Tag Archives: Boston Bruins

Bruins Center Spooner Out 4-6 Weeks

Ryan Spooner is the Latest Injury Victim

Spooner suffered a right groin adductor tear against Vegas on Sunday. The first reaction is obviously how the loss of Spooner will hurt the Bruins. The reality is that Spooner’s injury is a blessing in disguise. While nobody ever wants to see anyone hurt, Spooner was a lame duck on this Bruins team. Spooner, now 25 years old, is signed to a one year bridge contract. Evidently the Bruins don’t view him as a part of the future, if they did then, he would have had a real offer given to him. The Bruins are right, Spooner has done nothing to show that he is a valuable asset to the team.

The Ryan Spooner Era Comes To A Close?

Since his first full season in 2015-2016, Spooner hasn’t produced on either side of the puck. Spooner’s strength is supposedly his vision and passing skills. However, outside of one good stretch in 2015, Spooner has never displayed that talent consistently. More often than not, Spooner disappears and goes weeks being a non-factor.

Offensively, Spooner’s shot is nothing special. Spooner is too hesitant to pull the trigger, especially on the power play– the tendency to hold the puck for a split second to long has been a problem for Spooner. This is one of the reasons his production just hasn’t been good enough.

Defensively, Spooner is dreadful. The past two seasons, Spooner has a combined minus 17 rating. He’s become a liabilty in the defensive zone. He lacks the physicality, and tends to be pushed around by bigger, stronger centers. Spooner has been brutal on face-offs. Last year, Spooner won only 38.9 percent of draws. Cassidy was afraid of putting Spooner in defensive zone face-offs; either the Bruins would have to put two centers on the ice, or have Jimmy Hayes taking draws.

Spooner should have become a power play and offensive zone specialist, but can’t put the puck in the ocean, and is mediocre at best as a passer. Spooner provides nothing valuable to the Bruins. Add this groin injury that could be bothersome for quite awhile, and even Spooner’s speed is no longer a factor.

This past offseason many wanted the Bruins to let Spooner walk. The Boston Bruins brought the young centerman back, with Spooner practically blocking younger players from getting more minutes. Even with the injuries to Backes and Bergeron, Spooner should have been benched–that’s how little value the center has.

Seeing anyone injured is always a bad thing, but Spooner’s injury will open a spot for a younger player who may have a future with the Bruins. It’s a blessing in disguise for the Bruins. The Ryan Spooner era in Boston appears to have come to a close.

From Bad to Worse for the Bruins

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With the Bruins only five game into this young season, they have posted a 2-3-0 record. The Bruins have been good in their two wins this season, but horrendous in the three losses they have suffered.

The team has been without assistant captains Patrice Bergeron and David Backes to start the season, but both have resumed skating this week and look to be close to a return. Bergeron has been out with a lower body injury, and Backes with Diverticulitis. It’s a good sign seeing these two skating and looking to soon make a return.

The injuries just keep coming

When things were just starting to look better, the Bruins were hit with more injuries. Third line center-man, Ryan Spooner, was injured in Sunday’s loss against Vegas. Spooner is going to be out of the lineup for 4-6 weeks with a groin tear. He had previously been playing through the issue, which tore in Sunday’s game. Spooner wasn’t the only player to be injured in that game. D-man Adam McQuaid, was injured after taking a slap shot off the side of his knee from Colin Miller. McQuaid was able to participate in Wednesday’s practice, and hasn’t been ruled out for tonight game against the Canucks.

Rask leaves practice

Bruins starting goalie Tuukka Rask has had a shaky start to the season. Rask currently holds a record of 1-3-0, has a SV% of .882 and a GAA of 3.30. Rask left Wednesday’s practice after rookie, Anders Bjork, ran into him during a drill. “It was a fast play. I don’t even know what happened” said Bjork. The Bruins haven’t given an update on Rask, but the Bruins have called up young goaltender, Zane McIntyre. It looks like Rask may miss some time. Hopefully Rask isn’t out too long, the Bruins need him to be successful in the lineup in order for them to win games.

Backes could return Thursday

According to Head Coach Bruce Cassidy, David Backes is closer to returning tonight than Bergeron. Having Backes back would be a tremendous boost to the Bruins young forward group. Backes adds size, power and a veteran presence. If able to play tonight against the Canucks, he could potentially play between Marchand and Bjork on the top line. This would allow Bruins center-man, Riley Nash, to move down in the lineup where he is more effective.

