By: Andrew Bluestein | Follow Me On X (Formerly Twitter) @adbblue
The Boston Bruins lost 7-4 to the New York Rangers Saturday afternoon in what was an ugly performance. There was way too much standing around and puck-watching and a lack of defensive structure.
It’s their first time losing consecutive games in their Centennial season. There’s definitely a lot that needs to be cleaned up after a complete disaster of a game.
First Period
It was a sloppy first-period start for the Bruins. The Rangers controlled the possession game and had a lot of offensive zone time. New York got on the board first after a costly mishandling by John Beecher. Nick Bonino found the puck and slung it past Linus Ullmark from the right circle, making it 1-0.
Boston had a difficult time creating offense and didn’t register their first shot on net until there was 7:23 left in the opening frame. The Rangers struck again on their first power play of the afternoon after a point shot snuck through Ullmark. Chris Kreider found the loose puck and jammed it in for a 2-0 lead.
That resulted in head coach Jim Montgomery calling a timeout who wasn’t happy with his team’s effort. The Bruins got the message and responded, scoring twice in 24 seconds. The first goal was generated by Trent Frederic going hard to the net, and the puck was centered in front for Charlie Coyle, who buried it, making it a 2-1 game.
The second goal was set up on a great feed by Jakub Lauko to Morgan Geekie, who blasted a one-timer past Jonathan Quick to tie things up 2-2. That resulted in Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette using his timeout. The Rangers retook the lead on a shorthanded breakaway goal from Kreider, his second of the game to make it 3-2. It was not a good first period, but they responded well after Montgomery got their attention.
Second Period
The Bruins still had 27 seconds left of power play time that carried over into the second period, and they cashed in. David Pastrnak beat Quick five-hole 26 seconds into the middle frame. It tied the game 3-3, and the goal was set up by a great play from Pavel Zacha, who moved the puck down low to Pastrnak. It was a fast-paced middle frame with both teams trading chances.
There was also a ton of physicality. The Rangers went ahead 4-3 when Jimmy Vesey knocked in a loose puck on a delayed penalty. Because it was a double minor for high-sticking, the Rangers still had a two-minute power play after the goal, but the Bruins killed it off.
With just 23 seconds left in the period, the Rangers extended their lead to 5-3 on a K’Andre Miller slapshot that beat Ullmark top shelf. It was a devastating way to end the second period.
Third Period
Boston had a weak start to the third period. Ullmark made two huge saves right off the bat, but the Rangers got another one. Only 1:26 into the third period, Tyler Pitlick found the back of the net, making it a 6-3 game.
Boston answered immediately, scoring 1:03 later when Coyle got his second of the game on a nice pass by James Van Riemsdyk, making it 6-4. But New York got another one on an Artemi Panarin snipe to make it 7-4. It was just a poor showing by the Bruins in the final frame.
Up Next
Up next, the team will head to Columbus to face the Blue Jackets on Monday night. It will be a 7:00 p.m. puck drop and an opportunity to clean things up after dropping two straight.
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