The losing streak continues. The Boston Bruins have lost three consecutive games for the first time all season. After losing back-to-back games in Florida, they followed that up with a clunker against the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina dominated the Bruins en route to a 4-1 victory. Here are some takeaways from the Bruins game tonight.
Boston Bruins Takeaways vs. Carolina Hurricanes
The Power Play
Entering the game, the Bruins had the fourth-ranked power play, going up against the Hurricanes’ smothering penalty kill. Officiating this evening was whistle happy. Ten total penalties were called in the game, resulting in six power plays for the Bruins and four for the Hurricanes. Carolina capitalized in the second period to give themselves a cushion, but the Bruins went 0 for 6. A team with the fifth most goals on the man advantage could muster up nothing in this game. Here Is a chart of where the chances came from.
During the time on the man advantage, the team managed just seven shots on the net. That’s almost just one shot per power play attempt. However, they made the attempts count by having six high-danger shots. Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak led the way with two shots, but once Carolina cleared the puck, zone entry was challenging. They were so good defensively that they allowed no shots off the rush. They clogged up the neutral zone, and they controlled play along the boards, making life for the team difficult. The power play woes in January continue as through 40 opportunities; they have four goals.
Get Hall Off The Top Line
I love Taylor Hall as much as the next person. He is dynamic and is built with skill and speed. Given that DeBrusk is out of the lineup, someone has to fill the void. But Hall is not that person. Tonight that line was the worst line on the roster. The line had a Corsi For of 25%, and they generated three chances instead of nine against.
Only one shot made it to the goal, and they had a measly 14.90 xGF%. In addition, they had a CF REL of -16.18, and it was way better for them to be on the bench than on the ice together. It is sad even to say that considering who helps for this line, the issues are not with 63 and 37. Nothing against Hall, but the experiment can come to an end.
Linus Ullmark Did His Best
If not for Linus Ullmark, this game would have been over in the first period. He was sensational and made many key saves. However, the Vezina Trophy-caliber goaltender had a night to forget. Hallmark stopped 32 of 35 shots, with three out of four goals coming from the high-danger area. Two goals were on breakaways due to poor execution and turnovers by the team.
Despite allowing the three goals, he finished with a .914 save percentage and 1.29 goals saved above expected. This means that Ullmark was sharp given the quality of the shots Carolina put on him. The Canes dominated this hockey game. They had great possession (61.9%), dominated the high-danger area (13-4 in shots), and the expected share was 75%. It is a miracle the team did not get blown back to Boston.
Final Thoughts
Adversity is coming, and it is inevitable to avoid it for a long season. It is something that the team can work out now, and with the break coming up, they can hit the reset button. Overall, this team is in a good position and can afford to hit a block in the road. The Bruins conclude their road trip Wednesday Night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Statistics Come From Natural Stat Trick
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