The bad
Second period: As good as the Bruins were in the first period, they were just as bad in the second. Dallas responded after the intermission and carried play. The Stars outshot and outhit the Bruins in the period.
Dallas got on the board in the second thanks to a breakaway goal from Hintz. He took advantage of a poor change from Zdeno Chara and beat Rask upstairs.
The Bruins were fortunate to finish the period still ahead on the scoreboard. They can all thank Rask for that.
For the Bruins to have success this year, they can’t have these tired second period. This didn’t cost them the game against Dallas, but it will down the line.
Bergeron’s line: The Bruins need more from the top line moving forward. Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak certainly weren’t bad, but they definitely weren’t up to their usual standards.
The Bergeron line failed to generate much attacking zone time, so chances were few. Pastrnak finished with zero shots on goal, and Marchand only had one. Bergeron managed two shots on goal, but none of them were high danger.
The top line also struggled with the man advantage. Marchand and Pastrnak especially didn’t do much on the power play. In fact, Boston’s second unit was more effective against the Stars.