Author: Mike Cratty

Bruins Post-Game Recap: ECQF Game 4: Boston at Toronto

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USATSI_12549978.jpg

(Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports)

By Mike Cratty | Follow me on Twitter @Mike_Cratty

Home: Toronto Maple Leafs

Away: Boston Bruins

Boston’s Lineup

Forwards

Marchand – Bergeron – Heinen

DeBrusk – Krejci – Pastrnak

Johansson – Coyle – Backes

Nordstrom – Acciari – Wagner

Defense

Chara – McAvoy

Krug – Carlo

Moore – Grzelcyk

Goalies

Rask

Halak

Toronto’s Lineup

Forwards

Hyman – Tavares – Marner

Johnsson – Matthews – Kapanen

Marleau – Nylander – Brown

Ennis – Gauthier – Moore

Defense

Reilly – Hainsey

Muzzin –  Zaitsev

Gardiner – Dermott

Goalies

Andersen

Hutchinson

First Period

Shortly after Zdeno Chara flattened Mitch Marner right after the puck dropped, Joakim Nordstrom drew an early penalty on Connor Brown. Charlie McAvoy made no mistake off of a one-timer from Patrice Bergeron’s office in the slot to give the Bruins a one-goal lead early, McAvoy’s first of the playoffs. Charlie Coyle’s first assist of the playoffs, and Matt Grzelcyk’s third made it happen. Three former Boston University Terriers in on the goal, solid start for the Bruins.

That wasn’t all, the simplification of the Bruins’ game continued. Effective puck pursuit and smart passing set up Brad Marchand’s second goal of the playoffs. Two goals in 3:35. Bergeron (1) and Heinen (2) had the helpers. 2-0 lead less than seven minutes in.

Fast forward to the 6:31 mark and Bergeron found himself in the box for interference. Toronto was held to just one shot and no goals on their first power play, but their second power play came in close proximity to the end of their first one. This time in the form of an interference call on McAvoy.

Toronto failed to score on either power play, but Zach Hyman managed to get a piece of a Morgan Reilly shot and deflect it past Tuukka Rask. This came shortly after the second power play and cut the Bruins’ lead to one with 2:05 remaining in the period.

The Bruins managed to hold a one-goal lead heading into the room, but needed to find a way to stifle Toronto’s momentum in the second frame. Overall, Rask played well in net and the team came out on a mission, but there will still 40 minutes to go. The shots were 14-12 Bruins in the first period.

Score: 2-1 Boston

Second Period

Auston Matthews wasted no time capitalizing on Toronto’s momentum from late in the first period, tying the game at two.

David Pastrnak responded 2:09 later, redirecting a feed from Marchand past Andersen and in, regaining the lead for the Bruins. Pastrnak’s first of the playoffs assisted by Marchand (3) and Bergeron (1).

More good fortune came their way, not for McAvoy, but for the team in the form of a roughing penalty on Matthews. Persistence in the vicinity of Frederik Andersen from the Bruins’ first power play unit led to a second goal for Pastrnak, giving the Bruins a two-goal lead. Marchand’s fourth assist of the playoffs was the lone assist on the goal.

Despite holding a two-goal lead again, things were not peachy for the Bruins. Toronto did not slow down offensively and generated some solid chances. Amongst these chances was a huge stop by Rask on Connor Brown.

By the final two minutes of the period, the Bruins had 18 blocked shots to the seven for the Leafs. One of those came in the form of Marcus Johansson going slowly to the bench off a big block on a Travis Dermott shot from the point. Despite chances coming from Toronto, the Bruins remained resilient.

Although they were outshot 14-8 in the period, a huge response from David Pastrnak and the Bruins had them back on top by two heading into the final frame.

Score: 4-2 Boston

Third Period

The Bruins’ wise leader, Zdeno Chara took his time at the blue line and made it a three-goal lead for the Bruins 5:39 into the period, a huge, unassisted insurance goal. The goal marked Chara’s first of the playoffs.

At the 8:18 mark, Hyman took a high stick from McAvoy, putting McAvoy in the box for a second time. Matthews got on the board for a second time early in the power play, making it 5-3. During their next offensive zone stint, Toronto saw a couple more near goals come their way, but Rask said no.

Dermott cut the lead to one on a second chance opportunity from the point. Toronto was thriving on the momentum, the Bruins needed a response. Mike Babcock pulled Andersen with less than two minutes to go with a comeback on his mind.

After a hectic final two minutes, Nordstrom buried an empty netter with two minutes left to seal the deal. Nordstrom’s first of the playoffs was assisted by David Krejci (1).

The series is tied at two heading towards game five on Friday at 7 PM at TD Garden.

