The Boston Bruins were defeated by the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
The Boston Bruins entered the game one point out of the third and final playoff spot in the Atlantic division after the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs yesterday to pass the Bruins in the standings. The Bruins and Blackhawks swapped chances for the first ten minutes of the game, until the Blackhawks scored on the games first power play by a slashing penalty on David Krejci, Artem Anisimov scored his 20th goal of the season on the goal to make the score 1-0.
There was no sustained pressure from the Bruins in the first period. Penalties on Zdeno Chara and Jonathan Toews made it a 4-on-4 game. Patrick Kane got a breakaway chance on a turnover by Joe Morrow, went to the right of Tuukka Rask and scored an unassisted goal to make it 2-0 Hawks to end the first period. The Blackhawks out shot the Bruins 19 to 8 in the first.
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Less than a minute into the second period Patrick Kane scored his second goal of the game on a shot that Rask should have stopped, making it a 3-0 game. Another minute later the Blackhawks got a 2-1 advantage and Toews buried the breakaway chance to make it 4-0 Blackhawks. Tuukka was pulled and Jonas Gustavsson came in for Boston. After pulling Rask the Bruins stepped up their urgency and started to sustain their first real offensive pressure of the game. Artemi Panarin scored the 5th goal of the game on another mismatch on defensive on the odd man rush with Patrick Kane assisting to make it 5-0.
A Bruins breakaway chance lead to a Blackhawks breakaway where Patrick Kane buried a breakaway goal on a 2-1 advantage for his hat trick making the score 6-0 Chicago. This was Kane’s 100th point of the season. The Bruins allowed six unanswered goals until David Pastrnak got a breakaway and undressed Scott Darling with less than 30 seconds to go in the second period to make it 6-1. Then with under 10 seconds to go the Bruins get another goal with Patrice Bergeron redirecting the puck into the back of the net to make it 6-2 to end the second period.
Bruins start third period with energy and increased offensive pressure. Bergy gets his second goal of the game as he converts on a gorgeous offensive set of plays to make the score 6-3 Blackhawks. 3 goals in 2:55 game time for the Bruins. B’s keeping the pressure up as they continue to claw their way back into the game. Bruins keep their offensive pressure up and they are rewarded with a puck bouncing off of Brad Marchand’s skate and into the net to make it a 6-4 game.
This loss might come back to haunt the Bruins as they need every point they can get as they have three games left and remain on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. Still one point behind the Detroit Red Wings for the third spot in the Atlantic, the B’s are also one point behind the Philadelphia Flyers in last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. With a game tonight for the Flyers their lead over the Bruins in the wild card could increase before the Bruins next game against the Caroline Hurricanes Tuesday night.
Next: Boston Bruins Out Of A Playoff Spot
With three games left the question is do the Boston Bruins have what it takes to make the playoffs? If the Bruins team that showed up in the last minute of the second period on is the team that shows up to the next three games there is not a doubt in my mind that this team has what it takes.
The issue is the Bruins no longer control their own fate and now have to rely on the Flyers and Red Wings to lose in order for the B’s to make the playoffs. The Bruins will have their biggest game of the season on Thursday night as they face off with the Detroit Red Wings in Boston, this game will determine everything for this Bruins team. All they can do now is try and get as many points as they can in the next three games and hope that is enough to earn themselves a playoff berth. The one thing we know is after that third period you cannot count these Boston Bruins out.