Tag Archives: Tuukka Rask

Bruins Slowly Getting Healthy

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The Bruins are off to an average start this season despite being decimated with injuries. They hold a record of 9-7-4 for a total of 20 points. They’ve been without Bergeron, Krejci, Spooner, Backes, Marchand, McQuaid, Krug, Bjork, and Tuukka Rask at some point this season. Bergeron, Krejci, and Rask have all returned to the lineup full time.

Reinforcements on the Way

With some key players still missing from the lineup it looks like the Bruins are going to get a boost to their lineup very soon. Ryan Spooner, David Backes, Torey Krug, and Brad Marchand all practiced Tuesday. Spooner was a full participant in the practice while Backes, Marchand, and Krug all wore non-contact jerseys. With Spooner being a full participant in practice, the Bruins could see Spooner back in the lineup as early as Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils. If Spooner isn’t ready to go Wednesday he will get another chance in Friday’s afternoon tilt with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brad Marchand took some light contact during practice but it still appears he wont be ready to go tomorrow. Krug and Bjork are also both out for Wednesday’s game.

Transactions

The Bruins also recalled defenseman Matt Grzelcyk from Providence on Tuesday. So it looks like he man suit up for the Bruins maybe instead of Postma or O’Gara.

Scary When Healthy

I think when the Bruins get all these key players back they will be a force to be reckoned with. The lineup looks pretty deep down the middle and also pretty solid on the wing.

Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak

Heinen-Krejci-Backes

DeBrusk-Spooner-Bjork

Beleskey-Nash-Accari

As you probably notice these probably wont be the exact forward line we will see when healthy. However I think this third line of DeBrusk, Spooner, and Bjork would be a killer third line and a very fast one as well. You also notice that I have Heinen on the second forward line. Heinen has put up 4 goals and 6 assists for a total of 10 points in 15 games. Heinen is on pace for 55 points this season and has proven that he deserves to be here. I think if he plays alongside some more skilled players like Krejci and Backes, he will score more and become a great player in the NHL.

Chara-McAvoy

Krug-Carlo

Miller-McQuaid

Rask

Khudobin

With the goalie controversy heating up, I think the Bruins need to ride Khudobin until he loses. He hasn’t yet lost a game in regulation. He holds an impressive record of 5-0-2 with a GAA of 2.17 and a SV% of .935. With Rask really struggling so far this season I believe it’s time to let Khudobin play a few more games. By doing this maybe Rask will realize he’s got to be better and will start performing better.

The Road Ahead

The Bruins have a tough schedule ahead facing a red hot New Jersey Devils team, the defending cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, Connor McDavid and the Oilers. The Bruins need to continue playing how they have been through all these injuries for the time being.

 

A DIFFERENT FEEL FROM THE 2011 STANLEY CUP CHAMPS

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The start of the Bruins season has been an emotional drain on Boston hockey fans. Failing to scrounge up back-to-back wins at any point during the season, the Bruins have not looked how we hoped. They give us hope, only to let us down a few nights later. What’s the problem with this years team? Why don’t we see the same championship potential from a Bruins team, consisting of many whom actually played on the 2011 Stanley Cup championship team? Let’s break it down…

A LACK OF CHEMISTRY

One thing common among all championship teams, really for any sport, is a strong chemistry on the ice, field, etc.  When I was growing up near Chicago, I was blessed to be smothered with countless hockey championships, at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks.  The trust between defensive pairing, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, was immense. It created a contagious chemistry across all red sweaters.  Although superstars themselves alone, combining offensive forces like Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Patrick Sharp, created a similar atmosphere on the other side of the puck.  With a prolific group of athletes constantly on the same page, winning championships was inevitable. This transitioned into an era of greatness for the city of Chicago, something unseen since the Michael Jordan Era.

Similarly, the Bruins Stanley Cup championship run of 2011, was crafted largely in part due to their chemistry on the ice. The Bruins were led that postseason by David Krjeci and Patrice Bergeron, both whom flirted with two dozen total postseason points, but more important was the supporting cast these two leaders were surrounded by on the ice. Guys like Nathan Horton and Michael Ryder complimented the bigger names, creating a swift and efficient play-style. This season, the Bruins have lacked the chemistry needed to compete at championship caliber. Guys like Danton Heinen and Jake DeBrusk need to contribute heavily in order to get point hoarders, like Marchand and David Pastrnak, more opportunities as the season continues.

