Bruins Suffer 4-0 Loss to the Rangers
The Boston Bruins were trying to win back-to-back for the first time in a month on Saturday afternoon at the TD Garden against the New York Rangers, the last team they won two in a row against at Madison Square Garden back on Feb. 11 and 13.
Unfortunately for the Black and Gold, they were flat from the drop of the puck and lost 4-0. Here are some notes and takeaways as the Rangers flipped the script on the Bruins in less than 48 hours after losing 4-0 themselves Thursday night.
Bruins notes from Saturday’s game.
- Jake DeBrusk, coming off his best game of the season with his first 5-on-5 goal after being a healthy scratch Tuesday night, missed the game because of the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols. He is the second Boston player forced to miss a game because of protocols after Charlie Coyle missed a March 3 game against the Washington Capitals for the same reason. DeBrusk practiced Friday, so it will be fingers crossed for the Bruins that nobody else has to enter the protocols in the coming days. Beginning Monday, the B’s have three games in four nights.
- Before Saturday’s game, the Bruins called up goalie Jeremy Swayman and forwards Anton Blidh and Greg McKegg from the Providence Bruins. If Tuukka Rask is not able to play in one of the back-to-back games Monday and Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Steel City, then Jaroslav Halak will start one of the games, and either Dan Vladar or Swayman will play in the other.
- Veteran defensemen Kevan Miller will join his teammates on the upcoming four-game trip that ends with two games Thursday and next Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 33-year-old Miller has not played in a game since Feb. 18 against the New Jersey Devils because of issues with his surgically repaired knee.
- After making his season debut on Thursday night and playing well, Zach Senyshyn’s spot in the lineup lasted just one game. He was out of action Saturday with an upper-body injury. The Bruins injury list seems to grow by the game.
- Artemi Panarin collected his 10th career assist in the win against Bruins in his 15th career game. He has three goals against the B’s in those games.
Bruins takeaways from their loss to the Rangers.
- At least Halak showed up for the Bruins or this could have been a whole lot uglier. Playing in his third straight game, he made 29 saves and was the only reason they were down 1-0 after the first period and 2-0 after the second period. Incredibly, he kept his teammates in the game and gave them a chance in the final period.
- For the second straight game, the Rangers came out flying in the first period. Thursday night, they trailed 2-0 in the first intermission despite their strong start. Saturday, a K’Andre Miller goal had them up 1-0. If it wasn’t for Halak, it easily could have been a bigger lead for the Blue Shirts.
- Boston managed just five shots on net in the second period, but they failed to get one net in the final 11:22 of the period. They finished with a season-low 18 shots on the net for the game.
- The Rangers snapped the Bruins streak of giving up one-goal or less for six straight games with their four goals. Boston was unable to solve New York backup goalie Keith Kincade, who made 18 saves for the shutout.
- The Bruins went 0-for-5 on the power play. Boston killed all five of the Rangers’ opportunities.
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- Ryan Strome’s goal in the third period pretty much summed up the afternoon for the B’s. All five Bruins were caught on one side of the ice and Panarin made a nice pass to Strome on the opposite side and buried a one-timer inside the post to put the game away.