Entering Saturday's game at Philadelphia against the Flyers, the Boston Bruins had collected points in eight straight games. That streak was snapped after the Flyers scored three third-period goals en route to a 3-1 victory. Some tough luck bounces went against the Black and Gold, while former Bruins goaltender prospect Dan Vladar (26 saves) stymied his former organization with some big saves.
After the game, Boston and head coach Marco Sturm turned to what is going to be a vital and busy March that will determine their playoff fate. He also didn't like that they made it easy on Vladar by not getting to the front of the net enough.
“We had chances,” said Sturm. “Unfortunately, we didn’t score. And if you don’t score. … Tough bounces at the end. … And one little mistake and all of a sudden it’s a 2-0 game. We did a lot of good things. Sway was outstanding. But at the end of the day, we couldn’t find a way to score, and we didn’t have that mentality to go to the tough areas. We played on the outside way too much, and it cost us.”
Entering the game, Boston's playoff chances were over 60% according to MoneyPuck.com. After the loss, their chances slipped to just 55%. Again, unless the Black and Gold can find a way to win on the road, they could end up on the outside looking in come the end of the regular season. It just compounds the little room for error Boston has this season.
Former Bruins forward placed on waivers
Remember Alec Regula? Sure, you do. He was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in the summer of 2023 in a deal that sent Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno to the Blackhawks. Coming back to Boston with Regula was defenseman Ian Mitchell.
In December of 2024, he was placed on waivers by the Bruins and claimed by the Edmonton Oilers. In 29 games this season, the right-shot defenseman has three assists. On Sunday, he was one of a handful of players placed on waivers around the league. Joining him from Edmonton was forward Andrew Mangiapane.
Los Angeles Kings fire Jim Hiller
Three points out of the final Western Conference playoff spot behind the Seattle Kraken, the Los Angeles Kings fired head coach Jim Miller on Sunday. This is a desperate move for a team that is buried with injuries as they try to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. D.J. Smith was named interim coach for the remainder of the season. With so many injuries, Los Angeles will be an interesting team come the trade deadline.