By Andrew Bluestein | Follow Me On Twitter @adbblue
The Boston Bruins improved to 6-0-0 for the second time in team history after defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 3-0 Tuesday night. It wasn’t the best start, but the team turned things around in the second period.
It notably hasn’t been the toughest schedule to start the season, but the team has played a really strong defensive game. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to have arguably the best goaltending tandem in the league. Let’s dive into the Bruin’s sixth straight win.
It was a mostly sloppy first period for Boston. Although they were sound positionally in their own end, the puck management was poor. They made many bad decisions trying to break the puck out of the defensive zone. Charlie Coyle had a brutal giveaway on the penalty kill that wound up on the stick of Connor Bedard, who buried it, appearing to give Chicago a 1-0 lead.
Lucky for Coyle, head coach Jim Montgomery challenged the play for offside, which was successful, and took the goal off the board. Boston had two power play opportunities but had trouble finding continuity. Chicago did a good job of taking away the Bruins’ shooting lanes, blocking eight shots in the first frame. Jeremy Swayman wasn’t tested much but made nine saves.
It was a much better second period, as they got on the board first. Pavel Zacha tipped home a Kevin Shattenkirk shot from the right point. The play was created by Morgan Geekie winning a battle in the corner. That got the puck to Jake DeBrusk, who then fed Shattenkirk for the shot towards goal.
Offensively, the continuity was solid. They had a strong net-front presence, producing plenty of chances. The low-to-high game helped generate the most looks, and the team registered 18 total shots. Other than a couple of late turnovers, The power play was the only thing to complain about.
It’s clear the Bruins need to work on the man advantage, as it’s gone cold since the second game of the season. Jeremy Swayman made seven more saves in the second frame, including a big one late on a Chicago two-on-one bid.
The start of the third period was slow, but after a great effort by Matt Poitras to win a race in the neutral zone, the surge was on. He zoomed in alone and beat Petr Mrazek to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead. It was another great performance for the 19-year-old, who was an absolute menace on the fore-check.
Fifty-six seconds later, the third line showed great chemistry off the rush as James Van Riemsdyk muscled down the left wing. He found who Coyle put the puck toward the goal, and Van Riemsdyk tapped the rebound to Trent Frederic, who buried it. That made it 3-0. It would make sense to keep that line together, as they’ve been consistent. The Black and Gold played solid shutdown defense for the remainder of the period, and Swayman stood tall during the few breakdowns. The Bruins Netminder completed the 23 save shutout, the tenth of his career in just 91 games.
Jakub Lauko left the game in the third period after taking a skate to the face and did not return. Something to pay attention to for the next stretch of games. The Bruins will return home to host the Anaheim Ducks at 7:00 pm Thursday night, which will start off a four-game home stand.
Leave a Reply