Final Score: 6-4 Boston

Bruins Post-Game Recap: ECQF Game 3: Boston at Toronto

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Image result for bruins maple leafs

(Photo Credit: Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)

By Mike Cratty | Follow me on Twitter @Mike_Cratty

Home: Toronto Maple Leafs

Away: Boston Bruins

Boston’s Lineup

Forwards

Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrnak

DeBrusk – Krejci – Kuhlman

Heinen – Coyle – Backes

Nordstrom – Acciari – Wagner

Defense

Chara – McAvoy

Krug – Carlo

Grzelcyk – Kampfer

Goalies

Rask

Halak

Toronto’s Lineup

Forwards

Hyman – Tavares – Marner

Johnsson – Matthews – Kapanen

Marleau – Nylander – Brown

Moore – Gauthier – Ennis

Defense

Muzzin –  Zaitsev

Reilly – Hainsey

Gardiner – Dermott

Goalies

Andersen

Hutchinson

First Period

After a crazy game two from start to finish, the series shifted to Toronto for game three in what could be a pivotal game in the series. Big news came ahead of the game in the form of a series-long suspension for Nazem Kadri, forcing William Nylander to the third-line center position for Toronto.

A fast and loud start set the tone for game three from the beginning and it was another physical bout. Tuukka Rask made a lot of big saves early on in the period. He really needed to be as Toronto came out hard. A late interference call on Ron Hainsey put the Bruins on the man advantage in a game, to this point, that was up-for-grabs. Unfortunately for the Bruins, they couldn’t grab it.

Toronto got their chance not long after the conclusion of the Bruins power play with 38.8 seconds left, as Charlie McAvoy took a holding the stick penalty. The puck went nearly untouched into the Toronto net as Chris Wagner guarded it in hopes that it would go in. It was a pretty funny sequence that almost ended well for the Bruins. 1:21 remained on the McAvoy penalty bleeding into the second period. The shots were 15-10 Bruins.

Score: 0-0

Second Period

The Bruins were able to kill off the remaining 1:21 of the McAvoy penalty, avoiding danger in the first minute. Toronto struck first 2:38 into the period off of a Trevor Moore rebound. They managed to outshoot the Bruins 8-2 in the first three minutes.

The Toronto lead didn’t last long as David Krejci buried a bouncing puck to even things back up with his first of the playoffs. The goal gave Krejci his 69th career playoff point, third most in Bruins history. Jake DeBrusk and Karson Kuhlman had the assists, their firsts of the playoffs.

A John Tavares scoring chance led to a collision with McAvoy in which Tavares made contact with Rask. After taking some time to recover, Rask stayed in the game.

Exactly halfway through the period, David Backes sat for two thanks to a high sticking penalty. Auston Matthews potted a cross-crease pass on the man advantage to give Toronto the lead past the halfway point of the period.

A questionable hooking call on Matt Grzelcyk gave Toronto another opportunity to convert on the power play and they did. It was 3-1 Toronto with 2:48 left. Shortly after, Jake Muzzin went off for holding within the final two minutes of the period.

A resilient goal on the power play came from Charlie Coyle’s second of the series in the final minute, cutting the lead to two with 37.7 seconds remaining. Danton Heinen and Grzlecyk had the assists, Heinen’s was his first of the playoffs, Grzelcyk’s was his second.

Toronto took over on the score sheet and in the shot department, outshooting the Bruins 16-11 in the period and holding a one-goal lead heading into the third period. Overall, the shots were even through two periods.

Score: 3-2 Toronto

Third Period

Just past the 15-minute mark, Nikita Zaitsev went off for delay of game. The Bruins held possessed the puck fairly well for a good chunk of the man advantage, but couldn’t convert.

Toronto way breaking the puck out of their own zone too easily at times. There just wasn’t much of an offensive x-factor. Some poor decisions with and without the puck made things even more difficult. They needed to channel more of what they had in game two.

Bruce Cassidy pulled Rask in the final two minutes and took a timeout with 1:05 to go. John Tavares was killing Patrice Bergeron on the dot late, winning five straight in the final six and a half minutes. The Bruins’ effort late simply wasn’t enough, and Frederik Andersen came up huge for the Leafs. The final shots 36-34 Bruins. Next up is game four on Wednesday in Toronto at 7:00 PM.

Final Score: 3-2 Toronto

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Bruins Post-Game Recap: Boston @ Minnesota: 4/4/19

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(Photo Credit: David Berding-USA Today Sports)

By Mike Cratty | Follow me on Twitter @Mike_Cratty

Home: Minnesota Wild

Away: Boston Bruins

Boston’s Lineup

Forwards

DeBrusk – Bergeron – Pastrnak

Johansson – Coyle – Senyshyn

Heinen – Frederic – Kuhlman

Nordstrom – Acciari – Backes

Defense

Krug – Carlo

Grzelcyk – Miller

Clifton – Kampfer

Goalies

Halak

Rask

Minnesota’s Lineup

Forwards

Donato – Staal – Kunin

Zucker – Eriksson Ek – Fiala

Greenway – Sturm – Rask

Foligno – Fehr – Brown

Defense

Suter –  Spurgeon

Brodin – Hunt

Bitetto – Pateryn

Goalies

Stalock

Dubnyk

First Period

This one featured plenty of storylines coming into it. For the Bruins, it marked the NHL debut of 2015 first-round pick, Zach Senyshyn. Additionally, Trent Frederic was called back up, and David Krejci, Brad Marchand, Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, and Chris Wagner sat to rest before the quickly approaching first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The goaltending matchup was Jaroslav Halak vs. Alex Stalock.

