TD Garden has become a house of horrors for Bruins … especially in crunch time
“Offensively, we haven't been there all year.”
Through 19 games, the Bruins have sported a record of 5-3-2 at TD Garden this season.
It’s far from a flashy showing on Causeway Street, albeit an improvement over the team’s showing so far on the road (3-5-1).
But considering just how disjointed Boston’s effort has been on home ice, it’s a surprise in and of itself that the Bruins have managed to secure five wins at all in their own barn.
The Bruins once again fell into the same familiar routine that paved the way for a disappointing result on Saturday afternoon — coughing up a 2-1 lead in the third period of play en route to an eventual 3-2 overtime defeat against the Blues.
Boston’s second straight defeat already stands as a tough pill to swallow — especially against a Blues team regarded as a cellar-dweller in the Western Conference.
Jim Montgomery pointed to Boston’s erosion on the defensive side of the puck as a concern, especially after seemingly steadying that part of their game before Thursday’s blowout loss in Dallas.
“I felt we were getting there defensively — from the Carolina game to the Dallas game,” Montgomery said. “I thought we were getting there with consistency. We lost it in Dallas and it was just not there today at all. … You want to be good on both sides of the puck.
“Defensively, being good gives you the opportunity to win every night. Because we should be able to close that game out and win, 2-1, today.”
Boston did little to support Joonas Korpisao (28 saves on 31 shots), who has served as one of the few steadying forces on an otherwise listless lineup this season.
But down the other end of the ice, a Bruins team short of skill and urgency (a fatal combination) did little to try and shift fortunes back in their favor.
“Offensively, we haven’t been there all year,” Montgomery said.
Boston’s third-period woes have been well-documented this year, headlined by their zero shots on goal over 20 minutes last Saturday against Linus Ullmark and the Senators.
But it’s been a regular issue for Boston all season, especially on home ice.
Boston did little to put St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington under duress on Saturday, especially once Nathan Walker secured the equalizer at 9:18.
After Trent Frederic beat Binnington twice with tallies in the first period, the Bruins only landed 11 total shots against the Blues goalie for the final 40 minutes of regulation.
As noted by Boston Sports Info, the Bruins have now gone 184 minutes of play at home without scoring a goal in the third period. In total, the Bruins have lit the lamp in the third period at TD Garden just once all season — and it came back on Oct. 11 during Boston’s home opener against Montreal.
It’s another dreadful stat line that paints the picture of a Bruins team that has been completely rudderless in the offensive zone all season.
“You can’t plan for a lack of juice,” Montgomery bemoaned. “You get to play in the greatest league in the world. The excitement should come within each individual to be able to go out there and play in front of our great fans.”
Saturday stood as the latest in a long line of “get right” opportunities for the Bruins, especially against an unimpressive Blues roster.
Even if Boston left with two points, skepticism would still be abundant about the fortitude of this team and its odds of stringing together multiple performances.
But even that half-measured approach slipped through the Bruins’ grasp on yet another frustrating afternoon on Causeway Street.
“We have to grind through it, and you have to take initiative, take responsibility, hold ourselves accountable, hold each other accountable,” Charlie Coyle said. “And you know we’re going to get out of these little funks. They happen every year. Good teams find ways to put a stop to it quicker than other teams, but it takes everyone, and I think we have to really, really buy in on just playing a simple style of hockey.
“I know that’s a cliche word, but it works. It works for us. It works for the way we play and if we focus on our compete, our work, being tight on everything. … You’ve got to put in the work before — will before skill — that’s what people say, right? It’s just so true, but you’ve really gotta buy into that.”
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