Photo Courtesy Of Kennebec Journal
By: Garrett Haydon | Follow Me On Twitter @thesportsguy97
Pre-Game Notes
Arena: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Home: Boston Bruins (38-17-9)
Away: New Jersey Devils (25-32-8)
Boston’s Lineup
Forwards
Marchand-Bergeron-Heinen
DeBrusk-Krejci-Johansson
Cehlarik-Coyle-Backes
Nordstrom-Acciari-Wagner
Defense
Chara-McAvoy
Carlo-Krug
Grzelcyk-Moore
Goalies
Rask
Halak
New Jersey’s Lineup
Forwards
Bratt-Hischier-Stafford
Agostino-Zajac-Coleman
Pietela-McLeod-Lappin
Yakovlev-Rooney-Anderson
Defense
Greene-Severson
Vatanen-Carrick
Butcher-Santini
Goalies
Blackwood
Schneider
First Period
The Bruins picked up their first power play of the game just 2:23 in as they looked to get off to a fast start. Brad Marchand did just that with a man advantage strike just 14 seconds into the penalty after a great feed from Patrice Bergeron.
Brad Marchand PPG gives the #NHLBruins the 1-0 lead in his 666th game pic.twitter.com/POKRfP5XFb
— Marina Molnar (@mkmolnar) March 3, 2019
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The Bruins looked amped up to start as they manufactured a few scoring chances in the opening moments. Marchand made a great steal in the defensive zone and was hooked on his way to the net, resulting in a penalty shot which was denied by Mackenzie Blackwood.
SAVE BLACKWOOD! The @NJDevils goalie denies Brad Marchand on the penalty shot! #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/9kSx7AKF1R
— MSG Networks (@MSGNetworks) March 3, 2019
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The Bruins continued to have solid shifts in the attacking zone which helped them gain an offensive rhythm in the opening period. The Devils found a little possession towards the midway point of the period but weren’t able to find many scoring opportunities. The Bruins third line continued their strong period with another good shift that nearly resulted in the lead being doubled.
The Devils responded with a good shift and got a power play after a slashing call to Brandon Carlo with three minutes left in the period. The Bruins killed off the penalty without yielding any shots and went to the room still up by a goal.
Score: 1-0 Bruins
Second Period
The Bruins picked up right where they left off in the second period with a couple of good shifts by the second and third lines. For the most part however, the B’s were held to the outside and didn’t get many great opportunities like they did in the first period. The Devils had much more possession in the second period but couldn’t do much with it as Tuukka Rask continued to have a quiet night in goal.
Rask made a huge stop on a two on one to keep it a one goal game as the Devils got their best chance of the game. The Devils would pick up their second power play of the game as Peter Cehlarik went to the box with under five minutes to go in the period. The B’s killed the penalty without giving up many significant scoring chances.
The Bruins started to get their legs back in the final moments of the second period as they looked to extend the slim lead. The third line again had a great shift by both Charlie Coyle and Cehlarik were denied in the final seconds of the period.
Score: 1-0 Bruins
Third Period
The fourth line of the Bruins opened the period with a hard, charging shift that nearly resulted in the lead being doubled but Blackwood continued to have a good night to keep it 1-0. The Devils responded with a solid shift but Rask made a big save on a shot from distance by Sami Vatanen to maintain the B’s lead. The Bruins continued their good defensive game with some nice stick play to prevent a couple of New Jersey odd man rushes.
The final period continued to move quickly as neither team found a lot of chances, although the Devils did get a couple chances about midway through the period but Rask denied Jesper Bratt and Drew Stafford in quick succession. The Bruins began to move their legs in the latter half of the final frame and got chances but were still unable to beat Blackwood.
The Devils pulled the goalie with about 1:30 to play, trying to tie the game desperately. The New Jersey rally ultimately fell short as the B’s picked up the win.
Final Score: 1-0 Bruins
Three Stars Of The Game
First Star: Rask. While not incredibly busy, Number 40 looked great in this one and made a couple huge stops as he earned his third shutout of the season.
Second Star: Marchand. In 666th game, Marchand was very solid as he found the back of the net for the only goal of the game.
Third Star: Coyle. The third liner had another good performance as his line continued their solid play as of late.
Leave a Reply