Additionally, Charlie Coyle’s first game as a Bruin in Minnesota was set to get underway, as well as Ryan Donato’s first game against the Bruins as a member of the Wild. Minnesota had a debut of their own, as former Clarkson University captain Nico Sturm joined the team on an entry-level deal as an undrafted free agent following the conclusion of Clarkson’s season.

It was a milestone game for Bruce Cassidy, as this marked his 300th NHL game behind the bench. His record coming in was 163-98-38. Steven Kampfer also hit a career milestone with his 200th NHL game.

Good chances came on both sides throughout the first period, but no one could break through. Part of this on the Bruins end was undoubtedly due to the roster fluctuation ahead of the postseason. Sensyhyn showed a willingness to get amongst the action in the first period. With good chances and tempo, it’s a little surprising that we didn’t see any scoring on either side. The shots were 9-8 in favor of Minnesota.

Score: 0-0

Second Period

The second frame got off to a rough start early on as Kevan Miller and Jordan Greenway brushed shoulders and Miller slid awkwardly into the boards. He was helped off the ice.

The Bruins came out hard to start, outshooting Minnesota 6-2 throughout the first six minutes of the period. It was just a matter of breaking through.

That all changed with a persistent forecheck from the Bruins fourth line, and good puck movement on the blue line. Joakim Nordstrom eventually buried his seventh goal of the season, assisted by Noel Acciari (8) and Matt Grzelcyk (15).

The first penalty of the game came against Luke Kunin for roughing with 5:05 to go in the period.

Good news came late in the period as Miller returned for the Bruins. For Minnesota, well, Alex Stalock was having quite a bit of fun. Here are a couple of examples.

That wasn’t the only time he went far out of his crease to play the puck, he did so on the defensive zone boards to his left. Oh yeah, he even did a bunny hop in his crease too.

Stalock’s antics were quite the spectacle. Otherwise, the Bruins took control and doubled the Wild’s shots at 18-9 for the period. Despite such domination in the shots on goal and scoring chances categories for the Bruins, their lead sat at just one.

Score: 1-0 Boston

Third Period

The plot thickened for Kevan Miller as he was not seen on the bench to start the third period.

Brandon Carlo and Kunin both went off for roughing just less than two minutes in, neither team scored with the extra space to operate on the ice. Clifton then went off for interference about four minutes later, no dice for Minnesota.

Besides the Nordstrom goal, neither goal was giving an inch. Karson Kuhlman did ring the post one time, but the goaltending battle commenced. This was until David Pastrnak buried his 38th of the season to make it 2-0 towards the end of regulation. Jake DeBrusk (15) and Patrice Bergeron (48) had the assists.

Zach Senyshyn scored his first career NHL goal on an empty netter set up by Marcus Johansson (17) and Steven Kampfer (2).

The final shots were 35-26 in favor of the Bruins. The last game of the regular season is up next for the Bruins when the Tampa Bay Lightning come to town for some matinee hockey at 1 PM on Saturday.

Final Score: 3-0 Boston

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Bruins Post-Game Recap: Boston @ Tampa Bay: 3/25/19

/ Mike Cratty / 1 Comment

Image result for bruins lightning

(Photo Credit: Scott Audette/Getty Images)

By Mike Cratty | Follow me on Twitter @Mike_Cratty

Home: Tampa Bay Lightning

Away: Boston Bruins

Boston’s Lineup

Forwards

Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrnak

DeBrusk – Krejci – Kuhlman

Heinen – Coyle – Wagner

Nordstrom – Acciari – Backes

Defense

Chara – McAvoy

Clifton – Carlo

Moore – Kampfer

Goalies

Rask

Halak

Tampa Bay’s Lineup

Forwards

Palat – Stamkos – Miller

Johnson – Point – Kucherov

Killorn – Cirelli – Joseph

Erne – Paquette – Callahan

Defense

Hedman –  Sergachev

McDonagh – Cernak

Coburn – Rutta

Goalies

Vasilevskiy

Domingue

First Period

The Bruins rode a four-game winning streak into this one. Last time they faced Tampa Bay back on Feb. 28, the Bruins dominated. They were hoping for much of the same this time around.

Connor Clifton got the blood flowing with a huge hit on Ondrej Palat.

Tampa Bay struck first just 6:42 into the period. Steven Stamkos buried a one-timer from his wheelhouse on the off-wing. Some pretty poor defensive coverage hurt the Bruins there.

46 seconds later David Pastrnak drew a penalty on Nikita Kucherov. Tampa Bay’s penalty kill is the league’s best, the Bruins power play is third. The Bruins made no mistake in responding quickly as Brad Marchand potted a one-timer off of a feed from Pastrnak. Marchand’s 33rd of the season was assisted by Pastrnak (38) and Patrice Bergeron (43). Marchand’s road to 100 points makes its next stop at 93.

Stamkos struck again after a crazy bit of passing, again from his wheelhouse on the off-wing. It was 2-1 Tampa Bay with 5:02 left in the period. Then what do you know? Same as last time as Tampa Bay took a penalty shortly after they scored. First, it was J.T. Miller, then it was Alex Killorn to make it a 5-on-3. The Bruins had scored three 5-on-3 goals entering this man advantage.

Just 32 seconds of power play time lingered into the second period. Shots in the first were 9-4 Tampa Bay, so there was certainly room for improvement when it came to generating a sufficient amount of offense.

