play advantage, McAvoy one-timed Marchand’s pass into the top left corner of the net from the right circle 7:11 into the opening period. Marchand picked up his milestone assist on the goal. “We were definitely more aggressive last week,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “We definitely initiated a lot more things, a lot more control. We forced them last week to be uncomfortable. They forced us tonight to be uncomfortable. They brought some heaviness.” Frederic’s first goal came with 40 seconds left in the opening period when he redirected Brandon Carlo’s shot past goalie Jake Allen. Zacha’s wrister from the slot deflected off the stick of a Canadiens’ player in front and trickled past Allen’s right skate, making it 3-0 at 5:18 of the second period. Frederic’s second goal came on a wrister with 4:30 left in the second, giving Boston a 4-1 edge. After they went up 5-1 in the third, the TD Garden fans started chanting and mocking the Canadiens with “Ole! Ole!” — a chant used when they play well in Montreal. “I thought we played the right way for 60 minutes — the way we want to play,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. Bruins star David Pastrnak missed a good amount of the opening period but returned to the bench late in the period. The Bruins said Milan Lucic is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team after he was involved in an undisclosed incident Friday night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 21 Author Share Posted November 21 Game # 17 Bos 4 Bolts 5 OT Hagel scores in OT as Lightning beat Eastern Conference-leading Bruins 5-4 1:10 Brandon Hagel takes down Bruins with OT winner ByAP Updated: Nov 20, 2023, 11:10 pm TAMPA, Fla. -- — Steven Stamkos scored the tying goal with 4.8 seconds left in regulation and Brandon Hagel got the winner on a breakaway 1:19 into overtime as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins 5-4 on Monday night. Tanner Jeannot, Nicholas Paul and Austin Watson scored for the Lightning (9-6-4). Jonas Johansson turned aside 22 shots. “We’re a good team, too,” Stamkos said. “We don’t have the same record because we’ve played a little reckless at times." Stamkos' goal came after Victor Hedman kept a clearing attempt in the Boston zone. Hedman also set up Hagel's goal. Stamkos tied Pat Verbeek for 38th place with 522 goals. Pavel Zacha, David Pastrnak, John Beecher and Charlie Coyle scored for Boston. Jeremy Swayman stopped 41 shots as the Bruins dropped to 13-1-3 on the season. “We hold ourselves at a pretty high level,” Coyle said. “Giving up points like that, it’s unacceptable in our dressing room. We’ve got to close these games out.” Tampa Bay star Nikita Kucherov skated gingerly off the ice midway through the second but returned for the third. “Kuch, I was surprised he came back,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “As soon as we came in after the second period, he says ”Oh no, I’m coming back.' I think that gave the guys a huge boost." Pastrnak and Beecher scored 1:21 apart midway through the third before Watson pulled Tampa Bay even at 3-3 just 57 seconds after Beecher's goal. Coyle then put Boston up 4-3 with 3:51 remaining, It's just the fourth time Boston has allowed more than two goals in a game. “You’ve got to play to the end,” Coyle said. After failing to score during a minute-long 5-on-3 power-play earlier in the second. Paul put the Lightning up 2-1 on a deflection of Mikhail Sergachev's man-advantage shot with 30 seconds left in the period. Tampa Bay's top-ranked home power play went 1 for 6 against the Bruins' league-best penalty kill. Boston failed to score on its two power plays. Pastrnak extended his point streak to seven games with a nifty pass from the low slot to set up Zacha’s goal that tied it at 1 midway through an up-tempo first period that Tampa Bay held a 19-12 shot advantage. Brad Marchand also assisted on Zacha’s goal amd moved past Lightning broadcaster Phil Esposito into fourth place in franchise history with 431 road points. The left wing has a point in six consecutive games. Stamkos also had an assist and has at least 40 points against 14 different franchises. Stamkos is the fourth active player to record the total against as many franchise, joining Alex Ovechkin (14), Evgeni Malkin (16) and Sidney Crosby (15). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 23 Author Share Posted November 23 Game # 18 Bos 3 Fla 1 Ullmark, NHL-leading Bruins remain hot, top Panthers 3-1 to improve to 14-1-3 on season 1:47 Boston Bruins vs. Florida Panthers: Full Highlights ByAP Updated: Nov 22, 2023, 10:23 pm SUNRISE, Fla. -- — Linus Ullmark stopped 27 shots, and the NHL-leading Boston Bruins topped the Florida Panthers 3-1 on Wednesday night in a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference quarterfinals. John Beecher and Jake DeBrusk scored in a 3:05 span of the second period to put Boston in control, and Charlie Coyle also scored for the Bruins. Anton Lundell scored for Florida, and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 22 shots. The Panthers saw their six-game winning streak on home ice snapped and lost for just the second time in their