After general manager Don Sweeney did nothing at the trade deadline, except for a pair of minor moves, the Boston Bruins returned to the ice to host the Washington Capitals at the TD Garden on Saturday afternoon in the middle of a heated Eastern Conference playoff race. Two third-period goals, one each from Viktor Arvidsson and Elias Lindholm, broke a 1-1 tie in a 3-1 victory for the Black and Gold.
Before the game, head coach Marco Sturm met with the media and had a rather blunt message after the deadline about the remaining schedule.
“It is playoff hockey right now. Usually, it starts, a lot of times, after the deadline. And guys feel it. We feel it. The standings, if you look at that,” Sturm said. “Every game is important, every point is important. Especially the teams behind us, they are going to try everything to catch teams. We are in the same boat, basically.”
He's not wrong. Points are valuable on a nightly basis, and getting them in regulation against teams like the Capitals is going to be pivotal. Now they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday afternoon, who will be without Sidney Crosby (injury) and Evgeni Malkin (suspension). This is a must-win and securing two points in regulation. Anything else would be disappointing.
Viktor Arvidsson comes up big
As mentioned above, Arvidsson broke the tie with a goal on the breakaway. It was a grinding game where you felt like an opportunity like Arvidsson's was going to be the difference. He beat Logan Thompson with a shot inside the. right post. What was he trying to do on the breakaway as he was getting close to Thompson?
“Just tried to bury it,” Arvidsson said. “The power play came through, the PK came through. There was not a lot of flow in the game, except in the third period, so I think we did a pretty good job 5-on-5, too, to be able to win these games.”
It feels like Arvidsson will be coming back next year on a new contract.
Marco Sturm comments on Bruins deadline
Before the game against Washington, Sturm spoke about the quiet deadline the Bruins had and didn't seem to be upset by it.
“That's probably a good thing,'' said Sturm. "That means we did a lot of good things. I think it means the players did a lot of good things, and it also means we trust in the group we have right now.”
Now I get that fans might be upset about a quiet deadline, but with the asking prices what they were and with Boston having multiple needs, it was the right decision by Sweeney. It seems like there is a plan in place, and they are still in the process of working through it.