Score: 2-1 Tampa Bay

Second Period

John Moore was injured late in the first period due to a hit by Adam Erne and wouldn’t return for the rest of the night. The Bruins were shorthanded on defense for the rest of the night as a result.

Karson Kuhlman’s early penalty didn’t end up hurting the Bruins, but it’s certainly not what they wanted. Thankfully for their sake, they killed the penalty successfully.

Charlie Coyle scored his first as a Bruin off of a defensive zone turnover. Coyle’s first as a Bruin and 13th of the season was assisted by David Backes (13).

The theme of taking a penalty after a goal continued as Zdeno Chara went off for hooking shortly after the goal. Despite some decent looks, Tampa Bay didn’t convert.

Brandon Carlo made no mistake on a pass from David Krejci for his second of the season, giving the Bruins their first lead of the night. Krejci’s assist was his 46th of the season, ironically enough, Jake DeBrusk notched his 13th assist on the goal as well. The goal marked Carlo’s first in 44 games.

Marchand’s road to 100 went up a notch to 94 on his second goal of the game, and it was certainly a weird one. His own shot hung in the sky before he deposited it for his 34th of the season. Like his first, Pastrnak (39) and Bergeron (44) had the assists.

Connor Clifton laid another huge hit on Mathieu Joseph, as if the Bruins didn’t have enough energy. A huge chance followed for Tampa Bay not too long after that hit both posts, but didn’t go in.

A great period really gave the Bruins a stronghold on the game’s momentum. Despite not generating as many shots as Tampa Bay again, they made them count.

Score: 4-2 Boston

Third Period

A Steven Stamkos hat trick bid was thwarted by Rask, but Victor Hedman crashed the net hard and potted the rebound to make it a one-goal game.

Things got worse as Pastrnak went off for four minutes for high sticking. Tampa Bay is the last team you want to kill a four-minute penalty against. Brandon Carlo made a huge blocking stop late in the kill and the double-minor was killed successfully.

Andrei Vasilevskiy made a miraculous save on Pastrnak and unfortunately for the Bruins, the rebound found its way on to Kucherov’s stick and in the back of the net. Tie game with less than seven minutes to go. The Bruins were getting thoroughly outplayed for most of the period thanks to Tampa Bay’s suffocating forecheck.

The last thing that you want at this point? A penalty. Charlie McAvoy took a hooking penalty with 2:58 to go in the third. Tuukka Rask made a massive glove save on a shot through Miller’s screen from Kucherov. Despite a pretty solid defensive effort, Anthony Cirelli broke free in the slot and put a half slapshot past Tuukka Rask to take the lead with 52.2 seconds left in regulation.

Marchand’s late penalty iced things for the Bruins with 38.4 seconds to go and that was it. In a game that had a playoff atmosphere, Tampa Bay’s dominant third period was the difference. The final shots were 28-17 in favor of the Lightning. Up next for the Bruins are the New York Rangers at 7:30 PM ET at TD Garden. This is a tough one to swallow.

Final Score: 5-4 Tampa Bay

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Bruins Post-Game Recap: Boston @ New York: 3/19/19

/ Mike Cratty / 1 Comment

New York Islanders goaltender Robin Lehner (40) drops to make a save against Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (37) during third period of an NHL hockey game in Boston, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. The Bruins defeated the Islanders 3-1. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

(Photo Credit: Charles Krupa, Associated Press)

By Mike Cratty | Follow me on Twitter @Mike_Cratty

Home: New York Islanders

Away: Boston Bruins

Boston’s Lineup

Forwards

Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrnak

DeBrusk – Krejci – Coyle

Heinen – Kuraly – Wagner

Nordstrom – Acciari – Backes

Defense

Chara – McAvoy

Clifton – Carlo

Moore – Kampfer

Goalies

Rask

Halak

New York’s Lineup

Forwards

Lee – Barzal – Eberle

Beauvillier – Nelson – Ladd

Bailey – Filppula – Komarov

Martin – Cizikas – Clutterbuck

Defense

Leddy –  Mayfield

Pelech – Pulock

Hickey – Toews

Goalies

Lehner

Greiss

First Period

Bruins fans rejoiced as David Pastrnak made his long-awaited return in this one. It didn’t take long for the scoring to begin, as it wasn’t Pastrnak, but rather Sean Kuraly who put the Bruins ahead just a minute and 12 seconds into the game. Kuraly’s first in 23 games and seventh of the season was assisted by Charlie McAvoy (19).

The Bruins dominated early on when it came to creating offense through the neutral zone and good shot attempts. Despite the Bruins holding significant control of the game for much of the period, they were ahead by just a goal after one. Sean Kuraly especially, even outside of his goal was buzzing in a strong first period as a unit. Shots were heavily in the Bruins favor at 14-2, in part thanks to six Islanders giveaways.

Score: 1-0 Boston

Second Period

The action picked up early again in the second period when Zdeno Chara and Matt Martin squared off with one another. Chara’s first fight as a 42-year-old. With a hefty advantage when it comes to his wingspan and physical frame, Chara got the better of Martin in the fight for the most part, but Martin definitely got some good shots in. Per TSN StatsCentre, Chara is the first player of 42 or more years of age to earn a fighting major since Mark Recchi in 2010, ironically enough, while Recchi was on the Bruins.

