Boston Bruins 2018/19 Season Chatter

[Brewin Flames]

 

I will post game recaps after each game, and talk about the season as it goes, just getting the thread started in advance.

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 1

Bruins Stumble in Season-Opening Loss

7-0 setback in Washington was team's worst Opening Night defeat in history

by Eric Russo @NHLBruins / BostonBruins.com

 1:11 AM

 

 

WASHINGTON - And so it goes.

 

When it comes to the Bruins' troubles with the Washington Capitals, a new season did little to change their fortunes. The 2018-19 campaign got off to a nightmare start on Wednesday night with a 7-0 thrashing at the hands of the defending Stanley Cup champions.

 

"Not the game that you want to have coming into the season," Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said following Boston's 13th straight loss to the Capitals. "A lot to think about and a lot to improve. The good thing is we play tomorrow. It's a quick turnaround and we know we have to be better.

"We have to be competing every shift, every time we're out there. It's a very competitive league. If you don't compete, you're gonna get exposed and that's what we got tonight."

 

 

For coach Bruce Cassidy, the most concerning part of Boston's Opening Night debacle was that lack of competitiveness.

 

"It's Opening Night, guys would be a little hungrier to play," said Cassidy. "I did not expect this effort. I expected a much better effort. You never know what the end result is gonna be, but I did not expect this effort. I expected us to play the typical way the Bruins do, hard to play against, we defend the slot, we're on top of people, but none of that happened tonight."

 

The seven-goal setback was Boston's worst opening night loss in team history and the first time they've been shutout in the season's first game since 1955. Fortunately for the Bruins, they have an opportunity to get right back at it on Thursday night with a visit to the Buffalo Sabres.

"A lot of work to do to say the least," said Bergeron.

 

"It was embarrassing to be out there. Gotta be a lot better. Hopefully we can use [Thursday's] game to be refreshed and reset. There's gonna be a lot of things that we have to be better at."

 

 October 3rd, 2018

More notes and observations from the Bruins' loss to the Capitals:

False Start

The Bruins' struggles began early and never dissipated. Washington scored twice in the opening two minutes (T.J. Oshie at :24 and Evgeny Kuznetsov at 1:24 on the power play), before exploding for three goals in a span of 3:11 in the second to open up a 5-0 lead.

"Off the start they came out hard and we just didn't have any pushback," said Brad Marchand. "We got down early. We have to be able to push back in situations like that, 2-0 game with essentially a whole game left - it was two minutes into the game - we didn't do that tonight."

 

Switching It Up

Following Washington's fifth goal, Cassidy opted to pull Tuukka Rask (14 saves on 19 shots) in favor of backup Jaro Halak, who stopped 16 of the 18 shots he faced, including a sprawling save on Nathan Walker in the third.

 

"He played well," said Cassidy. "He was, I guess, our best player. That's probably never good when your back up goalie is your best player. But I thought he really played well."

"I'm not putting this on Tuukka," he added. "I think our core, in general, needed to be a lot better. They're supposed to be the leaders and come out and play like that and the kids follow. Neither the leading, nor the following, happened."

 

 

Rask, who started just two games during the preseason, said he felt prepared heading into the opener and took responsibility for what he acknowledged was a subpar performance.

 

"I felt fine," said Rask. "Couple of quick goals there and you try to tell yourself to keep battling, it's gonna turn around and then something positive will happen…made a couple saves in the first.

 

"I felt good, just one of those games that you can't find it, can't make those saves."

Cassidy had originally planned for Halak to start on Thursday night in Buffalo, but noted that could change given the circumstances.

 

"I don't know what we're gonna do tomorrow," said Cassidy. "They each played half a game. That's something we'll discuss internally. Generally, yes, he'd be back in there, but the way that it worked out tonight we may have to look at that."

 

When it comes to any other lineup changes for Thursday night's tilt with the Sabres, Cassidy said the coaching staff would discuss every possibility, but believes in the group he assembled against the Capitals.

 

"This is a group we put a lot of trust in, so we're going to have to take a step back," said Cassidy. "And you say, 'Watch the video' - we lost 7-0, the video is probably gonna reaffirm what we know…we didn't compete nearly hard enough, we didn't execute very well at all.

"We weren't in the same class as the Capitals tonight, plain and simple. We'll discuss that if there's something we feel will help us, but at the end of the day this group of players is what we're relying on."

 

Bergeron Returns

 

Despite missing the entire preseason as he rehabbed from offseason groin surgery and subsequent back spasms, Bergeron was in the lineup in his customary spot as the Bruins' first-line center. Bergeron was not particularly pleased with his overall play, but recognized it will take some time for him to get fully up to speed.

 

"Obviously I didn't feel good out there, I don't think anyone did, to be honest with you," said Bergeron, who won 80 percent of his faceoffs, but was a minus-2 in just over 15 minutes of ice time.

 

"I was expecting, I was hoping, for a better outcome, obviously. But I knew it was probably gonna be one of those things that I needed a few games to feel better. That being said, I felt better as the game went on. But obviously not good enough."

Marchand Drops 'Em

The frustration boiled over late in the third when Marchand dropped the gloves with Washington forward Lars Eller. Marchand was unhappy with Ellers' celebration following his goal that put the Capitals ahead, 7-0.

 

"The celebration. It was unnecessary," said Marchand, who was also assessed a 10-minute misconduct and a minor for instigating. "Took an angle in front of our bench and celebrated in a 7-0 game. Just let him know."