Bruins need wins now

With the Bruins currently 2-3-0, they are tied for fifth in the Atlantic division, with the Florida Panthers and the Buffalo Sabers. The Bruins have two games in hand, but are seven points behind the division leaders, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins need to start catching up now rather than later. The Atlantic Division is very good this season, with the Leafs, Lightning and Red Wings all playing excellent hockey. If the Bruins want to compete with the other teams in the division, they better start now.

Is It Panic Time For The Bruins?

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Two nights, two completely different outcomes. After an impressive showing in Arizona, the Bruins had a chance to gain some momentum heading back to Boston. Instead, the Bruins layed a massive egg and were shut down by former teammate Malcolm Subban. It wasn’t like Subban was tested that much, the Bruins couldn’t get it going offensively.

The lackluster showing in Vegas concluded a frustrating and disappointing roadtrip. The Bruins looked lifeless in the first period, barely generating anything offensively. Another slow start for the Bruins is alarming. The entire reason for a coaching change was the slow starts, which have thus far continued under Cassidy.

The five games the Bruins have won looked impressive. When they have lost, it has been ugly and alarming. While some growing pains can be expected with a young transitiong club, the Bruins haven’t shown much growth. Both Vegas and Colorado outworked Boston, and neither teams are world beaters.

The Bruins return home to the Garden lacking an identity and the ability to execute. Should fans be pushing the panic button? The short answer is no– they’re only five games into an eighty-two game schedule. If the Bruins don’t look alive soon though, get ready to smash that button.

The offensive struggles have been obvious. Time and time again the Bruins have wasted the few scoring chances they have been able to generate. They lack execution. Sunday against Vegas emphasized this, as the Bruins kept firing shots wide, or directly into Subbans chest protector. It appeared every one of the Bruins forwards thought they were Wayne Gretzky. The Bruins desperately need to simplify their offensive approach. Get the puck and move it to the open. Make simple plays first, then expand to a more dynamic offensive approach.

For a team struggling offensively, it would be nice to have an explosive offensive defenseman with a cannon for a shot. The Bruins let their cannon, Colin Miller, leave in the expansion draft, because Kevin Miller and Adam McQuad were so valuable. While Colin Miller was firing rockets all afternoon, Kevin Miller was making brutal turnovers that led to a goal.

While the Bruins have only played a hand full of games, the philosophy and decision making of the organization should have Bruins fans ready to panic. Getting Bergeron and Backes back from injury isn’t going to fix the core problems of the Bruins. Both players have shown signs of decline, and have many miles under them.

The potential for a lost season seems much greater now, Boston looks lifeless this season.

McHale’s Musings – October 16, 2017

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As the latest addition to the rapidly expanding Boston Sports Extra team, I’d like to formally introduce myself. My name is Ryan McHale, and I’m from Milford, Massachusetts. I live with my wife and 2 incredible children. In addition to penning pieces for this site, I’m a middle school teacher and parent blogger. I find sports to be cathartic. While I may not have the athleticism of the superstars we known and love, I nevertheless relish in their victories and languish in their defeat. Each week, I enjoy writing down the laundry list of thoughts bouncing around my mind. I opted to share them this evening so that you, the loyal readers of Boston Sports Extra, can get a glimpse into the mind of the newest website contributor.

New England Patriots

Without a shadow of doubt in this young writer’s mind, The New York Jets had a touchdown taken away from them. You will not change my mind.
Earlier this evening, I engaged in a back and forth conversation on Twitter with former Patriots linebacker, Matt Chatham. We exchanged a number of tweets over the course of ten minutes. I haven’t changed my mind. Nor has he. In my mind, the Jets lost a touchdown. Chatham believes the letter of the law was enforced, thus the correct call was made. Whether or not the officiating crew reasonably interpreted a terribly written rule is a moot point. I did not see a single shred of overwhelming evidence to remotely suggest the call on the field should be overturned.
It’s no secret that the team’s defense is its Achilles’ heel through the first six games of the season. The unit, as a whole, looks lost and is suffering from the lack of a clear leader. Their inability to stop New York on first quarter 3^rd downs was incredibly frustrating to watch. Yes, injuries are piling up. Yes, Patricia can only do so much with glaring personnel issues. However, the Patriots are supposed to be the ultimate “Next Man Up” squad. Or does that phrase only apply to the Brady-led offense?
Regardless of how sloppy the team may have looked at times this afternoon, coming back from a two score deficit on the road is nothing to scoff at. Here’s hoping the resiliency shown by the team today carries over to next week and a Super Bowl rematch with the Atlanta Falcons.