The bottom-six continued to show up on the scoresheet. This time it was Noel Acciari getting on the board. He kept his head up, pounced on a turnover by Cal Clutterbuck, and quickly buried it to give the Bruins the two-goal lead.

The Islanders couldn’t really get anything established consistently for the majority of the first half of the game. It was all Bruins. An opportunity did come in the form of a power play for them when Pastrnak went off for 12:33 for high sticking, but they failed to convert on it.

Tuukka Rask made his first big save due to a lack of shots about 11 and a half minutes into the period. Kuraly potted another one late in the period for his second. Last time he buried two goals in a game was against Ottawa in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. His eighth goal of the season was assisted by Danton Heinen (21).

Soon after the goal, a power play ensued for the Bruins. No dice before the end of the period though. For what it’s worth, Pastrnak played 10:26 through the first two periods. 24-8 were the shots at the end of two in favor of the Bruins overall, 10-6 in the second period.

Score: 3-0 Boston

Third Period

Things took a little longer to get going in the third compared to the first two periods. Patrice Bergeron got things going this time. I can’t remember the last time the first three goals of a Bruins game were scored by bottom-six forwards. John Moore (8) and Joakim Nordstrom (4) had the assists.

Jake DeBrusk then took a penalty not too long after for hooking. The Islanders didn’t score on the power play, and then DeBrusk scored his 23rd goal of the season on a breakaway out of the box.

The final shots were 39-13 Bruins, and 15-5 in the third period. This was a blowout through and through and a statement road win to start the four-game road trip. Next up for the Bruins are the Devils at 7 PM on the road on Thursday.

Final Score: 5-0 Boston

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Bruins Post-Game Recap: Boston vs. Florida: 3/7/19

/ Mike Cratty / Leave a comment

(Photo Credit: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

By Mike Cratty | Follow me on Twitter @Mike_Cratty

Home: Boston Bruins

Away: Florida Panthers

Boston’s Lineup

Forwards

Marchand – Bergeron – Heinen

Cehlarik – Krejci – Kuhlman

Nordstrom – Coyle – Backes

Kuraly – Acciari – Wagner

Defense

Chara – McAvoy

Krug – Carlo

Moore – Grzelcyk

Goalies

Rask

Halak

Florida’s Lineup

Forwards

Huberdeau – Barkov – Dadonov

Vatrano – Trocheck – Hoffman

Hunt – Sheahan – Brouwer

McGinn – Borgstrom – Hawryluk

Defense

Matheson –  Ekblad

Yandle – Weegar

Pysyk – Brown

Goalies

Luongo

Reimer

First Period

The Bruins came into this one with a point or more in their last 17 games. They looked to continue that streak against a struggling Panthers team. The big pre-game news was that Karson Kuhlman would sub in for Jake DeBrusk who is dealing with a lower-body injury. Not much really happened of significance early on until Matt Grzelcyk took a hooking penalty, but it ended with a fairly routine penalty kill for the Bruins.

It was a pretty cut-and-dry period all around. The shots were 10-9 Florida.

Score: 0-0

Second Period

Things got interesting early with a near goal by Brad Marchand, and a tripping penalty called on Brandon Carlo. Florida converted on an Aleksander Barkov tip to make it 1-0 early on in the power play. David Backes and Joakim Nordstrom nearly connected for the equalizer almost immediately afterward.

Misfortune continued for the Bruins when Jonathan Huberdeau scored early on in the power play that resulted from Zdeno Chara’s delay of game penalty. The goal was reviewed for a high stick, but the call on the ice stood.

A little more than halfway through the period, the Bruins finally found their way on to the scoreboard thanks to a really nice give-and-go between Danton Heinen and David Krejci. His 17th goal of the season was assisted by Heinen (16) and Backes (10).

Krejci stayed in the fray of things when he drew a high sticking penalty within the final two minutes of the period. The Panthers lead in shots again, 7-5 in the period, 17-14 overall, but the Bruins made some headway towards a comeback.

Score: 2-1 Florida

Third Period

Florida’s two goals on the night to this point came on the power play, and they got an opportunity for another when Chris Wagner went off for tripping. Their power play didn’t last long as Barkov went off for a trip of his own to make it 4-on-4. A Marchand breakaway highlighted the 4-on-4, but no one scored.

It was all about the penalties early on in the third as Torey Krug was the next culprit for hooking. Tuukka Rask made some huge saves on the penalty kill on some of Florida’s top players. Then, who else but Patrice Bergeron to even things up, and whilst shorthanded. 2-2 with around 11 minutes to go. Bergeron’s 24th of the season was assisted by Charlie McAvoy (15) and Marchand (51).

The tie didn’t last long as Huberdeau gave Florida the lead back with his second goal of the game.

Krejci drew yet another penalty in the last three minutes of regulation, giving the Bruins a huge opportunity to tie the game. With just around a minute to go, Rask was pulled for the extra attacker. That move proved fruitful as Matt Grzelcyk picked an ideal time to end his 48-game goal drought and tie the game. Marchand and McAvoy tallied their second points of the game on the assist of Grzelcyk’s second goal of the season.

