By: Andrew Bluestein | Follow Me On Twitter / X @adbblue
The Boston Bruins ended their four-game western road trip with yet another inexcusable 4-3 shootout loss to the Seattle Kraken Monday night. Boston surrendered another third-period lead and couldn’t find a way to close out the game.
It was the sixth game in a row that the game went beyond regulation. After playing a solid first couple of periods, the Bruins practically did not show up in the third and were lucky enough to even get a point.
First Period
Boston had the first quality chance of the game off a three-on-two, where Kraken goalie Phillip Grubauer denied Morgan Geekie. Seattle responded with a chance of their own when Oliver Bjorkstrand put a shot on the net from the hash marks, but Linus Ullmark got a pad on it. Boston had another golden opportunity with Justin Brazeau tipping a puck wide on the doorstep.
David Pastrnak opened the scoring on a great feed from Kevin Shattenkirk, sending him in alone on a breakaway, beating Grubauer’s glove side for a 1-0 lead. The goal was his 700th career point. The Kraken pushed back in the second half of the period, generating a few good chances with traffic in front, but Ullmark stood tall. The Bruins controlled most of the play in the opening frame, especially the first half. They played a solid defensive game, limiting Seattle’s high-danger chances. The Black and Gold had the shots on goal advantage 11-7.
Second Period
Boston had a sloppy first couple of shifts, which included a Mason Lohrei turnover, leading to a chance down low for Seattle that Ullmark shut down. The Bruins were able to find their footing, but that was disrupted when Brazeau was called for a questionable hooking penalty. Seattle cashed in off a Ullmark giveaway where he tried to clear the puck, but it went right into Jordan Eberle, and he put it in to tie the game 1-1. It was a tough break, as the Bruins had done a solid job killing the penalty.
They then had to play down a man again after Brandon Carlo was called for cross-checking. With 24 seconds left on the Carlo penalty, Boston took their second too-many men-on-ice penalty in as many games. Both of the penalties were killed off with ease as the Bruins looked to shift momentum. Jake DeBrusk had a great chance on a two-on-one hitting the post on the rebound of his initial shot.
Boston continued their push, recording five consecutive shots on goal, but couldn’t find the back of the net. After Seattle hit a post at one end, Geekie had a great point-blank chance at the other end that was smothered by Grubauer. Pastrnak got his second of the night on a great centering feed by Pavel Zacha to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead. Shortly afterward, Geekie got a shot to the face and went down the tunnel, but he did return. Boston again had the shots on goal advantage 10-5.
Third Period and Overtime
Seattle had the first several chances of the period, starting with Matty Beniers walking down the right wing, but Ullmark shut the door. Jaden Schwartz then had a great look from the middle, and Ullmark made a dazzling glove save. It was a poor first few minutes for the Bruins. The Kraken kept their attack going with a handful of chances and finally broke through to tie the game 2-2 on a Vince Dunn shot from the point. Brad Marchand almost answered with two doorstep opportunities, but Grubauer stopped both.
Geekie took a skate to the penalty box after taking an untimely tripping penalty. Boston survived it, and it was Geekie who appeared to give his team a 3-2 lead after receiving a smooth pass from Trent Frederic and tucking the puck home. However, Seattle challenged the play for goaltender interference and was successful, so the goal was disallowed. Seattle took a 3-2 lead on a Bjorkstrand deflection, and it marked yet another blown third-period lead. Finally, Boston got their first power play of the game with under five minutes to play when Eberle went off for tripping.
It seemed as if Pastrnak completed the hat trick on the man advantage, tying the game 3-3, as the Black and Gold capitalized on a must-score situation, but Coyle was ultimately given the goal. Immediately after that, Danton Heinen was called for high sticking with under three minutes to play. The Bruins were able to kill it off, and regulation time expired, sending the game to overtime. Both teams had great chances in the extra period, with Seattle hitting the crossbar and DeBrusk getting denied on a breakaway, but no one scored, so it went to a shootout. Once again, the Bruins failed to score, and Seattle came away with a 4-3 win.
Up Next
Next, the Bruins will return home for one game on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. as they take on the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Vegas Golden Knights. It will be the second of two meetings between the teams this season. Vegas won the first matchup 2-1 in overtime.
Leave a Reply