Boston Bruins

For the Boston Bruins, the mediocre play of Tuukka Rask is undoubtedly cause for concern. If there’s one thing (aside from injuries and inexperienced players) that threatens to derail the ’17-’18 campaign, it’s the leading man between the pipes. Rask has struggled mightily early on. With tonight’s loss, Rask is 1-3 with a paltry save percentage of .882 and 3.30 Goals Against Average (GAA).
The Black and Gold need the stable presence of Patrice Bergeron.
I predict that Charlie McAvoy will exceed the lofty expectations set upon him. McAvoy’s youth and speed should help stabilize a group of defensemen that haven’t been up to the task in recent seasons.

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics begin their season Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Don’t these two teams have some kind of recent history together?
While the additions of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward will make this Celtics team Must-See-TV, is there any other sport with a more pointless regular season than the NBA? We’re forced to watch six months of games to get to the inevitable conclusion. Oh, how I miss parity.
Isaiah Thomas has every right to feel slighted by what he believes to be a cold-hearted move by Danny Ainge. While I’ll never understand the feeling of being traded, I imagine it’s hard not to take an involuntary move personally. However, Ainge made the move he felt was in the best interest of the Boston Celtics. Isaiah’s performance throughout last year’s playoffs will be remembered by fans of the green team forever. By playing with such passion after the tragic death of his sister, Thomas solidified his place in Celtics lore.

Boston Red Sox

Alex Cora needs to be the next manager of the Boston Red Sox. As a player, Cora was never one to shy away from accepting responsibility when things went wrong. This Red Sox club is full of players who don’t feel as though they should be held to a high standard and questioned with failing to perform as they should. The Sox have an unbelievable amount of talent, but they need a skipper who’s going to make them face the heat when they fail to get the job done. Otherwise, we’ll see another ego-filled clubhouse unable to reach their full potential.
It’s obvious that Chris Sale’s innings and pitch count need to be more carefully monitored in late August through September heading towards the playoffs. He’s a fast-working, hard-throwing, full-of-intensity pitcher. It should come as no surprise that he’ll have to overcome fatigue in the later stages of the season. The Sox need a fully rested Sale if they’re to find success in the postseason.
I consider Sale, Rafael Devers, Andrew Benintendi, and Mookie Betts to be the only “untouchables” in any future discussions with the Miami Marlins regarding Giancarlo Stanton. Aside from that foursome, every other player in that locker room is fair game. Make it happen, Mr. Dombrowski.

New England Revolution

The New England Revolution will be stuck in MLS purgatory until ownership is willing to truly invest in a competitive lineup and experienced head coach. There’s just too much talent across the league. The Revolution, and their loyal fanbase, deserve better.
At just 22 years of age, Diego Fagundez is on his way toward becoming a MLS superstar. He deserves to be the face of Revolution soccer moving forward.

Until next time,

Ryan McHale

Bruins Exit Weekend With Two of Four Points

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The Bruins looked solid on Saturday night in the desert with a 6-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes. The same can’t be said for the Bruins on Sunday as the Boston fell to the Golden Knights 3-1. The Bruins are off until Thursday when they take the ice in Boston to host the Vancouver Canucks.

Saturday in Arizona

The Bruins really impressed on Saturday night skating to a 6-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes. Rookie Anders Bjork recorded his first career NHL goal. Jake DeBrusk scored his second of the season and added an assist in the game. Some more noticeable Bruins on Saturday included Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Tim Schaller, and Danton Heinen. The most outstanding Bruin on the night was captain Zdeno Chara. Registering his first goal of the season in the second period, Chara added two helpers. Marchand scored a nifty backhand goal off a slick pass from David Pastrnak., who also added an assist in the game. Tim Schaller scored for the second straight game for the Bruins. Recent call up Danton Heinen got credit for two assists.

Dobby impresses

Bruins goaltender Anton Khudobin got the start on Saturday night and played well enough to earn his first win of the season. Khudobin stopped 29 of 31 shots he faced against the struggling Coyotes. The Bruins needed Khudobin to step up for them with starter Tuukka Rask struggling, and he certainly did. With the Bruins wanting to rest Rask longer more this season, Khudobin will have to win some games. He has proven he is the man for the job after watching him this preseason, and in this game.