Remember what I said about Bergeron? Oh yeah, he scored another clutch goal. Seven seconds left, puck on his stick, game over. This Bruins team is something else.

The point streak extends itself to 18 games. Brad Marchand’s third assist of the game was the lone one on the goal. The shots in the period were 14-7 Bruins, and 28-24 overall. Next up for the Bruins are the Ottawa Senators at home at 7 PM on Saturday.

Final Score: 4-3 Boston

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Bruins Post-Game Recap: Boston vs. Carolina: 3/5/19

/ Mike Cratty / Leave a comment

Image result for bruins canes whalers

(Photo Credit: Jamie Kellner)

By Mike Cratty | Follow me on Twitter @Mike_Cratty

Home: Boston Bruins

Away: Carolina Hurricanes

Boston’s Lineup

Forwards

Marchand – Bergeron – Heinen

DeBrusk – Krejci – Johansson

Cehlarik – Coyle – Backes

Nordstrom – Acciari – Wagner

Defense

Chara – McAvoy

Krug – Carlo

Moore – Grzelcyk

Goalies

Halak

Rask

San Jose’s Lineup

Forwards

Niederreiter – Aho – Williams

Ferland – Staal – Teravainen

Svechnikov – Martinook – McGinn

McKegg – Wallmark – Foegele

Defense

Slavin –  Hamilton

Pesce – Faulk

de Haan – van Riemsdyk

Goalies

McElhinney

Mrazek

First Period

The Bruins wore their whites at home as the Canes were wearing their green Hartford Whalers uniform for the second time this season. Just over three minutes in, Marcus Johansson was leveled by Micheal Ferland and went down in a heap. He left the ice with the assistance of teammates and Bruins head athletic trainer Don Del Negro.

Things immediately got chippy after that hit. Most notably David Backes taking liberties to the Ferland hit by fighting him, marking Backes’ third fight in four games. Ferland actually suffered an upper-body injury after his hit on Johansson and fight with Backes and went on to not return to the game.

A Calvin de Haan shot deflected off of Zdeno Chara and Sebastian Aho and past Halak to make it 1-0 Carolina. John Moore then cross-checked Brock McGinn in the back at center ice and went to the box for it. It got to the point where we saw a rare 4-on-3 for a bit – the first period was a mess in the first ten minutes.

The nonsense continued with a too many men on the ice penalty of all penalties for the Bruins. Peter Cehlarik served it. Luckily they killed it off.

Overall, it was a bad period for the Bruins. Too much retaliation after the Johansson hit was at the epicenter of their struggles. The shots were 12-11 Bruins.

Score: 1-0 Carolina

Second Period

Each team came into the period a forward down, but that didn’t stop Aho scored on a breakaway thanks to a poor Bruins defensive line change. 2-0 Canes. To make things worse, Patrice Bergeron unintentionally slew footed Jaccob Slavin and went to the box for tripping. Luckily again, the Bruins were able to kill it off.

Even a Bruins power play past the halfway point of the period couldn’t help the Bruins get on the board. The offense just wasn’t there early on. That was all until Chris Wagner buried a rebound to finally get the Bruins on the board. Wagner’s tenth goal of the season was assisted by Brandon Carlo (6).

With under two minutes to go, David Krejci helped make it consecutive unanswered goals for the Bruins when Jake DeBrusk picked up his rebound and buried it. Tie game. DeBrusk’s 22nd of the year was assisted by Krejci (41).

A resurgent second period for the Bruins concluded with another shot advantage, 15-10 this time, 27-21 overall.

Score: 2-2

Third Period

A second too many men on the ice penalty came to the dismay of the Bruins, served again by Cehlarik. To the surprise of no one, Brad Marchand did something awesome on a penalty kill. Marchand forced a defensive zone turnover, broke down the opposite side wing and found Patrice Bergeron on the other side of the pond for the Bruins’ third straight goal. 3-2 Bruins. Bergeron’s goal marked his 23rd of the season, Marchand hit 50 assists on the goal for the second straight season.

Following the goal, Curtis McElhinney made a series of excellent stops to keep Carolina’s deficit to one – the Bruins were hungry for more. Unfortunately, Justin Williams eventually evened things up off of a one-timer, thickening the plot of this wild game.

Thanks to a 15-9 shot advantage from Carolina, the shots finished tied at 36 at the end of regulation. The point streak for the Bruins is extended to 17 games.

Score: 3-3

Overtime

Coyle, Wagner, and Moore for Boston, and Staal, Teravainen, and Slavin for Carolina to start overtime. DeBrusk and Krejci wove some magic to win it for the Bruins. I’ll let the video do it some justice. What a goal.

Next up for the Bruins are the Florida Panthers on the Thursday at 7 PM ET at TD Garden.

Final Score: 4-3 Boston

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Bruins Held Buyer Mentality In A Division Full Of Sellers

/ Mike Cratty / Leave a comment
Image result for marcus johansson bruins

(Photo Credit: (Christopher Evans/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)

By: Mike Cratty  |  Follow Me On Twitter @Mike_Cratty

The trade deadline came and passed on Monday, and the Bruins found themselves in a unique company amongst their divisional foes. In acquiring Charlie Coyle and Marcus Johansson, the Bruins were certainly buyers.

