Oct 28, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins left wing
Milan Lucic(17) congratulates center
Seth Griffith(53) on scoring a goal during the first period against the Minnesota Wild at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
The Bruins started out with solid back pressure. The Black and Gold came out firing on all cylinders, but they ran on empty in that final period. The Minnesota Wild surged with eighteen shots on net, and the Bruins opened up lines and seams for them to push the puck home. Three third period goals made the difference for the Wild as they blew past the stationary B’s and won this game 4-3.
Matt Cooke was on the ice tonight, and the TD Garden fans reminded him of their presence every time he touched the puck. Minnesota was quick on the forecheck and surprisingly patient. When Minnesota had hits first chance to seriously engage, they engaged on Zach Trotman and Matt Bartkowski and at 4:51 the Wild (courtesty of Nino Niederreiter) got one past Tuukka Rask to give Minnesota an early 1-0 lead.
It was the second straight Bruins game where a ref got injured by a puck.
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
Seth Griffith got a fantastic pass for David Krejci and put the puck past Backstrom, getting the game tied at one. Zach Trotman got the secondary assist on it, and the Bruins were able to transition quickly into more shots on net. Bruins led on shots 13-10 after the first period. Griffith scored again in the second of the night, pulling a real ‘Bobby Orr’ type goal. (and the third of his career) at 5:23. Gregory Campbell and Milan Lucic earned the assists for that tally. Bruins took the lead, 2-1.
Milan Lucic was a wreaking ball tonight. He started off with four hits in the first period(and seven for the night), all of them on rookie Justin Falk. His 16:59 power play goal late in the second period started to put the game out of reach for Boston with a 3-1 lead. Griffith earned his third point of the night with the assist. Torey Krug also got a point for his efforts.
Puck Prose
The third period started, and the Wild played aggressive hockey. The Bruins found themselves in their defensive zone and just couldn’t seem to clear the puck. Two quick goals by Minnesota tied the game up at three. Marco Scandella helped the Wild move ahead with 5:26 left in the game. The Bruins continued to apply pressure but Backstrom kept up with the pressure in the last few minutes of the game. The Wild came from behind to beat the Bruins.
The Bruins played a strong forty minute game, but just fell apart in the last twenty. They just couldn’t get the puck out of the zone in that last period. The B’s are an elite team, but tonight they just didn’t play like one in the final period. I’m sure Claude Julien gave the squad both barrels for giving up those two points tonight. The Bruins once again have found themselves below .500 with a 5-6 record. Now, they’ll need to pick up the pace against the league’s favorite scratching post, the Buffalo Sabres later this week.