[Brewin Flames]

I have to say, that was a horrid way to open the season, they just looked out of sync and disconbobulated all night long...Meh

[yave1964]

Yeah I have watched enough of the banner raising ceremonies to know the raisy usually loses.  Someone forgot to tell the Caps apparently  lol. 

[Brewin Flames]

Nope, caps were in ass kicking mode already...

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Well, yeah, Caps definitely played like the champions they are.

Over the long haul, I think the Bruins will be the better defensive team and we all know defense takes a bit more time to round into shape than offense in this league.

Only 1-game in, certainly not the way any team wants to start out, but I think Boston is a top three team in the Atlantic

 

That said, the Bruins ARE a competitor to the TB Lightning, so unlike the Flames, who I can sorta root for under the right circumstances, I don't mind seeing the Bruins like this, @Brewin Flames !! 

Of course, I play fantasy hockey and I do have Tuukka Rask on one of my teams.....…………. 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 2

 

Halak stops 32 shots; Bruins rebound to beat Sabres 4-0

 

By JOHN WAWROW

AP Hockey Writer

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Brad Marchand was relieved in seeing how the Boston Bruins went from what the forward called "brutal" one night to much better the next.

Marchand set up all four goals and Jaroslav Halak stopped 32 shots in a 4-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, a day after Boston opened the season with an embarrassing 7-0 loss at Washington.

"When you have a game like last night, it can definitely make you a little nervous about how things are going to go," Marchand said. "But I think this just gave us the confidence that we know we can settle down and bounce back."

Captain Zdeno Chara and rookie Ryan Donato staked the Bruins to a 2-0 lead by the 15:34 mark of the first period. David Pastrnak scored in the second and Patrice Bergeron capped the victory with an empty-net goal with 12 seconds left.

The new-look Sabres, featuring rookie No. 1 draft pick Rasmus Dahlin and Jack Eichel as captain, more resembled the team that finished last in the standings for the third time in five years. After receiving rousing cheers upon being introduced before the opening faceoff in their season opener, the Sabres were booed off the ice following the first and second periods.

"Obviously, I think their fuse is a bit short for us, and rightfully so," Eichel said, referring to fans' impatience. "We haven't played well the last few years. That's on us to put a better product on the ice."

It's been a familiar lament for the Sabres. Dating to last season, Buffalo has lost five straight overall and six in a row at home - including three shutout losses. The Sabres dropped to 0-5-1 in their past six season openers. They were shut out for the fourth time to open a season, and first since a 2-0 loss at Philadelphia in 2003.

Buffalo failed to score despite playing much of the final five minutes with the goalie pulled for an extra attacker.

Halak got the start a night after allowing two goals on 18 shots in replacing starter Tuukka Rask, who was yanked midway through the second period against Washington. The shutout was the 43rd of Halak's career.

"We all knew it just wasn't good enough yesterday and we needed to come back tonight and bounce back, and that's what we did," said Halak, who signed with Boston in July.

Chara opened the scoring 6:33 in, when he was allowed to skate in alone up the left side and beat offseason free-agent addition Carter Hutton on the short side.

Hutton finished with 22 saves and had no chance on Donato's power-play goal nine minutes later. Donato was alone driving to the right post, where he redirected Marchand's pass from the high slot.

The 18-year-old Dahlin had an inconsistent night and at times looked hesitant in being matched with several defensive partners. He was on the ice for the Bruins' third goal in allowing David Krejci's pass through the crease go directly through his legs. The pass set up Pastrnak, who scored while being left alone at the left post.

Dahlin finished second among Buffalo players with 22 minutes and 37 seconds of ice time, and was credited with two hits and one giveaway.

"Yeah, it was a little bit faster," Dahlin said of the game's pace. "I learned how a regular-season game is. I'm just looking forward to the next game. We've got to do better."

[Brewin Flames]

Granted, they played a (imo) much weaker buffalo team, but i'll take the 4-0 win, good for Halak, and the bruins looked much better in game #2

[BluPuk]

If the Boston Bruins are not competing for first place in their division I will be very, very surprised. They haven't got the talent they have had in past years, but they still have 'guts'. My second favourite team to watch. 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 3

 

Boston 6 Sens 3

 

Bergeron has hat trick, Pastrnak adds 4 points as B's roll

BOSTON -- Patrice Bergeron had a hat trick, scoring his first just 30 seconds into the game, and Tuukka Rask stopped 28 shots to earn his first win of the season while leading the Boston Bruins to a 6-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Monday.

Bergeron also had an assist, David Pastrnak had two goals and two assists and Charlie McAvoy had his first career three-assist game for Boston.

Brad Marchand picked up his fifth, sixth and seventh assists in three games so far this season, and Chris Wagner also scored for the Bruins in their home opener.

It was their fifth straight victory over Ottawa and their second straight win this season since losing the opener 7-0 to the Washington Capitals on the night they raised their Stanley Cup championship banner.

Ryan Dzingel scored twice for the Senators, who picked up a 5-on-3 power play with about 12 minutes left but failed to score. Mike Condon made 24 saves for Ottawa.

The 2014 Vezina Trophy winner, Rask was pulled from the opener against Washington after allowing five goals on 19 shots in less than 28 minutes. Backup Jaroslav Halak replaced him and also started the second game, a 4-0 win over Buffalo on Thursday.