”The ‘W’ is always great. No matter what the score, whether it’s 8-6 or 9-7. If you win then you win. Nobody talks about losers. Everybody talks about winners, right?” said Khudobin. “If you win, then you’re on the horse, and if you don’t then you’re under it. It’s great to get one at the start of the season, and so now hopefully it’s not going to roll like it did last year.”

Sunday in Vegas

The Bruins had a disappointing game on Sunday as they fell to the leagues newest team, the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The Bruins managed to get only 23 shots on their old teammate Malcolm Subban. If the Bruins want to win games they will need to generate more shots on net. They must stop being so fancy all the time and just keep it simple to get those greasy goals. If the Bruins focus more on this, they will score more goals and win more hockey games. Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask played fairly well in the game by stopping 23 of 25 shots that he faced.

The Bruins lone goal scorer on Sunday was David Pastrnak, who banked the puck off the Vegas defender in the final minute of the game. Brad Marchand who continues to put up points assisted Pastrnak’s goal. Rookie Charlie McAvoy also got an assist on the goal as well which now gives him assists in the last two games.

Injuries

The Bruins lost Ryan Spooner and Adam Mcquaid on Sunday due to injuries. I am unsure what happened to Spooner, but he is out with a lower body injury. Mcquaid, took a slap shot from ex-eammate Colin Miller off the side of his leg which didn’t look pretty.

Whats next?

The Bruins get four days off before their next match up at home against the Vancouver Canucks. If the Bruins want to make it to the postseason again this year, they have to improve — fast. They won’t make the playoffs as a 500 team. They need to put up points and do it now. Boston may get a boost to their lineup on Thursday with Patrice Bergeron close to returning. I really hope Bergy gets back on the ice soon as a very important player on this team.

Bruins Need to Balance Roster

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The Bruins opened the season with an impressive 4-3 victory against the reigning Western Conference champions. What was most impressive was how the young kids played. Both McCavoy and Debrusk scored their first NHL goals and looked more than comfortable playing at the highest level.

But a home-road matchup with Colarado ending with the Bruins getting outscored 10-3 was quite sobering. The Bruins looked outmatched against the Avalanche, both offensively and defensively. Much of the early season struggles on the defensive side are due to the absence of Selke winner Bergeron, and Backes. Right now, the Bruins look lost out there.

Age vs. Experience

McCavoy has been solid defensively, but mistake prone with his outlet passes and caught flatfooted on a couple of occasions against the Avs. That’s expected from a young defenseman. But it shows a lot about McCavoy’s confidence level that he will even try those outlet passes.

A beautiful example of the talent and touch McCavoy can have on his outlet passes was a subtle but effective breakout pass to Marchand against Arizona. While the play didn’t result in a goal, it did show something Bruins fans have waited for — a talented young puck moving defenseman.

Carlo hasn’t been as flashy this year, but continues to be solid overall defensively. So why would the Bruins struggle defensively if their young defensemen have been solid? Simple, the lack of experience up and down the Bruins roster.

For years the Bruins have preached layers. But now with Cassidy running the show, and the sudden overhaul of young talent on the roster, it’s much harder to close teams out. While the young players are promising, the Bruins have reached a saturation point.

Experience Wins

Everyone wants to see the kids. Just watching McCavoy, and Debrusk set up Anders Bjork for his first NHL was worth a parade. But with youth comes, well stupidity. That’s of course expected from a bunch of 20-year-olds playing on the biggest stage. Correct that stupidity by surrounding them with proven leaders. But right now the Bruins lack that calming force.

They desperately need a veteran on this team. Not necessarily a big name, just a proven player. Purcell was the perfect candidate, a player with past success and a proven professional. While they might not put up the big numbers, their effect on the character of young players is invaluable .

Bergeron has been sorely missed, but just adding Bergeron won’t fix enough. Sweeny should bring in a veteran and soon. Because while youth is great, too much of it can dig a deep hole early in the season.

How Diverticulitis Could Slow Down Bruins

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Many people probably had to look up the word diverticulitis when they heard that David Backes of the Bruins had it. As a health professional, I will give you an idea of what diverticulitis is, and will try and help explain the treatment. When we can expect the big rugged Bruin back on the ice?

DIVERTICULITIS IS AN INFECTION:

I have been telling everyone I know that what David Backes has is a very curable infection. I am quick to do this is because the infection is misunderstood. Many people believe that what the Bruin forward has is a form of Crohn’s or Colitis, and that is not true.

