By: Joe Todd | Follow me on Twitter @heyjoetodd
For the first time in franchise history, the Bruins and the Seattle Kraken faced off in TD Garden. The Bruins returned home after a 1 – 1 – 1 record on the road, with their most recent loss coming from a 6 – 1 beatdown in Dallas. Ullmark made his fourth start in a row after being pulled in the second period of their loss Sunday. The Bruins survived a third-period comeback attempt and will go into a much-needed all-star break after a 3 – 2 victory.
Vaak attacked!
I have to stop writing during games. I was writing about Moore playing well in a game he ended up getting injured, and now it’s Vaakanainen. Urho took a hit from behind from Yanni Gourde in the second period and was left bloody after his head hit the glass.
Vaakanainen continued to play well and continues to have me check the spelling of his name. He seemed to be gaining more confidence with every game, evidenced by his puck play. He is getting comfortable taking the puck to the net and trying to make plays in the offensive zone. Let us hope he can recover during the all-star break and come back continuing to play well.
Second line rotation
With Haula being out for the second straight game stuck in COVID Protocol, Cassidy went with Nosek at 2C between Hall and Pastrnak. Against Dallas, Cassidy put the lines in a blender that resulted in Hall – Coyle – Smith, and that line did not produce. Tonight, however, Nosek had a hard-working shift that resulted in Taylor Hall’s second-period goal.
The second line has not been as dangerous since Haula went out, which shows just how important he has become in stabilizing that second line. Not sure why we played Fogarty for two games straight, especially when at home. With Studnicka playing well in Providence, it feels like it would have been a good time to plug him into the second line without disrupting anything else. Must be salary cap implications.
Todd’s and Ends
The penalty kill was excellent tonight. 6/6, including an extended look at 5v3.
I do not know anything about goalies but, Ullmark appears to be playing positionally sound. Pucks seem to be finding him, even if he appears to be struggling to find the puck. Seems to scramble frequently after the first shot and struggles with tracking the rebounds.
After being up two goals against Colorado and Seattle, the Bruins give up two in the third period. Could be fatigue, but the Bruins will need to sharpen up and hold these leads moving forward.
Powerplay looks so much better with Hall on the first unit instead of Foligno. Pastrnak capitalizing on 2/3 chances tonight.
Fogarty has had some chances in his two-game stint, but it just looks like he is trying to do too much.
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