Rask was spotted a 2-0 lead in Monday's matinee, thanks to Bergeron's goal off a rebound in the crease in the first minute. The Bruins forward also scored on a power play from the right faceoff circle with three minutes left in the first.

It was 3-2 after two periods when Bergeron scored off Ottawa defenseman Cody Ceci's knee 4:38 into the third, sending a shower of caps onto the ice. Pastrnak made it 5-2 with 3 1/2 minutes left, but Bobby Ryan cut the deficit back to two goals just 30 seconds later.

Pastrnak added an empty-netter from mid-ice.

Game notes

Boston fans broke into a couple of "Yankees Suck!" chants in the third period.

[Brewin Flames]

They got off to a fast start, which was nice, and Tuukka once again let in a few shaky ones...a win is a win, but then again the sens are a team they SHOULD beat with ease.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 4

Marchand, Nordstrom score in 36-second span, Bruins win

 

 

---

ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

Updated: 6 hours ago

 

BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins couldn't stop Edmonton star Connor McDavid. They did shut down the rest of the Oilers.

 

The Bruins answered McDavid's early goal by scoring three straight in the first period and shut down the frustrated Oilers the rest of the way in a 4-1 victory Thursday night.

 

"It's hard to stop a guy like that. Sometimes it happens with an early one. You just have to chip away," Boston's David Krejci said. "We responded really well.

 

David Pastrnak tied it with his fourth goal of the season at 9:20, then the Bruins got back-to-back goals from Brad Marchand and Joakim Nordstrom in a 36-second span and Boston led 3-1.

 

That was plenty of offense for Jaroslav Halak, who stopped 25 shots in his home debut for Boston to help the Bruins win their third straight.

 

"We don't give them anything easy. We defended well tonight," Halak said.

 

Halak didn't allow anything past him after McDavid blew through the Boston defense and slipped one in at 3:43 for his first goal of the season.

 

Cam Talbot had 28 saves for Edmonton and kept it close, but the Oilers never recovered after Boston took control in the first.

 

"We had a couple that were inches away," Edmonton's Ryan Nugent-Hopkinssaid. "We've just got to keep pushing through that."

 

The Oilers were playing only their second game of the season after falling 5-2 to New Jersey on Saturday in Sweden.

 

"We didn't create a lot of offense and when we finally did, the bounces didn't go our way," Edmonton coach Todd McLellan said. "I thought we had the start that we wanted to have."

 

Patrice Bergeron added an empty-netter in the final minute and finished with a goal and an assist.

 

Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk had a pair of assists for the Bruins. They have won three straight since getting shut out by Washington 7-0 in the season opener.

 

After Pastrnak tied it on a power-play goal, slipping the puck between his own legs and beating Talbot with a backhand, Marchand gave Boston its first lead at 14:37 on another power play off a centering pass from Grzelcyk. Nordstrom scored again for Boston 36 seconds later on a give-and-go with Krejci.

 

"It was really important that we got the next two goals," Pastrnak said.

 

Edmonton just missed on two opportunities in the third. Boston captain Zdeno Chara poked the puck away after a shot by Nugent-Hopkins slid along the goal line behind Halak as Edmonton's Ty Rattie raised his arms, thinking Edmonton had scored.

 

Play continued and replays showed the puck didn't cross.

 

The Oilers were short-handed a few minutes later when Tobias Rieder got a breakaway on Halak, who stretched out for a save with his left pad to preserve the two-goal lead.

 

 

[JR Ewing]

@Brewin Flames I was impressed by Grzelcyk last night. Beautiful skater.

 

[Brewin Flames]

He has some wheels, but looks shaky sometimes....

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 5

 

Bos 8 Wings 2

 

Pastrnak gets hat trick, Bruins rout winless Red Wings 8-2

BOSTON (AP) David Pastrnak scored three times, giving him 101 goals in his career, and Patrice Bergeron had three assists as the Boston Bruins kept Detroit winless with an 8-2 victory over the Red Wings on Saturday.

It was the second career hat trick for Pastrnak, the 22-year-old Czech who has scored seven times in five games this season.

Jake DeBrusk scored twice and David Krejci had a pair of assists for the Bruins, who also got goals from Charlie McAvoy, Anders Bjork and Sean Kuraly.

Tuukka Rask had 32 saves to help Boston win its fourth straight while outscoring opponents 20-6 since getting shut out by Washington 7-0 in the season opener.

Filip Hronek and Dylan Larkin scored for the Red Wings, who fell to 0-5 for the first time since 1980. Jonathan Bernier had 31 saves for Detroit, which broke up the shut out on Hronek's power-play goal 21 seconds into the third, briefly cutting Boston's lead to 4-1.

Detroit has lost its last 10 against Boston.

The start time was moved up to 3 p.m. from 7 p.m. because of the opener of the American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Saturday night. Boston fans were looking ahead with the Bruins up big in the third period, chanting "Let's Go Red Sox!"

Pastrnak started the rout with 51 seconds left in the first period, taking the puck from deep in his own zone and going untouched before beating Bernier with a wrist shot for his 99th career goal.

Pastrnak got his 100th early in the second on a power-play, on one-timing a pass from Bergeron to put Boston up 4-0, and completed the hat trick at 2:05 into the period on one-timer off a pass from Brad Marchand on a 2-on-1. The game was stopped for a few minutes to clean up the dozens of hats that came showering down from the seats.