FLUCTUATION BETWEEN THE PIPES

No one is expecting Tuukka Rask to put up the absurd numbers we saw from Tim Thomas during his Conn Smythe Trophy year.  The immaculate display from Thomas throughout both the regular and post-season, is something Bruins fans will never forget. Thomas led the league during the regular season, in both Goals Against Average (2.00) and Save Percentage (.938) (ESPN.com) He then went on to somehow improve those figures in the postseason (1.98) & (.940) respectively (ESPN.com.) Thomas was a vacuum cleaner for Boston, and played probably the biggest role in the B’s brining home their first Stanley Cup in nearly four decades.

This season Rask is not expected to, and will not, eclipse the level of play that Thomas did in the 2010-11 season. In order for the Bruins to contend in the Atlantic Division this season, he will need to improve.  Rask is currently 18th in Goals Against Average this season, with a mediocre 2.73 GAA (ESPN.com.) Rask has shown his ability this season on more than one occasion. He clearly has the power to prevail in net, he just needs to on a consistent basis. I appreciate that the defense has failed him time-to-time, and fortifying defensively is a priority moving forward. Hopefully, Rask can stay healthy, as the concussion earlier in the year was obviously a setback.

SPEAKING OF INJURIES…

They need to cease!  Injuries are part of the game and that’s just the way it is. In order to establish chemistry, and build any momentum, guys need to stay healthy. It seems everyday I wake up to an alert of a new player being out for a couple games or longer. Injuries play a huge role in the sport. With Marchand and Krejci both out for a bit, it’s going to be hard to collect points in the division. How the younger skaters deal with the injuries of the big name players determines a lot moving forward. Will they take the challenge, and prove their potential? Or drop the ball on an opportunity to show Boston fans what they’ve got? Only time will tell.

Stanley Cup champions are not built in the playoffs, they are built in the offseason. They grow from October, through the final puck drop in June. If the Bruins expect to be playing into the late spring, a lot of building blocks need to be put in place.

 

Grading the Boston Bruins Aftter The First Month of The NHL Season

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A 3-2 loss to the Washington Capitals at TD Garden wrapped up the first month of the NHL season for the Boston Bruins. The Bruins made a strong push against the Caps, but the lack of experience and the talent of Braydon Holtby foiled the comeback bid. Currently the Bruins are sitting at a mediocre 5-4-3, which if you consider all the adversity this team has faced is acceptable.

Survival

Survive: that’s what the Bruins have had to do the past month. With all the injuries on this team that have been well documented the offense is not capable of going toe-to-toe with the top tier teams in the league. So the Bruins have had to play a more grind-it-out style of hockey. The last six games the Bruins have played have been decided by one goal; they are 2-1-3 in those games. While it has not been pretty, this team needs to start winning these tight games. The Bruins have to be happy with getting a point any way possible.

Grade B

Youth

Another result of the injury bug that has continued to plague the Bruins is the youth movement. Currently the Bruins are missing three of their top nine forwards. So the young players have been thrown into the fire a little earlier than Bruce Cassidy would have hoped. Charlie McAvoy in his rookie season is currently averaging 22:47 TOI per game. He has the second most on the team only behind Chara at 23:27. To put it into perspective, over a full 82 game schedule McAvoy is on pace to play 1842 minutes of hockey. For a 19 year old who’s never gone through the grind that is the NHL season that’s a lot to ask.

Unfortunately for the Bruins, McAvoy is the only kid who has been consistently successful so far. Bjork has had flashes of brilliance but sometimes make head-scratching decisions with the puck. Debrusk has shown some offensive talent and a little bit of snarl to his game. On defense, however, he has had some critical mistakes in coverage. Debrusk has had a bad tendency to be to light on the puck along the walls. Sean Kuraly has shown a willingness to do the dirty work in the corners and has provided a nice physical spark. Overall the youth on the Bruins has held up and gotten some much needed experience.

On the flip-side, the lack of veteran leadership has been an issue. While the young kids need to play, the Bruins need to win. The lineup the Bruins had against Washington looked too much like the Providence Bruins. With the injuries to Backes and Krejci the young forwards have had little time to get comfortable playing at the NHL level.

