The Bruins have confirmed via one week into the season that, no, they don’t seem to be going to be a straightforward out like they had been final 12 months.
However sadly for them, they’re additionally proving that they’re not the type of crew that must be buying and selling objectives with the likes of the Vegas Golden Knights.
After their livid comeback try from a three-goal deficit towards the Tampa Bay Lightning fell quick on Monday, the B’s discovered themselves in the same scenario with the Knights on Thursday and got here out with the identical outcome — a close-but-no-cigar loss. Regardless of the valiant efforts, catch-up hockey doesn’t turn out to be them. They must play a sounder defensive recreation than they’ve the final two video games..
After falling behind by three objectives within the third interval, the B’s pulled it again to inside a aim however they may not pull even, shedding 6-5 at T-Cell Enviornment in a extremely entertaining recreation. Jeremy Swayman’s objectives towards common took an enormous hit, however he was truly excellent in making saves.
Sturm acknowledged Swayman’s good recreation and the comeback, however he wasn’t actually searching for silver linings.
“If we wish to play like that, we’re simply by no means going to win. 5 objectives for must be sufficient,” mentioned coach Marco Sturm bluntly. “Pay attention, we cheated the sport just about. The primary interval was truly OK, however the errors we made over and over, we don’t wish to play that approach. We don’t wish to play back-and-forth. We don’t wish to play like we did final recreation towards Tampa. It’s approach too many objectives towards and straightforward breakdowns. I’m nearly glad it occurred, as a result of it confirmed have work to do. And we simply can’t play that approach.”
The B’s loved a terrific recreation from their backside six — the third and fourth strains had been on the ice for 4 of their 5 objectives — however wanted extra from the highest six. Coach Marco Sturm tweaked the highest two strains, flipping Pavel Zacha and Morgan Geekie, however it didn’t produce the equalizer. David Pastrnak had a power-play aim however he was minus-2, as had been Casey Mittelstadt, Geekie and Viktor Arvidsson.
The Bruins took two leads within the first interval however couldn’t maintain both of them and went into the primary break tied, 2-2.
For the fourth time in 5 video games, the B’s opened the scoring. Charlie McAvoy got here down from his proper level spot and sneaked via a shot that goalie Akira Schmid couldn’t deal with. Tanner Jeannot, parked on the prime of the crease, swept house the rebound for his second of the 12 months simply 2:05 in.
However the Knights, who would get extra pace via the impartial zone than the B’s would have favored, tied it simply 1:30 later. Jordan Harris pinched down low however the Knights gained management and attacked. Sniper Pavel Dorofeyev acquired behind Arvidsson and snapped his league-leading sixth of the 12 months over Swayman’s blocker.
The B’s continued to have their share of offensive zone time and regained the lead at 16:44 when Nikita Zadorov’s left level shot acquired previous Schmid. It appeared it went off Jeffrey Viel in conjunction with the crease however it was awarded to the large defenseman.
This time, it took Vegas simply 1:49 to drag even once more. Swayman stopped Ben Hutton’s blue line shot however the rebound went excessive within the air and dropped proper to Cole Reinhardt and Reinhardt fired it proper again for the equalizer.
Extra importantly, the Knights had seized momentum by the tip of the primary and, by 6:35 of the second, they’d a two-goal lead.
First, Jack Eichel gave the Knights their first lead of the sport at 4:14 when his shot from the excessive slot deflected off one thing out entrance and Swayman appeared to lose sight if it till it dropped behind him.
Then, with considered one of their finest killers Elias Lindholm within the field for high-sticking, the Knights doubled the lead. Dorofeyev hit the shortside publish and the puck bounced out entrance. By a crowd, Tomas Hertl was in a position to jam it house, the primary PP aim the B’s had allowed on the younger season.
The B’s acquired one again when, after Mark Kastelic drew a penalty on outdated pal Jeremy Lauzon, David Pastrnak scored his second of the 12 months on the facility play at 8:15.
Then got here sequence during which it appeared the roof may collapse on them. First, Mikey Eyssimont was referred to as for crosschecking after which, simply 31 seconds later, Pavel Zacha was whistled for a double-minor for high-sticking, giving Vegas a 5-on-3 for 1:29, then one other one man-advantage for one more 2:31. Because of a number of huge stops by Swayman and nice PK work by Zadorov, they killed all of it off.
“That’s a very good five-man unit and so they acquired a ton of appears to be like. And Sway bent however didn’t break there. It was an enormous kill on the time,” mentioned McAvoy.
That unusually buoyed them and so they almost tied it up on a Pastrnak shortside blast, however Schmid made his finest cease of the evening.
The B’s had been feeling good about themselves after they acquired one other energy play, however this time it blew up on them.
Mittelstadt tried to drive a cross-ice cross to Pastrnak and Mark Stone picked it off. Stone took off with William Karlsson on a partial 2-on-1. Stone’s shot went off the publish and dropped down within the crease completely for Karlsson to faucet within the crushing aim that restored Vegas’ two-goal lead with 1:36 left within the second.
That aim appeared to interrupt the B’s. The Knights had been throughout them to begin the third interval, earned an influence play on a McAvoy high-stick and Karlsson pushed it to 6-3 on the PP with a too-easy rush to the online at 2:19.
However the B’s backside six didn’t hand over and so they minimize the deficit to a mere aim with two objectives in in 1:07.
First, Kastelic beat Schmid with a high-wrister off a Sean Kuraly (two assists, plus-3) faceoff win. The Schmid gave up a softy to Eyssimont from the precise circle and, with 14:48 left within the third, it was again to a one-goal lead.
Hertl gave the B’s a power-play likelihood at 9:14 for working into Swayman, however they may not capitalize. They by no means actually utilized any constant strain after that. When Swayman was pulled for the additional skater, Geekie wiped it out with a penalty and the comeback try was basically over.
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