Bergeron got his third assist on the play. He set up Pastrnak's first goal and had another assist off a faceoff win and drop pass to McAvoy for a one-timer 4:44 into the second to put the Bruins up 2-0.

Notes: Pastrnak reached 100 goals in 259 career games, the third-fastest in franchise history, trailing only Barry Pederson (187) and Dit Clapper (247)

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 6

 

Frolik scores twice, leads Flames past Bruins 5-2

CALGARY, Alberta -- Michael Frolik went from healthy scratch to catalyst for the Calgary Flames.

Frolik scored two goals to lead the Flames to a 5-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night.

"It feels good when you can help the team win the game," the veteran winger said.

Frolik had to watch his teammates edge the Avalanche 3-2 in overtime Saturday in Colorado.

"I didn't have the start I was looking for, but it's a long season," he said. "I just try to work hard in practice, get better every day and hopefully it's going to turn around.

"Tonight was a good start. Hopefully I can keep going."

Johnny Gaudreau collected his 100th NHL goal and rookie defenseman Juusu Valimaki scored his first for the Flames. Matthew Tkachuk added an empty-net goal.

Mikael Backlund and Michael Stone each had two assists as Calgary won its second straight home game. Goaltender Mike Smith stopped 24 of 26 shots in the win.

"I like the fact we have the ability to generate offense. Now, we'll work on other things," Calgary coach Bill Peters said. "We're not quite there defensively or our play away from the puck in the neutral zone, but when we get there, we'll be a much better team."

Patrice Bergeron had a goal and an assist for the Bruins. Brad Marchand also scored. Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask turned away 24 shots in the loss.

"I don't think we were as clean as we needed to be obviously against a team that forechecks and checks well," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. "That was clearly an issue throughout the game. Execution wasn't good enough to beat a good hockey team."

The Bruins trailed 4-2 heading into the final period.

Marchand was lightly defended when he scored at 13:45 of the second, taking a pass from Bergeron and scoring past Smith.

Frolik nearly completed a hat trick on a short-handed breakaway, but his backhanded shot sailed over the Boston net. The Czech's second goal came results from a Boston turnover in the offensive zone. Backlund flipped the puck across the slot, and Frolik tapped it over Rask's stick at 3:32.

On Boston's first rush after killing off Calgary's two-man advantage, Bergeron scored at 2:40 on a give-and-go with David Krejci.

What appeared to be a goal by David Pastrnak late in the first period didn't survive a coach's challenge by Calgary's Bill Peters. The Bruins were ruled offside.

Valimaki's first NHL goal gave the Flames a 3-0 lead at 16:08 of the first period.

With Sam Bennett in front of Rask, the 20-year-old Valimaki's shot from the top of the circle rolled over the goaltender and over the goal line.

"I was happy actually finding out it was mine. Pretty awkward moment at the start because I didn't know it was mine," Valimaki said. "All the guys on the bench said `it's yours' and it felt great."

Gaudreau collected his milestone goal at 15:20. At the top of the crease, Sean Monahan batted the puck down low to the winger, and Gaudreau scored from a tough angle.

Frolik had half an open net for a target following a nice passing play by Tkachuk and Backlund. Tkachuk hustled into the offensive zone to backhand the puck to Backlund, who was moving into the slot. Backlund flipped the puck over to Frolik to score at 4:36.

Game notes

Flames: Gaudreau crumpled after taking a high hit from Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy in the third period. Gaudreau played another shift, but was then pulled from the game for concussion protocol. Calgary head coach Bill Peters did not have an update on Gaudreau after the game.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 7

Leon Draisiatl scores in overtime, Oilers beat Bruins 3-2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

0:09

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0:19

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•  

 

 

 

 

 

Oilers defeat the Bruins 3-2 after Leon Draisaitl nets the game-winning goal in overtime.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EDMONTON, Alberta -- The Edmonton Oilers were one of the final teams in the NHL to play their home opener, and they made the most of their home ice advantage.

 

Leon Draisaitl scored in overtime to give the Oilers a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.

Connor McDavid set up the winner at 37 seconds of the extra period, and Kailer Yamamoto and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored to help the Oilers win their third straight.

"It feels pretty weird having played four games and traveling all over the place and just finally playing our home opener," Nugent-Hopkins said. "This was great for the team. You have to make your home building a tough barn to come into every night and I thought as the game went on we did that."

Cam Talbot was solid in net, making 27 saves in the win.

"He held us in the game, it is as simple as that," Draisaitl said. "We all know what we have in him and are very proud to have him back there. He does this so many times for us. It was nice to bail him out at the end."

David Krejci and David Pastrnak scored for Boston. The Bruins have dropped two in a row.

"There was definitely some really good opportunities, it didn't happen for us, but I thought we persevered," Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said. "We got behind in the third, but to score a goal to tie the game, I thought was a credit to our guys. Obviously we didn't get the win, but it's certainly a positive."

Boston opened the scoring midway through the second period following an Edmonton giveaway. Krejci was left alone at the side of the net for his first goal of the season. The Oilers soon tied it on Yamamoto's first NHL goal.

"It feels even better than I thought it would," said Yamamoto. "Words can't even describe it. It was an unbelievable feeling."

Off McDavid's assist, Nugent-Hopkins put Edmonton ahead on a power play 7:30 into the third period. Nugent-Hopkins has seven points in the last three games.