The only other big buyer moves in the division came in the form of the Sabres acquiring defenseman Brandon Montour from the Ducks. Other minor moves came in the form of the Red Wings acquiring defenseman Madison Bowey from the Red Wings, and the Canadiens acquiring forward Jordan Weal from the Coyotes.

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Major pieces were sold off in the Atlantic division such as Matt Duchene, Mark Stone, Ryan Dzingel, and Gustav Nyquist. In every trade comes the selling off of pieces, but the Bruins, in this case, gave up one prospect in Ryan Donato, and some draft picks in the next two drafts. The Bruins’ acquisitions of key pieces moving forward in Coyle and Johansson separated them from the rest. Coyle and Johansson are set to play large roles in Boston’s top-nine forward core, while other Atlantic division teams were sellers and/or didn’t make quite the splash that the Bruins did on the buyers market.

These acquisitions not only make the Bruins a better team but give them a variety of options in which to shape their lineup. It also gives them the potential to try out different looks on their special teams’ units as they did last night. The two newest Bruins forwards saw power play time for the Bruins last night, both with 2:27 of it.

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Both Coyle and Johansson have played the wing and center in the past, which is important in a league in which teams seem to be more appreciative of versatile players as time goes on.

Coyle has looked solid in two games so far as a Bruin, but Johansson made an immediate impact last night in a wild game in San Jose. Despite only tallying two shots on goal in 14:49 of ice time, Johansson was certainly impactful in the offensive zone with puck possession and had one high danger chance that was thwarted by Martin Jones. The highlight of his night for Johansson came from his assist on a beautiful tic-tac-toe goal by Jake DeBrusk, with David Krejci also in the mix on the goal.

So far being buyers is certainly paying off for the Bruins. Don Sweeney capitalized on valuable assets without giving up a ton due to his team being in a position to compete for a Stanley Cup. The next step is finding long-term comfortability for the rest of the season and potentially beyond for Coyle and Johansson, as well as the team as a whole as they pursue a deep cup run.

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Bruins Post-Game Recap: Boston vs. San Jose: 2/26/19

/ Mike Cratty / 1 Comment

Image result for bruins sharks

(Photo Credit: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

By Mike Cratty | Follow me on Twitter @Mike_Cratty

Home: Boston Bruins

Away: San Jose Sharks

Boston’s Lineup

Forwards

Marchand – Bergeron – Heinen

DeBrusk – Krejci – Johansson

Nordstrom – Coyle – Backes

Kuraly – Acciari – Wagner

Defense

Chara – McAvoy

Krug – Carlo

Moore – Grzelcyk

Goalies

Halak

Rask

San Jose’s Lineup

Forwards

Meier – Couture – Pavelski

Kane – Hertl – Donskoi

Nyquist – Thornton – Labanc

Haley – Goodrow – Karlsson

Defense

Vlasic –  Karlsson

Simek – Burns

Dillon – Braun

Goalies

Jones

Dell

First Period

Last time the Bruins and Sharks played it was eight days ago, eleven goals were scored, and both looked a bit different pre-trade deadline day. For the Bruins, Charlie Coyle will make his home debut, Marcus Johansson will make his Bruins debut, and Gustav Nyquist will make his Sharks debut on the other side of things.

The offense came in favor of the Bruins early on, eventually leading to a power play just less than five minutes in. Both Coyle and Johansson saw some time on the power play, but the Bruins couldn’t convert. Not too long after the conclusion of the first Bruins power play came a chance for Joe Pavelski with space, only to be stopped by Halak. Marcus Johansson followed that up with a good chance of his own, but no dice.

San Jose’s first power play came in the form of a Matt Grzelcyk hooking penalty. The Sharks got on the board first off of an odd scramble out front buried by Logan Couture to put San Jose up by a goal.

After San Jose received a double minor for high-sticking at the expense of Jake DeBrusk, David Krejci fired a one-timer past Martin Jones to even things up at one. Krejci’s 15th goal of the season was assisted by Torey Krug (38) and Brad Marchand (48).

The Bruins doubled the Sharks up in shots, 16 to 8 in the first.

Score: 1-1

Second Period

Things were fairly quiet until Charlie McAvoy buried his second goal against San Jose in as many games to give the Bruins the one-goal lead. McAvoy’s fifth of the season was assisted by Marchand (49), second of the game, and Danton Heinen (13). That wasn’t all as on the next shot, DeBrusk got in on the action on a crazy tic-tac-toe play with Johansson and Krejci. DeBrusk’s 20th of the season was assisted by Johansson (16) and Krejci (40).

That wasn’t all as Marchand continued the scoring after duking an ailing Erik Karlsson and slipping his patented backhand move behind Jones and in. 4 to 1 Bruins real fast. Marchand’s 25th goal and third point of the game was assisted by Patrice Bergeron (36). Marchand is now tied with Rick Middleton for most shorthanded goals in Bruins history with 25 of them.

