Ryan Spooner stood out this week with a goal and four assists. Photo credit: Joe Makarski, Bruins Daily.
The Bruins started out the week with disappointing 2-1 and 3-2 losses to the Rangers and Flyers, respectively. Both losses featured a third-period rally that ultimately caused the loss. But the Bruins did manage to get their act together against admittedly weak teams in Buffalo and Toronto. All in all, this week was a pretty mixed bag. Let's get to the highlights:
HIGHLIGHTS
Rangers Score Two in Final Period to Unseat B's
Ouch. It looked like the Bruins might pull this one out - or at least send the game to overtime. But after Jimmy Hayes' goal in the third period, Derick Brassard and Jesper Fast took the game in regulation.
After a scoreless first period that featured 21 shots, Jimmy Hayes finally got one past Henrik Lundqvist in the middle period. Zdeno Chara poked the puck away from Chris Kreider. Then Ryan Spooner scooped it up and flung it to Jimmy Hayes, creating an opportunity. Faced with a 1-on-2 situation, Hayes fired a wicked wrister over Lundqvist's pads for the goal.
The Bruins' tenuous lead stood until 35 seconds into the third period, when Derick Brassard struck to tie the game. After Ryan McDonagh took away the puck from David Pastrnak and gave it to Mats Zuccarello, Zuccarello drove hard to the net and jammed the puck into Tuukka Rask's pad. The puck squirted out to Derick Brassard, who shot into the open net.
The game remained tied for 17 minutes and 43 seconds before Jesper Fast scored the winning goal. After sustained offensive pressure by the Rangers as a result of Derek Stepan stealing the puck from Joonas Kemppainen, Keith Yandle's shot was beautifully tipped by Jesper Fast and bounced over Rask's pads for the goal. With only a minute and 42 seconds left in the period and the game, there wasn't enough time for the Bruins to respond and the final score was 2-1 Rangers.
Bruins Pull Defeat From the Jaws of Victory in 3-2 Loss to Philly
Jakub Voracek had a three-point game while Wayne Simmonds and Mark Streit won the game for Philadelphia in the third. On the other end of the ice, Kevan Miller of all people and Loui Eriksson each notched a goal. Claude Giroux also assisted on each of the three goals the Flyers put past Tuukka Rask.
Jakub Voracek scored first after Rask saved Claude Giroux’s shot from the point. Voracek danced around Rask and a Bruins defender to slide the puck into the net.
But the Bruins got on the board in the second period, when Max Talbot recovered a bouncing puck that Flyers goalie Steve Mason had attempted to clear and fed it across the ice to Kevan Miller, who shot a rocket past Mason and into the top corner.
Later in the period, Loui Eriksson scored a goal on the power play after big Evgeny Medvedev went to the penalty box for interference. Ryan Spooner kicked things off after cycling the puck around the offensive zone, taking the puck right to Steve Mason's pads from a sharp angle. Loui Eriksson converted on the rebound as the puck went past a hapless Steve Mason.
Unfortunately, the Bruins couldn't generate more offense before Wayne Simmonds re-tied the game. A nifty passing play between Simmonds and Jakub Voracek led to a shot on net from Simmonds. Rask made the initial save, but Wayne Simmonds was there to score on the second attempt. Still, it looked like the Bruins could get the game to overtime. Not so.
It was Mark Streit who eventually won the game. A back-and-forth between Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux got the Flyers through the neutral zone. As Giroux skated past the blueline, he passed to Mark Streit, who was on the other side of the rink. Zdeno Chara nearly stymied the chance while the puck was ensnared between his legs, but it trickled out to Mark Streit, who shot the puck right past Rask to score.
Bruins Beat Downtrodden Sabres 4-1
The Sabres scored first, but Matt Beleskey and Ryan Spooner delivered standout performances and Brett Connolly scored his first goal in 20 games.
David Legwand drew first blood after Colin Miller gave the puck away behind the net. Legwand swept in and squirted it through Jonas Gustavsson's five-hole on the wraparound. But early in the second period, Matt Beleskey evened things up. When the puck bobbled out to the neutral zone, Loui Eriksson poked it past Jake McCabe, who fumbled with it before Ryan Spooner stole it and went in on the breakaway. Robin Lehner made the pad save, but Beleskey came up behind Spooner and stayed with the play, snapping a one-timer past Lehner.