Boston tied it with 8:34 to go when Brad Marchand fed it in front to Pastrnak for his eighth.

Game notes

Edmonton was the last of the NHL's 31 teams to have its home opener. The Oilers played their first four games on the road, including starting the season in Sweden. It is the latest Edmonton has ever had its home opener in a non-lockout season. ... Zdeno Chara played his 900th regular season game with the Bruins. The 41-year-old has played in 1,429 games over 21 NHL seasons.

 

 

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 8

 1  2 OT

Horvat scores in overtime, Canucks top Bruins 2-1

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Vancouver Canucks coach Travis Green wanted his two top forwards off the ice for a line change. Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser didn't listen, and Green was glad.

The pair teamed up to score the game-winning goal in overtime.

Horvat scored at 3:12 of the extra period, off an assist from Boeser, and the Canucks edged the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Saturday night.

"(I was) screaming at them to change then telling them great job after the goal," Green said.

"They had a little juice left. Guys usually find some juice when there's a chance to score. ... So I was happy they stayed."

Brandon Sutter scored for the Canucks in regulation, and Joakim Nordstrom scored for the Bruins.

Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 30 shots. Jaroslav Halak turned away 20 of 22 shots for the Bruins.

Saturday marked the second time Horvat and Boeser have joined forces to put in an overtime winner this season. Both said they were tiring when the opportunity presented itself against the Bruins.

"I was ready to change, but it was a great play by Bo to get it over to me and I just wanted to get it back to him and give him a chance to score," Boeser said.

Horvat agreed.

"It definitely was a heck of a play," he said.

"Brock and I have some good chemistry out there and thankfully the pucks are going in right now."

Sutter opened the scoring less than four minutes into the game following a scramble in front of Boston's net. The center grabbed the puck from the fracas and slipped it in under Halak's leg for his third of the season.

After a scoreless second period, the Bruins came out fired up in the third, pressing the Canucks defense and repeatedly putting shots on net.

Nordstrom tied it midway through the period, ripping a shot from the top of the face-off circle. The puck skimmed Markstrom's left glove as it sailed into the back of the net.

Boston's John Moore and Matt Grzelcyk were credited with the assists. It was Moore's 100th NHL point.

Nordstrom also seemed to spark some animosity between the clubs.

Horvat hit the Swedish center midway through the second period, a move that Boston's Noel Acciari apparently took issue with.

Horvat and Acciari dropped their gloves and traded blows, with Horvat knocking off Acciari's helmet, and Acciari eventually tossing Horvat to the ice.

It was Horvat's second NHL fight. He previously took on Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse in April 2017.

For Boston, the loss in Vancouver marked the end of a disappointing road trip. The Bruins also dropped a 5-2 decision in Calgary earlier this week and lost 3-2 to the Oilers in overtime on Thursday.

"Definitely it doesn't go the way we wanted on this trip but we lost back-to-back in overtime and that can go either way," right winger David Pastrnak said after Saturday's game.

"But today was not a great first period, so try to start on time and play 60 minutes. At the end of the day I still think we were the better team after the first but we didn't score enough goals."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 9

 4  1

Pastrnak, Bergeron combine for 7 points, Bruins beat Sens


David Pastrnak nets a pair of goals in the Bruins' 4-1 win and is now tied with Auston Matthews for the most goals in the NHL with 10.

OTTAWA, Ontario -- David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron put on a show, and Tuukka Rask made it stand for the Boston Bruins.

Pastrnak had two goals and two assists, Bergeron added a goal and two assists and the Bruins beat the Ottawa Senators 4-1 on Tuesday night.

The Bruins (5-2-2) snapped a three-game skid and beat the Senators for the second time this season. David Krejci scored his second of the season, and Rask made 38 saves.

Rask had allowed 14 goals in his first four starts this season.

"Tuukka gave us the saves we needed, for his own self as well," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said.

Thomas Chabot scored the lone goal for the Senators (4-3-1), who ended a three-game winning streak to wrap a season high five-game homestand with a 3-2-0 record as they depart for a three-game trip Thursday.

"We had 39 shots against a good team like that means we did enough to score some goals, but their goalie was very good," said Senators coach Guy Boucher. "Maybe we could have had more screens in front of him, we'll look at the video, but when you have 39 shots you have plenty of chances."

Craig Anderson stopped 28 shots.

Boston made it 3-1 just 21 seconds into the third on the power play. Bergeron tipped Pastrnak's shot, and then put the game out of reach as Brad Marchand dangled his way around Dylan DeMelo and found Pastrnak alone at the side for his second of the night.

"I was kind of looking for (Pastrnak) the whole way, but I didn't see a good lane," said Marchand. "He reached, I teached and luckily it went in."

Trailing 1-0, the Senators tied it late in the second as Chabot scored a power-play goal from just inside the blue line, but the Bruins quickly regained the lead.

Already shorthanded, the Senators were called for too many men, giving the Bruins a two-man advantage. They scored on their first shot as Krejci beat a sprawled Anderson.

"It was big (to get two points)," Pastrnak said. "Even though we had two points on this trip we haven't won and, obviously, every loss feels tough, so good that we (played) hard and got a big win for us."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 10

 3  0

Chara scores twice, Halak stops 26 and Bruins top Flyers 3-0

Zdeno Chara nets two goals for the Bruins in 3-0 win over the Flyers.

BOSTON -- Boston's defense provided all the offense the Bruins needed, and then some.