Grade: C-

Goaltending

Despite fans viewing the Bruins’ goaltending situation as a problem, it has been a positive of the first month. Rask opened the season flatfooted and off on his angles. After suffering a concussion in practice, Khudobin stepped in and played exceptional (besides against the Sabres). In turn the Bruins seemed to get a huge mental lift. Now Tuukka is back and is playing much closer to his capabilities, while room for improvement still remains.

Currently, the Bruins sit 15th in the NHL in goals against per game with an even 3.00. But that does not tell the whole story. The Bruins have been forced to play younger defensemen throughout the majority of the season. The lack of experience on the back end has lead to numerous odd-man rushes in games. Rask and Khudobin have been in high stress situations because of the lack of coverage. Still Rask needs to play better, but Tuukka is a smart goalie who plays the angles and avoids critical mistakes. So just give it time and Tuukka should be back to top form.

Grade: B

The overall grade the Bruins get for the first month is a solid C+.

Bruins Inconsistencies Continue vs Capitals

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The Bruins have really struggled to string together a win streak so far this season. They haven’t won consecutive games yet, yet before the game against the Capitals, they actually went six consecutive games without a regulation loss.

Bad Starts are Hurting The Bruins

The Bruins were back in action on saturday evening in Boston, taking on the Washington Capitals. The Capitals haven’t had the greatest start this season, they are 7-5-1. Both teams have been inconsistent to start the season, both winning a game then losing a game. The B’s have been falling behind early in many of their games, and it happened again saturday against the Caps. They gave up the first goal about 7 minutes into the contest, coming off the stick of Tom Wilson. This goal was pretty weak, and Rask should have stopped it. The Capitals struck again in the period, with a one-timer goal, from none other than Alex Ovechkin.

However, Boston stepped up their play in the second period. They dominated most of the second period and it paid off. David Pastrnak scored the first goal of the game off a sick saucer pass from Patrice Bergeron. The Capitals held off the Bruins for the rest of the second period, and added another goal late in the period. This time from Tom Wilson, with a nifty tip on Brooks Orpik’s shot from the point.

Powerplays

Boston started off the third period strong. Brooks Orpik got a 4 minute double minor for high sticking Bruins forward David Pastrnak. This should have been enough for the Bruins to get back into the game, but it wasn’t. They were unable to capitalize on the powerplay. Boston was given another powerplay not long after, and again failed to score on that one also. The B’s started pouring on the pressure late in the third period. They received another powerplay with just over 3 minutes to play. Pastrnak potted his second of the game on the pp, and got the Bruins to within one with 2:30 remaining in the game.

Pastrnak, and the team, pushed hard in the final 2 minutes, but weren’t able to tie the game. The Caps reigning Vezina goaltender played outstanding, and came up huge for the Capitals in the final minute. The Bruins losing streak against the Capitals extended to 10 games after this loss. The last time the Bruins defeated the Capitals was in March, 2014.

Comments

“We had a bad start and you can’t have that especially against a team like Washington. They made us pay. Tough to play catch-up hockey.”  -Bruins Assistant Captain Patrice Bergeron, regarding their touch start. Bergeron played a good game and had a beautiful assist, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to score any points.

Positives

Some good things to take away from the game: Tuukka Rask stopped all 3 breakaways he faced in the game. This included one on Ovechkin, then Tom Wilson, taking away his opportunity for the hat trick, and Lars Eller on his shorthanded breakaway. The Bruins continue to not give up when they are behind. They came all the way back from 3-0 last Monday against the Blue Jackets. They nearly completed another comeback against the Capitals in this game.

The Bruins are back in action on Monday at the TD Garden in Boston. They host the Minnesota Wild. Hopefully, Boston can get Krejci back soon to give a boost to their lineup.

 

 

 

Bruins Fall 4-3 in Shootout After 3 Goal Comeback

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The Bruins fell to one of the Eastern Conferences top teams Monday night, The Columbus Blue Jackets.

Bruins Down Early

The Bruins fell behind early in the game, giving up the first goal only two minutes into the game. They gave up another goal in the final few minutes of the first period, and another in the second period. Bruins Captain, Zdeno Chara, gave the team a much needed boost by stepping up and dropping the mitts with Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson. As soon as Chara dropped the gloves, the Bruins completely changed their play. They played excellent in the second half of the second period, and excellent in the third. With this play, they stormed back with goals from Patrice Bergeron, Torey Krug, and Brad Marchand.  David Pastrnak added helpers on each of the goals.

