The Bruins did not end 2013 the way they wanted or should have.
The Bruins fell to the struggling Islanders last night at the Garden 5-3, ending our 13-0-2 streak of dominance at home since Oct. 26th and dropping our record to 26-12-2.
The Bruins fell to the struggling Islanders last night at the Garden 5-3, ending our 13-0-2 streak of dominance at home since Oct. 26th and dropping our record to 26-12-2.
In all honesty it should not have been that difficult to defeat the Metropolitan Division's last place team. And it wouldn't have been had the Bruins not done that annoying thing they do where they get too comfortable, lose their composure and just stop trying.
But alas the Bruins did just that and the Islanders were smart enough to take advantage of it. The Islanders picked up the pace in the second and from there on the Islanders' game was solid. They were creating their own chances while recognizing and capitalizing on the Bruins missteps, especially the penalties.
The Bruins started off strong, scoring 2 goals in 25 seconds in the second, giving them a 3-1 lead and obviously a sense of security because afterwards they began to let up. They took 4 penalties that period and lost their sense of urgency.
In the meantime, the Islanders were gaining momentum. Their power play unit consisting of their offensively talented first line (Vanek-Tavares-Okposo), center Frans Neilsen, who has also been an offensive force for the Isles, and the defenseman Andrew MacDonald started said momentum with that initial goal in the second.
After that first goal, the unit continuously gave the Bruins hell for the rest of the night. The unit took the momentum they had gained and used it to score the two tying goals late in the second period while the Bruins PK watched futilely. Tavares continued the streak with a goal of his own 32 seconds into the third and the unit sealed the deal with a goal later that period.
The biggest surprise of the night was the failure of our penalty kill, which before last night ranked 3rd in the league and was expected to shut down power plays from the Islanders, who place 19th in the league with a 17.16 PP%. But instead, our PK played an uncharacteristic sloppy game and allowed an unheard of 4 PPGs on 8 chances. Due to this, our power play has since fallen to 6th overall
But alas the Bruins did just that and the Islanders were smart enough to take advantage of it. The Islanders picked up the pace in the second and from there on the Islanders' game was solid. They were creating their own chances while recognizing and capitalizing on the Bruins missteps, especially the penalties.
The Bruins started off strong, scoring 2 goals in 25 seconds in the second, giving them a 3-1 lead and obviously a sense of security because afterwards they began to let up. They took 4 penalties that period and lost their sense of urgency.
In the meantime, the Islanders were gaining momentum. Their power play unit consisting of their offensively talented first line (Vanek-Tavares-Okposo), center Frans Neilsen, who has also been an offensive force for the Isles, and the defenseman Andrew MacDonald started said momentum with that initial goal in the second.
After that first goal, the unit continuously gave the Bruins hell for the rest of the night. The unit took the momentum they had gained and used it to score the two tying goals late in the second period while the Bruins PK watched futilely. Tavares continued the streak with a goal of his own 32 seconds into the third and the unit sealed the deal with a goal later that period.
The biggest surprise of the night was the failure of our penalty kill, which before last night ranked 3rd in the league and was expected to shut down power plays from the Islanders, who place 19th in the league with a 17.16 PP%. But instead, our PK played an uncharacteristic sloppy game and allowed an unheard of 4 PPGs on 8 chances. Due to this, our power play has since fallen to 6th overall
But on another note, the PK wouldn't have had the chance to fall short had the Bruins not taken the 28 penalty minutes that resulted in those unfortunate power play shenanigans. The 2 minute holding call against Bartkowski in the second, the 2 minute boarding penalty against Krug in the second, the 2 minute delay of game penalty on Tuukka in the second and the 4 minute roughing penalty on Marchand in the third were the main culprits of these misfortunes.
The biggest penalty minute contributor last night though was Milan Lucic, who got 14 minutes off a minor boarding penalty, a minor unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a rather interesting 10 minute game misconduct penalty late in third. Although is minutes did not result in a goal, it did hamper any remaining chance the Bruins had of tying up the game with 4 minutes left in the third.
This is the second straight loss for the Bruins. Now this may not bode well to some, it being the second straight loss for the Bruins since the loss of Seidenberg, but the statistics point to a different view. The Bruins have not lost more than 2 straight all season and this is only the third time we've been on a two game losing streak. The last time this happened was in November, when the Bruins fell to the Islanders followed by the Stars only to bounce back with a win against the Panthers.
The biggest penalty minute contributor last night though was Milan Lucic, who got 14 minutes off a minor boarding penalty, a minor unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a rather interesting 10 minute game misconduct penalty late in third. Although is minutes did not result in a goal, it did hamper any remaining chance the Bruins had of tying up the game with 4 minutes left in the third.
This is the second straight loss for the Bruins. Now this may not bode well to some, it being the second straight loss for the Bruins since the loss of Seidenberg, but the statistics point to a different view. The Bruins have not lost more than 2 straight all season and this is only the third time we've been on a two game losing streak. The last time this happened was in November, when the Bruins fell to the Islanders followed by the Stars only to bounce back with a win against the Panthers.
The Positives
1. Krejci scored his 100th career goal last night. Way to go French Fries!
2. 2 Goals in 25 seconds. Impressive.
3. Everyone left that game in one piece (except maybe the milk crates)!
The Negatives
1. Penalties/PK: Obviously these shot us in the foot. We took a lot of pointless penalties that could have been avoided had we been more self aware and had we kept our composure. Or PK looked downright awful with those 4 power play goals being scored with little to no resistance.
2. Out Front: Passes to phantom players in the offensive zone when we weren't going for the line change or were attempting to create plays and scoring chances. No one in place to capitalize on rebounds or accept those passes to create plays. Trouble getting possession of the puck. Trouble controlling the puck resulting in a ton of turnovers and breakaways. A lack of urgency and consistency. No support up front for Rask. Our defensive game was holey. Inability to clear the zone. Inability to shut down passing lanes.
3. Rask: Rask had one of his off days last night. Although it wasn't entirely his fault, Rask did let in some iffy goals that he really should have been able to save.
2. Out Front: Passes to phantom players in the offensive zone when we weren't going for the line change or were attempting to create plays and scoring chances. No one in place to capitalize on rebounds or accept those passes to create plays. Trouble getting possession of the puck. Trouble controlling the puck resulting in a ton of turnovers and breakaways. A lack of urgency and consistency. No support up front for Rask. Our defensive game was holey. Inability to clear the zone. Inability to shut down passing lanes.
3. Rask: Rask had one of his off days last night. Although it wasn't entirely his fault, Rask did let in some iffy goals that he really should have been able to save.
So the game was cruddy last night. But the Bruins have a chance to rebound from it tomorrow against the Predators and the boys are well aware that they need to get their act together if they have any hope of rekindling their dominant streaks.
Until then,
Keep calm and Bergeron!
Until then,
Keep calm and Bergeron!