Zdeno Chara scored twice, Jaroslav Halak stopped 26 shots and the Bruins beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 on Thursday night.

"If I can contribute to the offense, it's always nice, but I think that we are more proud of keeping our net clean from the pucks going in," said Chara, who gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead 13 minutes into the second period and added an empty-netter with 23 seconds left.

Fittingly, Halak got the only assist on Chara's second goal as he capped off his second shutout as a Bruin and 44th of his career.

"Every time you start a game or play a game, you're hoping to get a win," Halak said. "If you can get a shutout, that's always more special."

Brian Elliott kept Philadelphia close with 22 saves, but the punchless Flyers couldn't capitalize on the few chances they had to beat Halak. Philadelphia's frustration boiled over in the third period, when the Flyers hurt their own chances to rally with six penalties.

"We have to push it in the right direction a little bit harder. That takes mental toughness right now because obviously we're going through a tough stretch here and this was a tough loss tonight," Philadelphia coach Dave Hakstol said.

Jake DeBrusk also scored for the Bruins, who improved to 6-0-2 in their last eight against Philadelphia and 9-0-1 in the last 10 meetings in Boston.

Chara's goal 13 minutes into the second period put Boston up 1-0, and DeBrusk scored a power-play goal on a tip-in with 2:32 left in the second.

"Any time you can give yourself a cushion with the way Jiro has been playing, it's always nice," DeBrusk said. "We were just playing smart."

The Flyers have lost two straight -- getting outscored by a 7-1 margin -- and three of four.

"We've got to find a way to score some goals," Philadelphia's Sean Couturier said. "We're trying to put pucks in the net. We're just not jumping on loose pucks and capitalizing on our chances."

The Bruins improved to 4-0 at home, where they last played Oct. 13 in an 8-2 rout of the Detroit Red Wings.

Halak was in position the few times he was tested, stopping a one-timer by Claude Giroux from the right circle with about eight minutes left in the second period. The Bruins got it going the other way and took a 1-0 lead on Chara's slap shot from the blue line through traffic. It was the 197th goal of Chara's career and first since the second game of the season.

[Brewin Flames]

I actually thought this game started out boring AF, almost fell asleep on the couch, glad i didn't.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 11

 0  3

Price, Canadiens blank Bruins, 3-0


Montreal scores three times in route to a 3-0 victory over Boston.

BOSTON -- Carey Price knew he had a lot of help in front of him and was more than willing to credit them.

Price stopped 33 shots for his first shutout of the season, collecting his 290th career win with Montreal to move into second place in team history in the Canadiens' 3-0 win over the Boston Bruins on Saturday night.

"Shutouts should be a team stat, really," he said. "Everybody did an excellent job on defense tonight."

Price moved ahead of Hall of Famer Patrick Roy and is now only behind Jacques Plante -- another Hall of Famer -- who collected 314 victories with the Canadiens.

Brendan Gallagher and Max Domi scored 1:21 apart midway into the first period and Price took over from there.

"We did what we had to do in the third period to protect the lead and get the win," said Canadiens coach Claude Julien, who coached Boston's 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team.

The Canadiens snapped a six-game losing streak against the Bruins, with the last victory coming at home on November 8, 2016. It was Price's 41st career shutout.

"It's always nice to get that," he said of the shutout. "A little bit of icing on the cake."

The Bruins lost for the first time at home this season after winning their first four -- all in regulation. They were the last NHL team to lose at home. Tuukka Rask made 20 saves.

Gallagher gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead 9:18 into the game when he beat Rask on a tough-angle shot. The winger fired a wrister from the right circle that slipped into the net between Rask's left arm and the post.

During a delayed penalty, Domi's hustle led to his goal that made it 2-0 at 10:39. Artturi Lehkonen was hooked breaking in alone and the puck slid behind the net where it collected it and sent it out front. Domi charged in, got the puck and shifted Rask out of position before firing it into the net under the cross bar.

The game lacked any real intensity in the first meeting of the season between the longtime rivals; mainly because Montreal dominated defensively, limiting Boston's chances with tight defense.

"There's a lot of things that we didn't do," Boston's Patrice Bergeron said. "Obviously, he's a great goalie, but I don't think his job was very hard tonight."

The Bruins pulled Rask with just under three minutes to play for an extra skater, and even that didn't get them any good scoring chances before Jordie Benn banked home any empty-netter with 29 seconds left.

Boston's Ryan Donato had a goal waved off early in the second period after a coach's challenge. The play was ruled offside after a replay review.

Boston's lack of offensive punch in the opening two periods did very little to excite the sold-out crowd. Even a video showing Red Sox highlights only brought loud cheers for a few seconds.

"They have a lot of smaller forwards who are able to get in on the forecheck and force teams to make plays they don't want to," Boston defenseman Matt Grzelcyk said. "They did that to us pretty well tonight."

Montreal's defense did a good job of giving up most of the shots from far outside where Price was able to handle them easily. The Bruins' best bid came in the closing seconds of second period when Price made a splendid glove save on Joakim Nordtsrom's wrist shot.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 12

 3  2

Marchand, Bruins stop Hurricanes 3-2


Brad Marchand warps around the back of the net and sneaks a goal in to give Boston the 3-2 victory over Carolina.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Brad Marchand has been in a bit of a scoring slump in the first month of the season. That all changed with a visit to one of his favorite opponents.

