Some say that a break from a physical sport, such as hockey, is needed to allow the body to heal. Others will argue that an extended period of rest can result in subpar play. At times in last night’s shoot out loss against the Winnipeg Jets, the Boston Bruins exemplified both examples.
“I felt pretty good,” Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron said when asked if his line felt too much rust [from the break]. “I thought we, you know it’s one of those things where you know you got to keep things simple, especially early on. You know, I thought we had some pretty good plays and that’s it. You’re playing a good line and a good matchup. It’s a great challenge.
In their first game back since the nine-day NHL All-Star break, the Bruins got out to a fast start but could not secure the win. However they did earn one point in the shoot out loss.
“I thought it was very good, for most of the night,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said of his team’s effort. “I thought we had the better of the play when you look at the big picture, that part of it. A lot of positives. We were physical, answered the bell when we needed to. I don’t think we had any passengers. Generated a lot of good looks.
“We just had some breakdowns. You have to be careful you don’t beat yourself, and I think there was a little bit of that tonight. No disrespect to Winnipeg, they’re one of the best teams in the National Hockey League. But I think some of it was self-inflicted, and the good teams don’t do that. So, we have to correct that.”
Once again, a team that has suffered its fourth lost in five games, failed to get any secondary scoring. Their top line of Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak were firing on all cylinders. Bergeron (two goals), Marchand (three assists), Pastrnak (goal, two assists) scored all three of the team’s goals and combined for eight points. But as Bruins fans and the team realized in last year’s playoffs, you need other lines to chip in if you plan on winning in the NHL.
“Listen, we need secondary scoring, so you look at the scoresheet and you don’t get it. You get one and it might be the difference in the game,” said Cassidy. “Having said that, I thought our D were trying to be involved. They got a lot of shots that the other team was able to block. [David] Krejci’s line, I thought Jake [DeBrusk] was flying around, doing a nice job. Krech had a couple of chances that they were able to step in front of.
“We needed more out of them, obviously – that’s stating the obvious. But I don’t think they were completely quiet either, so I guess I’d rate it…they were generating some looks, but they were unable to finish.”
The Bruins look to get back on the winning path when they invite the Philadelphia Flyers to the TD Garden on Thursday. The Bruins are 1-1 against the Flyers this year.
