By: Jason Cooke | Follow me on X @cookejournalism
The Boston Bruins simply could have quit. They could have folded, and they could have given in. But they didn’t, and Tuesday’s come-from-behind win over the St. Louis Blues carries a whole lot more weight than the mere addition of two points to their season total.
Down two goals ahead of the third period, the Bruins entered the final frame in a familiar spot. Two periods of unsuccessful power play and penalty attempts had the Bruins trailing, 2-0, with perhaps Jim Montgomery’s job on the line. If the Bruins’ third-period effort mimicked Saturday’s lackluster showing against the Ottawa Senators that produced zero shots on goal, Boston’s coach—and the team as a whole—were on their way to uncharted territory.
But that didn’t happen. The Bruins didn’t allow it to. Three unanswered goals amid an effort that indicated the Bruins simply refused to be denied resulted in a win the Bruins desperately needed, especially just days removed from perhaps Boston’s worst loss under Montgomery’s tenure. Better yet? Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak, two of Boston’s struggling leaders, catalyzed the comeback.
Given the circumstances, Tuesday’s triumph was much bigger than a road win in November; it very much could have saved Boston’s season. Let’s say the Bruins came out lifeless in the third period, showing little to no fight in an attempt to claw back into the game. Coming just days after Saturday’s meltdown, that would not have been a good reflection on a group looking to put that loss in the rearview mirror. It would have been the kind of loss that sends a locker room spiraling and pushes their coach to the brink of being fired.
The Bruins dodged a bullet. And why they were able to dodge that figurative bullet is the reason they may never fall back to Saturday’s nightmare again this season. They showed a will to win, and that mentality originated from their leadership group in McAvoy and Pastrnak.
“(Charlie McAvoy) and (David Pastrnak), I think they weren’t gonna let us lose tonight,” Montgomery said on NESN after the win. “I think they weren’t going to let us lose tonight. You could just see it. They were stepping out on the ice with an elevated purpose in the third period.”
It’s what’s been missing from this group for the entirety of this rollercoaster of a season, is that drive to not let a loss like Saturday influence their future performance. And when that drive comes from your best players, it’s contagious to the rest of the roster. Morgan Geekie, who had been a healthy scratch for three consecutive games this season and had been held without a goal, certainly fed on that energy as he scored the Bruins’ first of three straight goals in the period to stun the Blues in their home arena.
Are the Bruins totally out of the woods just yet? Of course not, but revealing their ability to unlock some desperation into their game is the most encouraging sign of Boston’s up-and-down campaign thus far. We’ll see how they fare against the Dallas Stars on Thursday, but don’t be surprised if come April we look back on Tuesday’s victory as the first step toward establishing an identity for the 2024-25 Bruins.
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