3 takeaways from the Bruins’ 4-2 loss to Sabres
“I just thought we were cute tonight,” Bruce Cassidy said.
COMMENTARY
The Boston Bruins had a December – and January – to remember. February began even better.
Four consecutive regulation wins had the Black and Gold knocking on the President’s Trophy door as the best team in the NHL coming into Saturday night. Wednesday’s win, a second road game in 24 hours against the Rangers, was arguably the statement game of the season thus far. After falling behind, 1-0, Boston stormed back with six unanswered goals for the 6-1 triumph.
The B’s returned home with a proverbial “gimme-game” against the lowly Buffalo Sabres Saturday night at TD Garden. It turned out to be a night to forget for the Black and Gold.
Here’s what we learned as Boston spotted Buffalo three goals on turnovers and two former Bruins led the way to a 4-2 Sabres win.
Porous ‘D’ leads to second-period giveaways
Perfectly executed 3-on-1. Here’s the GWG. #CheersToHockey 🏒 pic.twitter.com/GSuSJgtWwU
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) February 11, 2018
“I just thought we were cute tonight,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said postgame. “You can accept not executing certain nights; you can accept the puck not going in, but the giving them the free chances the other way, that’s just not who we are.”
After a scoreless first 20 minutes, David Pastrnak coughed up the puck, put his seat on the ice, and caused a turnover that sent Evander Kane in alone from center ice at 7:42 of the second period. Tuukka Rask did not prevail when Kane whistled one home for the 1-0 lead.
Adam McQuaid chest-bumped a shot at 13:44 onto the stick of Scott Wilson, who also sent a 10-footer past an unflinching Rask to pay dirt and a two-goal lead.
With a minute left, McQuaid’s second gaffe sent Buffalo on a 2-on-1 with former Bruin and the game’s No. 1 star Benoit Pouliot firing home a 3-1 lead with Rask dead to rights.
“We’ve won our share; we’ve learned how to play in those games,” Cassidy said. “It seems like we weren’t going to be respectful of that, and the odd-man rushes, eventually they got us.”
Jake DeBrusk’s right-dasher pass to a dashing Ryan Spooner who deflected a slot shot past former Bruins backup Chad Johnson at 14:39 kept Boston close with Torey Krug also assisting. It marked six points for Spooner in his last seven games.
Too little too late to save Rask’s point streak
A Patrice Bergeron shot from the top of the right dot with David Backes deflecting it top shelf at 19:01 cut the deficit to 3-2 with Krug also assisting. But Rasmus Ristolainen sent a 175-foot shot into an empty Bruins cage and the two points went Buffalo’s way.
“It’s got to get to the net with traffic, and we just didn’t do enough of that to earn our goals,” Cassidy said. “It’s ironic we do it with the goalie out late. Too little, too late, but we need a lot more of that early on.
“I think Tuukka made some good saves on them, too. Could have been a lot worse.”
Thus ended Rask’s career-best point streak of 21 games at 19-0-2. It was the fourth-longest point streak by a goaltender in team history and is the longest since Pete Peeters’ 31-game stretch in 1982-83 at 26-0-5.
“Not the way we wanted to play but those games happen,” Rask said. “Start a new [streak] I guess.”
Plusses get subtracted
How good is Boston’s total team offense and defense? The glaring standout stat is the individual plus-minus. Zdeno Chara at plus-29; Bergeron plus-26; Brad Marchand plus-26; Charlie McAvoy plus-21 and Matt Grzelcyk’s plus-18 led an entire starting roster all producing on the even or plus side.
Those numbers took a hit Saturday with a team total of minus-10; Bergeron, Marchand and Pastrnak were minus-2 each.
“A lot of mental mistakes, if you want to put it that way,” Bergeron assessed postgame. “And they were coming back at us and you saw a lot of two on ones and breakaways and stuff you don’t want to see.”
Bergeron, Cassidy and the gang hope to see something better against the Devils Sunday night.
