Boston Bruins: Last Second Hearbreak marks B’s third loss.
Sep 30, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman
Matt Bartkowski(43) is congratulated by defenseman
Adam McQuaid(54) and center
Patrice Bergeron(37) after scoring against the New York Islanders during the third period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
The Bruins came within half a second of earning a point this afternoon in their match against the Colorado Avalanche. Daniel Briere got the puck past Niklas Svedberg in the final four tenths of a second in regulation to give the Avalanche a 2-1 win, and giving the B’s their third straight loss. It’s been a while since we’ve seen that happened with the Bruins, and hopefully it won’t cause the front office to start thinking about radical changes just four games into the season.
Live Feed class=inline-text id=inline-text-8
Puck Prose
“It’s tough, you know, but nothing you can do about it. We thought the last minute, that it was going to overtime, but you’ve got to play till the last second, and they scored – so it is what it is.” – Bruins forward David Krejci
The Boston Bruins started to find their legs today, and played with periods of the intensity we know and love the B’s for. The return of David Krejci was certainly a plus for the fans of the Black and Gold. Krejci finished the day with a shot, three hits, and a block. Krejci has gotten most of the rust off, and that it at least is a plus for Bruins fans moving forward. While a 1-3 record is certainly not what we were hoping for, there is that glimmer of hope on the horizon in Boston.
There were some disappointing moments for the B’s as well. With Kevan Miller as the scratch for the defensemen, Matt Bartkowski was on the ice as part of the second defensive pair for Boston. To be fair to Bartkowski, he hadn’t played in the first three games, and there was going to be a certain amount of rust in his game. That rust led to a plus/minus of -2 for both Bartkowski and Dennis Seidenberg. That defensive pair found themselves a little overmatched by a very fast group of Avalanche forwards, and mistakes were made. The last second goal wasn’t totally on them(the Bergeron line had a miscue in the final seconds of the game), but number forty three looked out of position in that final push by Colorado.
More from Bruins News
- Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
- Bruins bringing back familiar forward on tryout contract
- The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
- NHL Network lists Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league
- The Lasting Legacy of David Krejci
“It’s going to sting a lot more, especially within the last second of the game,” said Bartkowski postgame. “More importantly, there were a lot of things we did well and I thought we could have been rewarded a little bit more, but there’s a lot to build on, which is a key thing, and what we need to focus on right now.”
I have to remember that I’m neither the coach or the general manager. The organization sees something in Bartkowski that I’m not seeing. He’s willing to buy into the Julien system, and it’s why he’s still here. I just wish the guy could shake off whatever spectre is hovering over him.
Seidenberg looked better on the ice, and showed his grit by blocking a shot with his face in the game. It deflected off his visor, and no serious harm was done. Still, he seemed a little outmatched by the speedy Colorado squad, and it showed that he wasn’t exactly one hundred percent either.
It certainly makes you wonder how much Peter Chiarelli is second guessing the Johnny Boychuk move now. Especially since Boychuk is showing himself to be the total package for the New York Islanders.