Let me start off by saying that I, along with every other Bruins fan, am hoping for a quick and painless recovery for Johnny Boychuk. At this time, there is no further information available about his condition or what his injury might be outside of what can be found here. I'll be keeping you guys updated as we find out more.
But moving on, the Bruins suffered a disappointing 2-1 loss last night to the Montreal Canadiens, costing us first place in the division and the conference and dropping our record to 18-8-2. Now, this isn't necessarily something to be worried about since it is so early in the season, but it's still rather unpleasant.
But moving on, the Bruins suffered a disappointing 2-1 loss last night to the Montreal Canadiens, costing us first place in the division and the conference and dropping our record to 18-8-2. Now, this isn't necessarily something to be worried about since it is so early in the season, but it's still rather unpleasant.
I hate to say it but the Canadiens came out flying last night. They absolutely dominated the second period and kept up enough effort to hold the Bruins off until the buzzer. Their offense got 27 shots on goal and managed to bury two of them. Carey Price also looked fantastic, leaving the game with a .970 SV% after facing 33 shots. He looked especially good in the third period, when the Bruins finally got the ice to tilt and were (in the words of Jack Edwards) "storming the Habs end." He let nothing through despite the extreme offensive pressure he was under. And of course, there was their defense, which did exactly what it was supposed to. Overall, it was a very solid game by the Habs.
The Bruins on the other hand, not so much. Granted, they all looked visibly shaken when Johnny Boychuk was stretchered off the ice after being boarded by Max Pacioretty early in the first period, but that can't fully excuse how sluggish and sloppy we played afterwards. I should make it clear here though: the hit from Paciorretty is not something the league is going to review. Although you can't just go around boarding people, it was a legal hit and it's not suspension worthy, as much as many Bruins fans would like it to be.
The first period was not the worst but definitely not the best. We had some trouble keeping the puck in their zone and our defense was shaky before and after Boychuk left the ice. It didn't help that Claude thought putting Bartkowski in the line up rather than Miller was a good idea. We didn't get as many shots off as we could or should have. The highlight of the period came off a beautiful goal from Gregory Campbell off a feed from Lucic and Seidenberg. It was the high point of the period from an offensive standpoint.
The Bruins on the other hand, not so much. Granted, they all looked visibly shaken when Johnny Boychuk was stretchered off the ice after being boarded by Max Pacioretty early in the first period, but that can't fully excuse how sluggish and sloppy we played afterwards. I should make it clear here though: the hit from Paciorretty is not something the league is going to review. Although you can't just go around boarding people, it was a legal hit and it's not suspension worthy, as much as many Bruins fans would like it to be.
The first period was not the worst but definitely not the best. We had some trouble keeping the puck in their zone and our defense was shaky before and after Boychuk left the ice. It didn't help that Claude thought putting Bartkowski in the line up rather than Miller was a good idea. We didn't get as many shots off as we could or should have. The highlight of the period came off a beautiful goal from Gregory Campbell off a feed from Lucic and Seidenberg. It was the high point of the period from an offensive standpoint.
The second period, in the words of Claude Julien, was atrocious and embarrassing. The Canadiens dominated puck possession while our defense sat back and watched them skate circles around us. They did nothing to break up rushes, keep the puck in the offensive zone, make plays or break up passing lanes. They were sluggish and sloppy. But our offense wasn't much better. For the short periods of time we managed to get the puck in the offensive zone, we did absolutely nothing effective with it. The only kind of upside to this period was the Prust-Thornton fight, which looked more like two guys dancing than it did a professional hockey fight but we were looking for any kind of momentum that period. But that momentum didn't come and as a result, this period cost us the game.
The third period for the Bruins was the best period of the game. We dominated puck possession with the help of a re-awakened defense and we maintained constant pressure on Carey Price. The only downfall (and a very important one) was our inability to bury the puck. No matter how many times we shot we just could not get it through. This is partly because Carey Price is a great goalie but it's also because we weren't lifting the puck or taking advantage of Price's relatively weak upper glove side and his slow lateral re-positioning. Our inability to capitalize was the second biggest reason we lost the game.
Overall, this game was not the worst we've played but it was definitely mediocre. It could have been and needed to be a whole lot better, especially considering everything that was at stake. The Bruins are going to need to smarten up, and fast, if they plan on beating the Penguins on Saturday.
Until tomorrow,
Keep Calm and Bergeron!
The third period for the Bruins was the best period of the game. We dominated puck possession with the help of a re-awakened defense and we maintained constant pressure on Carey Price. The only downfall (and a very important one) was our inability to bury the puck. No matter how many times we shot we just could not get it through. This is partly because Carey Price is a great goalie but it's also because we weren't lifting the puck or taking advantage of Price's relatively weak upper glove side and his slow lateral re-positioning. Our inability to capitalize was the second biggest reason we lost the game.
Overall, this game was not the worst we've played but it was definitely mediocre. It could have been and needed to be a whole lot better, especially considering everything that was at stake. The Bruins are going to need to smarten up, and fast, if they plan on beating the Penguins on Saturday.
Until tomorrow,
Keep Calm and Bergeron!