Boston Bruins
“Hopefully it simply exhibits that we battle till the top and see video games all over.”
The Bruins landed within the win column on Tuesday night time at Madison Sq. Backyard, rallying again from a 4-1 deficit within the third interval en path to a 5-4 additional time victory in opposition to the Rangers.
Nikita Zadorov secured the game-winner for Boston at 3:27 in additional time, whereas a three-point third interval from ahead Mikey Eyssimont sparked a Bruins grouping that struggled to seek out its footing for the primary two durations of play.
Joonas Korpisalo performed the whole recreation for Boston, stopping 33 of 37 pictures within the win.
Listed here are 4 takeaways from Boston’s first win of the preseason:
Eyssimont delivers in third interval.
It was trying like one other lengthy night time for Marco Sturm and the Bruins after the primary two durations of play on Tuesday night time.
By 5 durations of preseason motion, the Bruins have been outscored, 9-3 — together with a 4-1 deficit coming into the second intermission at Madison Sq. Backyard.
“We addressed it after a second. That’s not us. That’s not the Boston Bruins,” Sturm famous postgame. “That’s not how we need to play. That’s not how we need to symbolize our emblem on that jersey. However good on them for responding.”
Boston’s late comeback was fueled by Eyssimont, who needs to be thought-about a lock for one among Boston’s bottom-six spots on the wing as soon as the common season commences in just a few weeks.
The free-agent pickup posted three factors within the last 20 minutes of play — lighting the lamp twice earlier than organising Marat Khusnutdinov’s equalizer with simply 1:05 left in regulation.
Eyssimont — who was introduced aboard this offseason extra for his pugnacious method than his scoring contact — additionally doled out just a few heavy hits at MSG.
The power that the 29-year-old ahead generates straight led to offensive manufacturing — with Eyssimont pick-pocketing Rangers defenseman Adam Fox earlier than tucking a puck previous Talyn Boyko for a shorthanded purpose at 7:05 within the third.
Eyssimont made it a one-goal recreation just a little over three minutes later, roofing a puck over Boyko after receiving a slick feed from defenseman Jordan Harris.
After Boston pulled Korpisalo with beneath two minutes to go in regulation, Eyssimont helped the Bruins push throughout the game-tying tally — whipping a puck throughout the crease that was jammed residence by Khusnutdinov.
Because the Bruins to stack optimistic practices and preseason performances by September, a veteran like Eyssimont delivered for a crew in want of some excellent news out on the ice.
“Hopefully it simply exhibits that we battle till the top and see video games all over,” Eyssimont stated. “We mounted a variety of issues, and that’s an indication of a mature crew.”
Korpisalo battles again amid extra D-zone struggles.
Eyssimont’s heroics and Zadorov’s OT winner had the Bruins leaving New York in a superb temper.
However a number of gamers may need to avert their eyes later this week as soon as Sturm and his employees run by the tape.
All through the primary two durations of play, the Rangers pounced on a Bruins roster that after once more fumbled pucks and coughed up far too many high quality probabilities within the D-zone.
For the second-straight recreation, defenseman Victor Soderstrom despatched just a few passes out of the zone that have been both intercepted or misplayed — resulting in pucks crusing previous Korpisalo.
Ahead Johnny Beecher — who now finds himself on the roster bubble — was additionally stood up on the blue line by Vladislav Gavrikov, resulting in a turnover that resulted in a purpose from former Boston Faculty ahead Gabe Perreault only a few seconds later.
Gavrikov’s shorthanded tally at 11:08 within the second interval was additionally unpleasant. New York’s PK unit struck after Matej Blumel turned a puck over within the Blueshirts’ zone, whereas Casey Mittelstadt was sluggish on the backcheck and was unable to account for Gavrikov on the ensuing odd-man rush.
Korpisalo himself wasn’t precisely sharp with a number of the tallies he relinquished. However Boston’s backup netminder additionally battled again — stopping the ultimate 18 pictures he confronted on an evening that might have been much more lopsided coming into the ultimate interval of regulation.
“The sport might have gone to the rubbish actual fast if he [didn’t] make these large saves,” Zadorov stated of Korpisalo. “We gave up approach too many Grade-A’s from the slot at present. I assumed they have been actually hungry on the puck. I assumed they have been shot-ready, shot-first mentality. I assumed they have been actually crashing our internet. And Korpy stayed large for us. He gave us an opportunity to get again within the recreation.”
It wasn’t fairly, however Korpisalo’s response has him holding the sting in opposition to Michael DiPietro within the Bruins’ ongoing competitors for the backup goalie spot this preseason.
Mittelstadt showcases playmaking poise.
If the Bruins are going to generate some constant 5-on-5 scoring punch, they’re going to wish to seek out conduits of offense when their projected prime line of David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm, and Morgan Geekie isn’t out on the ice.
A few of that weight will fall on the shoulders of Casey Mittelstadt, a poised playmaker who has a pair of 50-point seasons on his resume.
On Tuesday, Mittelstadt showcased a few of his offensive contact — recording assists on each Matej Blumel’s opening tally within the first interval earlier than feeding the puck to Eyssimont as a part of Boston’s game-tying strike.
It wasn’t an ideal night time for each Blumel and Mittelstadt when it got here to their protection and puck play on Gavrikov’s shorthanded purpose.
However a Bruins crew coming into the yr with few established playmakers current of their middle-six grouping will welcome the sight of Mittelstadt making performs and Blumel discovering the again of the web.
Whereas Blumel and Khusnutdinov made a superb case for extra NHL reps within the coming weeks, just a few different youthful gamers on the roster bubble like Matt Poitras and Fabian Lysell didn’t essentially transfer the needle.
A walk-off tally
It wasn’t the sharpest exhibiting from Nikita Zadorov when it got here to puck play, however the 6-foot-7 blueliner did safe Boston’s comeback win with a pointy snap shot with 1:33 left in additional time.
There can be no celebrations on the ice for the 30-year-old blueliner. Instantly after lighting the lamp, Zadorov casually made his approach off the ice.
“I simply need to go residence, with my household,” Zadorov stated of his walk-off celly.
Forward of Tuesday’s recreation, Sturm harped on Zadorov’s important position on this roster — each on and off the ice.
“We would like him to play onerous,” Sturm stated of Zadorov. “We would like him to shut as shortly as doable due to his attain and yeah — we simply have gotten to get him going once more. … We’d like him this yr. We’d like him to be a frontrunner, be a presence on the ice and be one of many higher D shifting ahead.”
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