Marchand scored the tying and go-ahead goals and the Boston Bruins continued their dominance of the Carolina Hurricanes with a 3-2 victory on Tuesday night.

Marchand scored the tying goal with 18 seconds left in the second period and the eventual game-winner just over five minutes into the third period as Boston improved to 11-0-5 in its last 16 meetings with Carolina. The Hurricanes haven't beaten the Bruins in regulation since April 2013.

Marchand has led that charge recently, with 11 points (five goals, six assists) in his last six games against the Hurricanes.

"It's been a little tough, I don't think I'd really been pulling my weight," said Marchand, who had two goals in 11 games before matching that total Tuesday. "It was nice to get a couple tonight. It all starts with big plays from other guys. I was just the beneficiary."

David Pastrnak scored and Patrice Bergeron had three assists for the Bruins. Jaroslav Halak made 42 saves.

Micheal Ferland and Dougie Hamilton scored for the Hurricanes, who have lost five of seven after a 4-0-1 start. Sebastian Aho recorded an assist for the 12th straight game, tying the NHL record held by Wayne Gretzky and Ken Linseman for most consecutive games with an assist to open a season.

Scott Darling stopped 28 shots in his first start of the season after returning from an ankle injury.

"We gotta learn that you can't take a breath out on the ice," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "That's what happened and, to me, that cost us the game."

In an all-too-familiar script, the Hurricanes had the upper hand early before fading late. Ferlund stuffed home a rebound for a power-play goal to open the scoring in the first period. After Pastrnak's bad angle slap shot along the goal line oddly curled around Darling's body and tied the score in the second, the Hurricanes appeared poised to take a lead into the final period when Hamilton's slap shot from the point sailed over Halak's right shoulder with 1:27 to go in the second.

But Marchand and Bergeron spoiled those plans. In a tremendous individual effort, Bergeron caught Warren Foegele from behind on a breakaway and fired a pass the length of the ice to Marchand, who took advantage of a Hurricanes line change and stood alone on the Carolina blue line.

Marchand received Bergeron's pass, moved into the faceoff circle, and fired a wrist shot past Darling's outstretched right pad, tying the score with 18 seconds left in the period and stealing the momentum.

"It starts with Bergie on the wall winning a battle," Marchand said. "I just knew I had a forward beside me and I figured if I could get by him I'd have a good opportunity."

Marchand turned that momentum into a lead in the third. Just over five minutes in, the Bruins' speedster raced down the left side of the ice along the wall, deked Darling on the left post and flew around the net, scoring on a wraparound that gave the Bruins their first lead, and the only one they would need.

"That's kind of how (Marchand) is, he makes something happen out of nothing," Bergeron said. "So you just try to send him and after that he just kind of finds a way."

The stunned Hurricanes never recovered, managing only eight shots in the final period after recording 36 in the first two.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 13

 0  1

B's Offense Lacking in Loss to Predators

Rinne shuts door as Boston falls 1-0 in Nashville
by Eric Russo @NHLBruins / BostonBruins.com

NASHVILLE - Pekka Rinne celebrated his 36th birthday on Saturday. Unfortunately, the Bruins weren't able to ruin his party.

The former Vezina Trophy winner, who was signed to a two-year contract extension by the Predators earlier in the day, celebrated with a 26-save performance and kept Boston off the board during a 1-0 Nashville victory at Bridgestone Arena.

"One of those games," said Jaroslav Halak, who made 39 saves of his own. "I think the first period we didn't play our game. We knew it. We just wanted to come out in the second and play a better period - I think we did.

"Just one of those games that the other goalie played well and we had some chances, just hit or miss tonight. One of those games and we just need to move on."

The Bruins (26 shots overall) managed to land just six pucks on goal in the third period as they searched for the equalizer, leaving them frustrated with their lack of offensive opportunities. Boston also went 0 for 4 on the man advantage.

"Clearly you can see if our power play and our top line don't score we have a tough time," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, whose team has been shutout twice in the last three games. "Our goaltender kept us in the game. I think first of all you have to be cleaner with the puck executing out of your own end, otherwise you're chasing the game, you're playing defense."

Cassidy said he was not ready to commit to any major lineup changes in an attempt to spark the group, adding it's up to the players in the dressing room to demand more out of themselves.

"The problem I have with that is now you're letting people off the hook a little bit," said Cassidy. "You have to take ownership of your own game at some point. This is the National Hockey League…I'm not gonna put [Brad Marchand], [Patrice Bergeron], and [David Pastrnak] all on separate lines.

"You can move Pasta around, which we have, but at the end of the day the other guys, they have to find a way to generate a little bit…I don't think you can wait and say, 'When I get this linemate I'll be better.'

"That's not the appropriate attitude. That's not the culture we want to create. Yes I want to tinker. But at the same token, guys have to dig in a little bit."

Once again, Halak was outstanding, stopping 39 shots in his second consecutive start. The netminder elevated his league-leading save percentage to .952, though the loss was his first in regulation this season (4-1-2).

"He kept us in the game," said Cassidy. "We mismanaged pucks on the breakout at least five or six times with point-blank chances."

The one goal Halak surrendered came off a nifty sequence from Nashville captain Roman Josi, who danced around Danton Heinen and Torey Krug, before slipping one past Halak for the lone marker of the game with 5:11 left in the first period.