After Beleskey's marker, the score remained tied at one until 29 seconds into the third period, when Zdeno Chara let loose a sizzling wrist shot that went through several screens and eventually made its way to the top corner. Ryan Spooner scored another goal midway through the period; throwing the puck towards the net from the hash marks and having it bounce off Sam Reinhart's legs.
Brett Connolly sealed the deal with an empty-net tally, his first in 20 games.
Leafs Fall to Bruins in Close 3-2 Win
Patrice Bergeron scored two and the Leafs' third line shined, but Brad Marchand was the hero of the night, scoring the game-winning goal with 47 seconds left in regulation time.
Patrice Bergeron scored early in the game (45 seconds in, to be exact), receiving a beautiful tape-to-tape bass from Torey Krug for the breakway, and then undressing Jonathan Bernier with a classic forehand-to-backhand move to finish the play. Unfortunately, the Leafs responded less than four minutes late, when Leo Komarov scored on his own rebound after Nazem Kadri threw the puck to the crease.
Bergeron got his second goal of the game, deflecting a Zdeno Chara shot off of Bernier's shoulder and off the crossbar before going past the goal line, but Leo Komarov's linemate Shawn Matthias levelled the playing field with a laser shot from the faceoff circle near the end of the second period.
Halfway through the third period, it looked like Brad Marchand had scored the possible game-winner on a 2-on-1, but the video review found that he was just barely offside and called it off. But there was no reason to call off Marchand's game-winning goal less than a minute before the end of the game.
The play started out looking fairly mundane. Brett Connolly sent the puck behind the net and chased it down with a Leafs player on his tail. As the puck slid out to the other side of the rink, Morgan Rielly attempted to clear the puck. The only problem was that the puck went straight to Marchand, who shot the puck bar-down into the net before Jonathan Bernier could get back to the crease.
NEXT WEEK
The following week will feature a matchup against the slumping Canadiens, the Vancouver Canucks (who lead the league in overtime losses), and the Columbus Blue Jackets, a good bet for the number one overall pick.
HIGHLIGHTS
Rangers Score Two in Final Period to Unseat B's
Ouch. It looked like the Bruins might pull this one out - or at least send the game to overtime. But after Jimmy Hayes' goal in the third period, Derick Brassard and Jesper Fast took the game in regulation.
After a scoreless first period that featured 21 shots, Jimmy Hayes finally got one past Henrik Lundqvist in the middle period. Zdeno Chara poked the puck away from Chris Kreider. Then Ryan Spooner scooped it up and flung it to Jimmy Hayes, creating an opportunity. Faced with a 1-on-2 situation, Hayes fired a wicked wrister over Lundqvist's pads for the goal.
The Bruins' tenuous lead stood until 35 seconds into the third period, when Derick Brassard struck to tie the game. After Ryan McDonagh took away the puck from David Pastrnak and gave it to Mats Zuccarello, Zuccarello drove hard to the net and jammed the puck into Tuukka Rask's pad. The puck squirted out to Derick Brassard, who shot into the open net.
The game remained tied for 17 minutes and 43 seconds before Jesper Fast scored the winning goal. After sustained offensive pressure by the Rangers as a result of Derek Stepan stealing the puck from Joonas Kemppainen, Keith Yandle's shot was beautifully tipped by Jesper Fast and bounced over Rask's pads for the goal. With only a minute and 42 seconds left in the period and the game, there wasn't enough time for the Bruins to respond and the final score was 2-1 Rangers.
Bruins Pull Defeat From the Jaws of Victory in 3-2 Loss to Philly
Jakub Voracek had a three-point game while Wayne Simmonds and Mark Streit won the game for Philadelphia in the third. On the other end of the ice, Kevan Miller of all people and Loui Eriksson each notched a goal. Claude Giroux also assisted on each of the three goals the Flyers put past Tuukka Rask.