last nine games overall. “We were really good on the rush defense,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said of his team’s shutdown third-period performance. “We had a lot of numbers back, we were putting bodies on bodies and we had a little bit of time to make good breakout plays.” Boston improved to 14-1-3 on the season and 4-0-0 after losses. The Bruins have 31 of a possible 36 points so far — by far the best in the league, yet slightly behind their pace from last season when they had 32 points through 18 games. “We’ve only lost one game in regulation, so any time you’ve played this amount of games and have that, you’re doing something right,” DeBrusk said. “There are a lot of guys that are contributing in different ways and you need that to win. Our goaltending has been solid as well, and it bailed us out in a lot of games.” The 31 points after 18 games ties the fifth-most in NHL history. The only teams with more: the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks had 33 points, while the 1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers, the 1929-30 Bruins and last season’s Bruins each had 32 points. Boston finished with an NHL-record 135 points last season, yet still lost to Florida in seven games in the opening round of the playoffs. The Panthers went on to play in the Stanley Cup Final, but are 0-1-1 against the Bruins so far this season. “This is going to be a real good rivalry for five or six years,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said before the game. “Boston's been a great team for a long time. We're trying to get to that level.” The Panthers suffered their first multi-goal loss since Nov. 4 and fell to 12-6-1, but remain in second place in the Atlantic Division. Ullmark improved to 7-1-1 on the season. ”He is a good, big goalie,” Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said of Ullmark. “He likes to play the puck, so every time you rim it, he stops it and makes a play. Obviously, we found a way to get to him in the past and we’ll do it again someday.” The Panthers were again without captain Aleksander Barkov, who missed his second consecutive game with a knee injury. Barkov has been skating and Maurice said there is a chance — if the doctors approve — that the forward could play Friday against Winnipeg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 24 Author Share Posted November 24 Game #19 Bos 2 Wings 5 Alex DeBrincat, Red Wings knock off NHL-best Bruins for 2nd time, 5-2 ByAP Nov 24, 2023, 04:00 pm BOSTON -- — Alex DeBrincat and J.T. Compher each had a goal and an assist, and the Detroit Red Wings beat Boston 5-2 on Friday for their second victory over the NHL-leading Bruins this season. Robby Fabbri, Dylan Larkin and David Perron also scored for the Red Wings, who are the only team to beat Boston (14-2-3) in regulation. Shayne Gostisbehere had two assists and Ville Husso stopped 25 shots. In their third meeting in a month — the Bruins won the first game on Oct. 28 — Detroit took advantage of six Boston penalties to improve to 10-0-2 when scoring four or more goals. Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen scored for the Bruins, who had been 5-0-2 since losing at Detroit on Nov. 4. Jeremy Swayman made 24 saves on his 25th birthday. Despite a 16-save shutout Wednesday against New Jersey, Alex Lyon was the Red Wings’ backup. Husso had allowed at least four goals in his past three starts, but he was sharp until DeBrusk knocked home his own rebound on the power play to get the Bruins within 2-1 early in the second period. It was DeBrusk’s second goal in as many games after managing one in his first 16 games. But Husso kept the surging Bruins at bay until Fabbri scored on a wrist shot from the faceoff circle at 13:24 of the second. Heinen’s wrist shot 4:12 into the third got the Bruins within a goal. But Brandon Carlo was called for hooking less than a minute later and Larkin scored five seconds into the power play to give Detroit another two-goal cushion. Perron added an empty-netter with 1:45 left. Boston coach Jim Montgomery gave veteran James van Riemsdyk the day off in the team’s traditional Black Friday home matinee, with Morgan Geekie returning to the lineup. An early Geekie miscue and an odd bounce put the Bruins in a hole. With Geekie serving a holding penalty, Compher redirected Gostisbehere’s shot at 5:13. The puck bounced off Swayman’s chest and trickled between his legs. The Red Wings made it 2-0 late in the first period when DeBrincat pickpocketed rookie Matt Poitras in the neutral zone, skated in alone and wristed a shot past Swayman for his team-high 12th goal. Boston couldn’t overcome the sleepy start and lost in regulation at home for just the fifth time in 50 regular-season home games over the past two seasons. After using 11 forwards and seven defensemen for several games this season, including their first victory over Boston, the Red Wings had a traditional 12-6 lineup with Jake Walman (illness) scratched. It worked as Detroit won its second straight after returning from 0-1-1 trip to Sweden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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