"We had it on our stick…unfortunately, we were on the wrong side of the puck," said Halak. "We just didn't get it out of the zone and we spent more time. That's how they play, they play well when they can spend time in our zone and keep cycling the puck and shoots the puck from everywhere."

Marchand Banished

The Bruins were without Marchand for much of the second period as he served 14 minutes in penalties, the result of an incident with Nashville forward Colton Sissons late in the first. With just 2 seconds remaining in the frame, the winger was called for a high-stick on Sissons in the corner, but replays showed Marchand's stick rising above Sissons' head without making contact.

On his way to the box, Marchand shouted at referee Marc Joannette and mimicked Sissons' embellishment, resulting in another minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

"He bit on an embellishment," said Marchand. "That's a tough penalty to call with a second left in the period in a game like that. It was frustrating."

Marchand continued to voice his displeasure on his way to the dressing room for the first intermission and was given a 10-minute misconduct.

"Well it's the wrong call. It's not even close," said Cassidy. "I think they've talked about getting those [embellishments] out of the game. I hope it gets revisited because now one of our best players is out for 14 minutes for something he didn't do originally."

Ultimately, the Bruins killed off the four-minute penalty, but were down one of their top scorers as they searched for the tying goal.

"At the end of the day, we have to have better discipline," Cassidy said of Marchand. "I thought it was the wrong call - we killed the penalty, so it didn't hurt us at least on the scoreboard. We just lost one of our better players, I think unnecessarily."

On Defense

Cassidy had little update after the game on the status of Charlie McAvoy, who has not played since Oct. 18 in Edmonton due to an upper-body injury. 

"I wish I had a good answer for you," said Cassidy. "He's in the gym working out, he's not on the ice. Generally what happens is you have to practice for some level of time. Is he close? Once he gets on the ice and practices with us then I can give you a definitive answer. Until then, I have nothing. I have to worry about the guys in the lineup."

The B's bench boss said he is not aware of McAvoy having been diagnosed with a concussion.

"He got hit. He's felt a little bit off. In China he was off. What does off mean? He's [got] a little bit of dizziness," said Cassidy. "I think they're just allowing him to stay away until his equilibrium, or whatever you want to call it, feels better and he feels like he's back to normal energy level.

"I'm not trying to skirt it. I think if the team had an announcement medically - he's too important of a player - they'd put it out there."

Per Cassidy, Matt Grzelcyk (lower-body) is improving and is likely to rejoin the lineup sometime during the upcoming homestand.

"He skated, he's getting closer," said Cassidy. "Could he be potentially back in the lineup Monday? I'd say he's a 50-50 type of situation right now. But certainly looks good for Thursday."

[Brewin Flames]

Marchand scores in OT to lift Bruins over Stars 2-1

 

Game # 14

 2  1

Marchand scores in OT to lift Bruins over Stars 2-1

Brad Marchand scores on the power play in overtime as the Bruins take down the Stars 2-1.

BOSTON -- Brad Marchand had very little room and not much time.

He got the right bounce.

Marchand banked home a power-play goal off the far post from the bottom of the right circle 4:29 into overtime, lifting the Boston Bruins over the Dallas Stars 2-1 on Monday night.

"I heard it," he said. "I didn't know where it went. I heard the crowd erupt."

David Pastrnak also scored on the man advantage for Boston, which had lost two of three. Tuukka Rask made 24 saves.

"I think I just wanted to be solid and feel good about the game," said Rask, who has struggled this season. "At the end of the day, we played a pretty decent game -- from my part, too."

Radek Faksa had a short-handed goal for the Stars, who are 3-1-1 on a six-game trip. Former Bruins goaltender Anton Khudobin stopped 33 shots.


"It was a little weird because I never ever played against the Bruins in TD Garden," said Khudobin, who played for Boston in parts of the years 2012-13 and 2016-18.

"It was like the first time -- like a first game," he said. "That was the experience."

The teams were tied at 1 just more than five minutes in.

In overtime, the Bruins had a two-man power play after Jason Dickinson and Esa Lindell were whistled for minors 11 seconds apart.

"It wasn't our best game, but we gave our team a chance to win on the road," Faksa said.

With the World Series trophy won by the Boston Red Sox in the building before the game, "Dirty Water" was played briefly over the sound system after Marchand's walk-off winner -- a song played after victories at Fenway Park. It was his franchise-best 13th career OT goal.

Earlier in OT, Patrice Bergeron hit a post with just more than two minutes to play before Rask made a glove save on Jamie Benn at the end of a 2-on-1 break on the ensuing rush.

"I actually thought Bergy's went in," Marchand said. "I kind of stopped playing for a second."

Despite being outshot 9-8 in the second period, the Bruins hit a post, a crossbar, missed on an excellent chance on a 2-on-1 break and had a goal disallowed late in the period.

Noel Acciari hit the right post with a wrister from the right circle early in the period, Torey Krug hit a crossbar midway in and Anders Bjork had a goal waved off after he collected a rebound and tucked a backhand into the net.

The puck was momentarily covered by Khudobin before squirting loose, causing one of the referees to blow his whistle, halting play.

Boston had another good chance early in the third when Bergeron's wrist shot from the slot deflected off Khudobin and slid just wide of the right post.

Trailing 1-0, Boston tied it when Bergeron set up Pastrnak's one-timer from the slot 5:11 into the opening period.

The Stars had jumped ahead 1-0 when Faksa flipped a shot over Rask 3:51 into the game.