Boston Bruins: Takeaways from Bruins-Hurricanes Game On Thursday Night
The Boston Bruins were defeated by the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in OT. This was the fourth consecutive overtime game for the Bruins. With the game going to over time the Bruins received a point in the standings which puts them alone in the number 1 seed in the Eastern Conference 1 point ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
This game versus the Hurricanes was the least entertaining game post trade deadline, but there are several key take aways from this game that the Bruins can build off of going forward.The Bruins looked good at even strength for the majority of the game and there run of 5v5 perfection took 29 minutes when the Hurricanes recorded their first 5v5 shot on net which happened to be a goal.
Loui Eriksson snapped out of a funk tonight and gave the Bruins their first regulation goal in six periods along with showing signs of life that he has lacked since the trade deadline. The Eriksson goal started off with a strong rush by Torey Krug that created the opportunity that Loui had in the offensive zone. Krug’s development continues and his ability to turn from playing defense to an all out break out offensive chance has given the Bruins a spark throughout the entire season. Krug may be looked as an offensive forward, but his ability to hold his own in the Bruins zone has shown that he is also one of the most reliable defensemen the Bruins have this season.
Tuukka Rask looked strong on the night of his birthday recording 25/28 save opportunities and kept the Bruins in the game to allow them to get 1 point in the standings and have the chance to get another in over time. The last positive takeaway from the game was that David Pastrnak who tied the game up with a water bottle ringing 10 goal of the season. Pastrnak continues to develop for the Bruins and is starting to show that he can be a star in the NHL in the future.
On to the negative takeaways from the Bruins versus Hurricanes game. Joe Morrows defensive breakdown on the Hurricanes second goal where he just laid down in front of the pressure and allowed Carolina to walk in right in front of Rask. This play showed how much the Bruins miss having Kevan Miller who is out with a head injury suffered on a hit earlier this week with Capitals player Alexander Ovechkin and is expected back in Saturdays game against the New York Islanders.
The only other negative takeaway from this game is the Bruins failure to capitalize on their offensive opportunities. The Bruins out shot the Hurricanes 32-28 and only managed to convert 2 goals despite having equality opportunities in front of the net.
Next: Kevan Miller Returns to Practice
It was bound to happen that the Bruins would have a poor outing as they have been having quality games against playoff caliber opponents. I would not read to much into this particular game as they take away a point and will adapt to the mistakes they committed with the return of Kevan Miller.