Jakub Voracek scored first after Rask saved Claude Giroux’s shot from the point. Voracek danced around Rask and a Bruins defender to slide the puck into the net.
But the Bruins got on the board in the second period, when Max Talbot recovered a bouncing puck that Flyers goalie Steve Mason had attempted to clear and fed it across the ice to Kevan Miller, who shot a rocket past Mason and into the top corner.
Later in the period, Loui Eriksson scored a goal on the power play after big Evgeny Medvedev went to the penalty box for interference. Ryan Spooner kicked things off after cycling the puck around the offensive zone, taking the puck right to Steve Mason's pads from a sharp angle. Loui Eriksson converted on the rebound as the puck went past a hapless Steve Mason.
Unfortunately, the Bruins couldn't generate more offense before Wayne Simmonds re-tied the game. A nifty passing play between Simmonds and Jakub Voracek led to a shot on net from Simmonds. Rask made the initial save, but Wayne Simmonds was there to score on the second attempt. Still, it looked like the Bruins could get the game to overtime. Not so.
It was Mark Streit who eventually won the game. A back-and-forth between Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux got the Flyers through the neutral zone. As Giroux skated past the blueline, he passed to Mark Streit, who was on the other side of the rink. Zdeno Chara nearly stymied the chance while the puck was ensnared between his legs, but it trickled out to Mark Streit, who shot the puck right past Rask to score.
Bruins Beat Downtrodden Sabres 4-1
The Sabres scored first, but Matt Beleskey and Ryan Spooner delivered standout performances and Brett Connolly scored his first goal in 20 games.
David Legwand drew first blood after Colin Miller gave the puck away behind the net. Legwand swept in and squirted it through Jonas Gustavsson's five-hole on the wraparound. But early in the second period, Matt Beleskey evened things up. When the puck bobbled out to the neutral zone, Loui Eriksson poked it past Jake McCabe, who fumbled with it before Ryan Spooner stole it and went in on the breakaway. Robin Lehner made the pad save, but Beleskey came up behind Spooner and stayed with the play, snapping a one-timer past Lehner.
After Beleskey's marker, the score remained tied at one until 29 seconds into the third period, when Zdeno Chara let loose a sizzling wrist shot that went through several screens and eventually made its way to the top corner. Ryan Spooner scored another goal midway through the period; throwing the puck towards the net from the hash marks and having it bounce off Sam Reinhart's legs.
Brett Connolly sealed the deal with an empty-net tally, his first in 20 games.
Leafs Fall to Bruins in Close 3-2 Win
Patrice Bergeron scored two and the Leafs' third line shined, but Brad Marchand was the hero of the night, scoring the game-winning goal with 47 seconds left in regulation time.
Patrice Bergeron scored early in the game (45 seconds in, to be exact), receiving a beautiful tape-to-tape bass from Torey Krug for the breakway, and then undressing Jonathan Bernier with a classic forehand-to-backhand move to finish the play. Unfortunately, the Leafs responded less than four minutes late, when Leo Komarov scored on his own rebound after Nazem Kadri threw the puck to the crease.
Bergeron got his second goal of the game, deflecting a Zdeno Chara shot off of Bernier's shoulder and off the crossbar before going past the goal line, but Leo Komarov's linemate Shawn Matthias levelled the playing field with a laser shot from the faceoff circle near the end of the second period.
Halfway through the third period, it looked like Brad Marchand had scored the possible game-winner on a 2-on-1, but the video review found that he was just barely offside and called it off. But there was no reason to call off Marchand's game-winning goal less than a minute before the end of the game.
The play started out looking fairly mundane. Brett Connolly sent the puck behind the net and chased it down with a Leafs player on his tail. As the puck slid out to the other side of the rink, Morgan Rielly attempted to clear the puck. The only problem was that the puck went straight to Marchand, who shot the puck bar-down into the net before Jonathan Bernier could get back to the crease.
NEXT WEEK
The following week will feature a matchup against the slumping Canadiens, the Vancouver Canucks (who lead the league in overtime losses), and the Columbus Blue Jackets, a good bet for the number one overall pick.