2/13 vs Tampa Bay
Brad Marchand played his 1000th game in the NHL on Tuesday vs the Tampa Bay Lighting, all of them with the Bruins. It would have been nice to get a win for the Captain, but individually he played great and finished with two assists. His skill and hustle was on full display right from the beginning and he was by far the Bruins best player. He was the major reason they were able to get a point out of the game.
Overall it was a much better game for the Bruins, they played with improved energy and put themselves in a position to win the game. The game itself was much more entertaining from a fan’s perspective, especially the overtime which was just constant action. It was encouraging to see the Bruins be able to play with a team like Tampa Bay with all the talent they have. They still need to add another defensemen or bottom six forward who could fill in if someone goes down with an injury or if the lines continue to be shifted.
The Bruins had great chances to score in both the late 3rd period and overtime. Trent Frederic was able to get a few really good shots off during the 3 on 3 overtime, he continues to show how good of an NHL player he has become over the past few seasons. The defense looked strong on both 5 on 5 and the penalty kill, along with the whole unit, which was instrumental in keeping the Bruins in the game.
The best sequence of the game has to be the minute or so during the delayed penalty late in the second period. Marchand was on full display keeping the puck alive and maintaining possession to give the Bruins some extra chances. He actually ends up shooting the puck off James van Riemsdyk, before eventually getting the puck back after a nice pass from Pastrnak, getting a good shot off and JVR puts the rebound in.
One sore spot that has become a pattern in the last few games is the Bruins lackluster power play. Over the last two games they have had six power plays in the 3rd period and none of those ended with a goal. They have managed only one goal in the last fifteen attempts, scoring the lone goal against Calgary. The power play just looks stale, either they have trouble getting the puck in the zone or if they do and maintain possession, they are not getting high percentage shots. Most are coming from the points and they look easy to defend when the opposing team hones in on Pastrnak.
Ullmark had an okay game, he made a couple of great saves, including a breakaway on Nikita Kucherov. But he did let in a soft goal in the first, after a turnover just outside the defensive zone, to make it 0-1 Tampa Bay. It was tough to watch him knock in the save he had just made in the shootout, but you can’t really blame him for that. The Bruins goaltending is not their problem right now and has been one of the stronger points of the team so far this season.
Charlie McAvoy and JVR scored the Bruins two goals, both good goals, but they were blue collar type goals and you would like to see them score goals a little easier. The Bruins also took less penalties this game, which they are going to need to do if they want to get back on track. If this game didn’t take place in the middle of a mini slump, it would have been much easier to swallow and been more encouraging. But now it just looks like a game that the Bruins worked hard in and possibly should have won with the chances they got at the end of the game. The Bruins play the Seattle Kraken on Thursday 2/15, not a must win, but a win that would do a lot to calm everyone’s nerves.
The Bruins Review 