Following a power play in which the Bruins didn’t score on. Chris Wagner found himself tied up with Barclay Goodrow in a brief scrap, not much came of it. John Moore then went off for cross-checking with less than two minutes to go. Each team had half the amount of shots they had in the first, bringing the game total to 24 to 12 Bruins.

Score: 4-1 Boston

Third Period

Evander Kane got his due after some previous beef with Kevan Miller and a scrap with Sean Kuraly at the hands of Zdeno Chara. Kane got kicked out of the game after the fact and got sent to the Principal’s office, as coined by Jack Edwards. A seven-million dollar misconduct.

Shortly after, Noel Acciari found his way down the tunnel after inadvertently redirecting a puck into his face. He was understandably in some good pain. Then another quick scrap came between Micheal Haley and David Backes. This game got progressively crazier as time passed.

Outside of the craziness, it was a pretty black-and-white third period. The shots in the period were 8 to 8, and 32 to 20 Boston overall. Jaroslav Halak played well with 19 saves in the win. The Bruins just keep winning, well minus the St. Louis game, but you get the point. Next up for the Bruins are the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden on Thursday at 7:30 PM.

Final Score: 4-1 Boston

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Five Potential Scorers For Bruins Outside Of Big Ticket Artemi Panarin

/ Mike Cratty / 2 Comments

Image result for Mark Stone(Photo Credit: Jane Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)

By Mike Cratty | Follow me on Twitter @Mike_Cratty

A persistent storyline for quite some time surrounding the Boston Bruins has been their need for scoring. When discussing the topic, the second-line right wing and third-line center positions are of emphasis. Personally, I feel that the second-line right wing should be the bigger priority, and there are certainly good potential fits out there on the trade market.

Mark Stone

Acquiring Mark Stone would be quite the haul. He brings a great three-zone game to the table and could fit in seamlessly with David Krejci in the middle and either someone like Jake DeBrusk or Peter Cehlarik on the left. Stone leads the Senators in points and is tied in goals with Matt Duchene (25-31-56).

Currently making $7.35 million for this season, Stone is rightfully set for a raise in unrestricted free agency this summer. Despite having buyer’s remorse from the Rick Nash rental trade last season, Stone is a very plausible rental option due to the potential for significant positive impact in all three zones. On TSN’s latest trade bait list, Stone sat at number 10 out of 50.

With all rentals at the time of a trade comes the potential that they feel comfortable enough to in fact re-sign and shed the rental tag over time. For general managers, in this case, Don Sweeney, there is a lot to ponder in these scenarios and Stone will not come cheap. Adding a player of his caliber to the top-six forward core gives the potential for him to join the likes of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk, and David Krejci. That immediately becomes a much more terrifying top-six for opponents.

Ryan Dzingel

At first, I wasn’t on board with the idea of Senators right-winger Ryan Dzingel as a rental option if Don Sweeney feels comfortable with such a transaction, but I have come around to it. When looking at players like Dzingel or Stone, acquiring a productive player from a divisional rival may be tricky, but it’s certainly not impossible.

Dzingel is two goals away from matching his career high of 23 from last year through just 53 games and has 41 points. As a rental, capitalizing on a player who is thriving in a contract year might be a smart move. But a rental of a young player like Dzingel having a career year will be pricey. Dzingel punches in at number 34 on the latest TSN trade bait list. Back in early February, TSN insider Darren Dreger said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Bruins made a play on Dzingel. His speed and offensive instincts would fit in the Bruins’ top-six forward core.

Tyler Toffoli

When it comes to a player with term left on their current contract, Tyler Toffoli could be a great option. While he isn’t having a great season, he is playing on one of the NHL’s worst teams. In 55 games, he has scored 11 goals and added 15 assists. Regardless, past seasons should qualify him as a viable target. He has reached the 30-goal plateau once before and scored 24 last season, and is a pretty well-rounded player outside of his goal-scoring ability.

Toffoli is set to make $4.6 million per year for this season and next before becoming an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2020. He is not on the latest TSN trade bait list, but his name has been thrown around and it could be a route that the LA Kings explore options to improve in the future. Toffoli could fetch a solid package of assets in a trade.

Gustav Nyquist

If Gustav Nyquist is willing to waive his NTC, he is a tantalizing trade option. The 29-year-old winger is currently making $4.75 million before hitting unrestricted free agency this summer. His 14 goals and 47 points in 55 games make him a threat for at least 60 points this season. The 33 assists that he has amassed are best on the Red Wings. Nyquist sits seventh on the latest TSN trade bait list. He’s a pure scoring threat on the wing.

Mats Zuccarello

The Bruins made three trades with the Rangers in 2018. Who says they couldn’t make their first of 2019 by the trade deadline? Mats Zuccarello would be a great piece. With nine goals and 22 assists, good for 31 points in 41 games, Zuccarello is having himself quite the contract year, like Nyquist.

The 31-year-old Norwegian winger is currently making $4.5 million ahead of a possible increase in pay this summer. For the remainder of the season, Zuccarello’s speed and elusiveness, along with a polished skill set would be a great boost to the Bruins’ offense.

Don Sweeney has a lot of options to ponder over the coming weeks as the opportunity to load up before a potential playoff run lies ahead. Roll with what you have, or be bold and make a splash, the direction of this Bruins team lies in Sweeney’s hands, in part.

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