Diverticulitis is an infection of an area of your lower digestive system near your bowel called the diverticulum. The area itself is shaped like a small inlet and often can get infected to a lesser degree. When the area becomes more intensely infected you get some very serious symptoms. It often presents with pain upon eating anything, bowel difficulties(mainly diarrhea), and a great deal of pain. This is why it is often mistaken for the chronic disease Crohn’s, as the symptoms are somewhat similar. This infection can be picked up more easily by some people then another. The big thing is how well your system clears it away before it intensifies. In severe cases, it requires an operation, but fortunately not very often.

The way to differentiate is a stool test. This looks for infection, and is often how a diagnosis is made. I am unsure what the exact antibiotic regimen Backes would be taking, but it will be standard. It is treated with a cocktail of two antibiotics (often ciprofloxacin and metronidazole), and a low dose course of steroids. This would aid in getting rid of the infection and lessening the discomfort. You must be careful to not use too many pain relievers because they can alter bowel function as well.

The kicker with this infection is that the patient would not be able to eat much until the treatment is into the fourth or fifth day. This is why the rugged Bruins forward is expected to be out 3-4 weeks. The normal treatment is usually 14 days of straight antibiotics, and starting soft and non solid foods as tolerated. It’s hard to keep your strength up until resume a normal diet.

GETTING BACK INTO GAME SHAPE:

Once being able to resume a normal diet, he will need to return to his usual game form. A professional athlete cannot be deprived of food for that period of time, then expect to feel ready to go. Once he can comfortably skate and train again, it will likely take 7-10 days for Backes to get back into limited game action.

Providing that all of the steps of his recovery goes well, we should see the Bruin forward back on the ice in a couple of weeks. It is a nasty infection, but should not be a recurring problem. Once cleared from his system, Backes should be able to get back to his old cranky self. He will have to be monitored for recurrence, but should not be a problem.

Here’s to wishing the big Bruin a speedy recovery, and seeing him back on the ice soon! Better now than at playoff time, when his loss would be huge.

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Bergeron Plans to Return This Weekend

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The season hasn’t exactly started the way Patrice Bergeron would have liked. Like last year, Bergy starts the season with a lower body injury.

Bergeron Skating

Some speculate that the injury could be a flare-up of the sports hernia from last season. But Bergeron told media that the injury wasn’t related to the Sports Hernia. This gave Bruins fans some relief to know that it doesn’t appear too serious. Some positive signs — Bergeron skated Wednesday according to Head Coach Bruce Cassidy. “He’s out there testing it again, there’s not a lot of newness to report on it. Obviously we’ll see how he reacts.” said Cassidy. “If it goes well, he’ll go out again tomorrow and continue on that path until he’s ready to go.”

For the Bruins to be successful this season, they will need Bergeron to return sooner rather than later. Bergy remains of the most important players on the Bruins roster. He does it all for the Bruins, winning face offs, playing the pk, and plays the pp. The guy just does it all, and the Bruins need him to get healthy to help give the Bruins a good opportunity for this years playoffs.

Due to the sports hernia, Bergeron couldn’t play to the best of his ability last season. Once the Bruins assistant captain returns, you can be he will aim for a bounce- back year. Even though Bergeron didn’t have his best year offensively last season, he did still win the Selke trophy for the fourth time in his 14-year career. By winning the award last year while contending with his injury, you can just imagine what he would have done had he been healthy.

Youngsters getting a shot

With Bergeron, Backes, and also Noel Accari out with injuries, some roster spots up for grabs. A couple of the young Bruins with a shot in the big club include rookies Anders Bjork, and Jake DeBrusk. Both of these youngsters have already contributed on the score board. In game one of the season, DeBrusk scored his first NHL goal/point and added an assist. Bjork recorded his first NHL point recording an assist on DeBrusk’s goal. These two Bruins look to continue to impress and secure their roster spots for the season.

Lines

When Bergeron, Backes, and Accari do return from injury the lines could look like:

Marchand-Bergeron-Bjork

DeBrusk-Krejci-Pastrnak

Beleskey-Spooner-Backes

Vatrano-Nash-Accari

With Krug back from injury, the Bruins defensive pairings look solid, and will probably stay the same as now unless anymore injuries occur. Fans should be excited for this season. The Bruins offense is greatly improved by bringing in two young guns, DeBrusk and Bjork. Even though they are both young they already appear capable of making a huge impact this season. I could even see the Bruins playing Bjork and DeBrusk with David Krejci like we saw in the Bruins first game of the season. By doing this, the Bruins would be reuniting the lethal line from last season which included Brad Marcchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak.

