The Boston Bruins appeared to have their first home win of the season well in hand last night. The Bruins were playing to their strengths and held a comfortable two goal lead going into the third period at the TD Garden. All of a sudden, the B’s made a series of bad plays (and a little bit of bad luck) and the Flyers capitalized on those errors. The Flyers made up the two goal difference and scored the overtime winner to deny the B’s their first win in Boston.
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“I think a lot of it is that we played a light game tonight — a lot lighter than them,” said Coach Claude Julien postgame. “They certainly were better in the battles than we were, and they were certainly better at getting back to a scoring position than we were preventing them from getting there.
“We had too many guys with light sticks, too many guys playing a light game, and that’s not the way we’re going to have some success. So it’s unacceptable, and what’s happened tonight, I think we probably deserved.
“They were the hungrier team, and we didn’t respond well. Too many light guys.”
The two goal lead was something that the Bruins have had problems with keeping last season. The Bruins have had trouble playing a full sixty minute game this season. This time, it was the third period of play that tripped up the B’s as they let the Flyers come from behind to tie it up in the final twenty minutes of regulation.
Puck Prose
“You just have to learn how to play with a lead,” said Tuukka Rask to the media after the game. “You have a two-goal lead, and you try to eliminate all the mistakes out there, and you can’t make those. I think when we make those, they seem to end up costing us every time. So just have to try to eliminate that.
“Mistakes are going to happen, but I think we just have to pay attention in the crucial times of the game. In the third period, 10 minutes left, try to make the strong plays and not make those mistakes. And I think after that they’re very preventable.”
This gives Rask an unimpressive 1-3-1 record on the season. His goals-against average is a woeful 4.40, and his save percentage still hovers around the .850 mark. While Rask wasn’t the sole culprit in last night’s loss, the team has got to re-learn how to handle themselves from the goaltender on out if they have any hopes of reaching the playoffs this year.
The Bruins will have to wait until next Tuesday for their chance to earn that so far elusive first win at home. They’ll be taking on the Arizona Coyotes. Hopefully the team will find a way to put things together, play a sixty minute game, and bring home the win for themselves and their fans.