Get ready Bruins fans. It’s going to be a great year!

Bruins Fall to Avalanche Again Wednesday

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Bruins fail to bounce back

The Bruins fell once again to the Avalanche on Wednesday night in Colorado. If the Bruins want to win hockey games, it will take a much better effort. They need to play the same way they did against the Predators last Thursday.

Tuukka Rask was pulled from the game after giving up four goals on 26 shots in the first two periods. Rask has allowed 10 goals through the first three games played so far this season. Bruins backup goaltender Anton Khudobin was between the pipes to start the third period. Khudobin came into the game when the score was 4-1, stopping all nine shots he faced in the third period. Khudobin looks to start this season the way he ended last season.

However, there are a few good things to take away from the game, The Bruins did have a strong third period by almost completing the comeback. The Bruins scored two goals in the third. Fourth-line winger Tim Schaller scored 11 minutes and 30 seconds into the period. Only a few moments later, Torey Krug scored for the Bruins to make it 4-3. There was plenty of time for Boston to score again and tie the game up. Unfortunately, the Bruins were unable to complete the comeback. The Avs went on to win the game 6-3 after scoring two empty net goals in the final minutes.

Bruins rookies struggle for second straight game

Bruins’ rookies Charlie McAvoy, Jake DeBrusk, and Anders Bjork were all held off the score sheet for the second straight game. Both DeBrusk and Bjork are a -5 in the last two games. McAvoy is -3 over the last two games. The Bruins rely heavily on these three rookies in the absence of Patrice Bergeron and David Backes. With Bergy an Backes out, the younger guys on the team have to step up and help carry the Bruins until they are fully healthy. With Bergeron looking to return sometime this weekend, one young forward will have to be replaced. At this point I think it’s safe to say that Bjork and DeBrusk’s roster spots are secured for now. So the Bruins will likely send a player from their third or fourth lines down to Providence.

Good signs

Other positive signs in the game included Brad Marchand beginning to look more and more like he did last season. Marchand scored the Bruins’ first goal of the game with a sick shot that beat Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov’s blocker side. Torey Krug also cashed in for the Bruins by scoring his first goal of the season. Krug’s goal came just one game after his return from the broken jaw that he suffered in the preseason.

Bruins need points this weekend

The Bruins will get their next shot in Arizona on Saturday night when they are in town to take on the Arizona Coyotes. Boston will be in action again on Sunday, taking on the Las Vegas Golden Knights for the first time

. The Bruins need these points now if they want to be in the postseason again this spring.

Bruins Zap Us Right Back into Reality

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Like everyone else, I was feeling confident about the Bruins after their opening night win against the Predators. Who am I kidding? I had them in the Eastern Conference Finals. With five rookies in the opening night lineup, they took the play to the Western conference champions all night. Jake Debrusk scored an impressive goal for his first of what looks like many. Anders Bjork was all over the ice, registering an assist and generating plenty of chances. Charlie McAvoy picked up right where he left off, and appears to be an early favorite for the Calder. The rookies put David Krejci in the DeLorean. Krejci looked young again–registering three assists and easily keeping up with his faster, younger linemates.

Then something happened while I was planning the Duck Boat parade: The Bruins reminded us how frustrating they can be, and zapped us right back into reality. With three days off between games one and two, they looked like the “youth-movement Bruins” most expected to see. Mental mistakes and missed passes made the goaltender’s job easy, all adding up to an abysmal 4-0 defeat for the home team. Even Tuukka Rask looked like a rookie today, badly playing a puck outside his net and easily beaten.

I realize the Bruins mysteriously struggled against the Avalanche at home, but there wasn’t much to take from today’s “effort.” They looked as though they really enjoyed the long fall weekend – pumpkin beer, spiked cider, apple picking, the whole nine yards. Once again they were without Patrice Bergeron, who after today’s game, can’t get back in the lineup soon enough. Great to see Torey Krug back on the ice after a long layoff. But he looked rusty and will most likely need a couple of games to get up to speed.

There is still much to learn about the 2017-18 Boston Bruins. Class begins Wednesday night in Colorado. Did I overreact after Thursday night’s game? Maybe. But I reserve the right to dust off my parade plans if we see more what we saw Thursday night and less of what we saw Monday.