TUUKKA?

Bruins Veteran goaltender Tuukka Rask has struggled so far this season–posting a .896 SV% and a 2.93 GAA through six games. Rask has only one win thus far, and it was nearly a month ago against the Nashville Predators. Rask had a rough start to the game in Columbus by giving up a goal on the first shot of the game, that he should’ve stopped. He gave up another that was tucked in beside him on the post, which he should have been covering. After the third goal Rask allowed, which was a breakaway, Tuukka played excellent in the second, third, and in overtime. In my opinion, Rask has never been the greatest in shootouts, so I’m not surprised with his performance.

Comments

“I don’t think we’re a team that’s going to win too many games if we don’t have all 20 guys going, and I don’t think that was the case pretty early on.”  -Head Coach Bruce Cassidy

”We didn’t show up, they were taking it to us, they were hitting us. We weren’t responding, Every second of that first period bothered me.”  -Assistant Captain Patrice Bergeron

”Z did an awesome job stepping up out there and our game started turning around there. Mills sticking up for Krug was awesome. We need that we need to show that we’re a team and a family in here. And we are, and that carries onto the ice and the guys did a great job standing up for one another.”  -Brad Marchand

“You never wanna see another guy get hit like that. Guys taking liberty out there so I kinda just reacted to be honest.”  -Kevin Miller

Next

The Bruins will be in action again on Thursday night, back in Beantown, taking on the Vegas Golden Knights. Forward Kenny Agostino, and Goaltender Zane McIntyre, were sent back down to Providence on Thursday. It looks like some guys may be getting healthy, and looking to make a return soon.

 

Heartbreaking Ending Overshadows Successful Boston Homestand

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SUCCESSFUL BOSTON HOMESTAND

As hard as it is to believe, the Boston Bruins homestand was actually a success. The Bruins earned 6 out of a possible 8 points during the 4 game stint at the Garden and showed signs of life. Boston kicked off the homestand with an impressive 6-3 win over the Canucks. This was followed by a 5-4 overtime loss to the Sabres, 2-1 victory over San Jose and finally a 2-1 overtime loss to the red hot Kings.

Just looking at the boxscores will not show the entire story, this was a rollercoaster ride. When the Bruins won, they did so in impressive fashion. The 2-1 win against San Jose was the best 60 minutes of hockey the team has played this season. Boston showed up undermanned and out-skilled, but still ground out a tough physical game against a better team. The best development from this game won’t show up on a stat sheet, it was the team defense in their own zone.

Boston Defensive Improvements

During the early part of the season, and most notably in that collapse against Buffalo, defense has been a major problem. The Bruins have had major issues communicating in the defensive zone, especially when a team uses a five man rotation in the offensive zone. This has forced the youth of the Bruins to switch along the walls and cover the seams between the face-off dots. Against San Jose and the Kings, it was astronomically better. In the Sharks game, there was only a handful of open looks from the slot. Against the Kings, the Bruins play behind their own goal, and in the corners was notably more physical.

Those developments alone should spark a glimmer of hope in the hearts of Bruins fans. However, when it comes to the Bruins there is always something to be negative about. While the Bruins looked sharp against the Kings, they somehow managed to give up the game winning goal in overtime off a set face-off play, with only 0.4 tenths of a second left. While it may seem like a fluke play (and it is to an extent), the Bruins are the only ones to blame for being in that position. The icing forced Pastranak to stay on the ice, take the face off against Anze Kopitar, and off the face-off win, the Bruins left Tyler Toffolie with to much space for a quick one timer.

Solid Goaltending

The best development from the Kings game, was the play of Tuukka Rask. Rask was excellent in goal, making 5-6 eye opening saves to keep the Bruins in the game, and get them a point. While Rask can be frustrating to watch, the Bruins need him to be at his best for them to have a chance at a playoff spot this year. A performance like that, while it may not show up in the win column, can do wonders for both Rask and the teams confidence.

While the Bruins had a couple gut punching losses, and should have won all four games, it’s hard to complain too much about the teams overall effort. This was the best weekend of the season for the Bruins, and they’ll look to build off of it going forward.

The Bruins Should Have a Goaltender Controversy

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Anton Khudobin

Anton Khudobin put on a stellar performance last night at TD Garden versus the San Jose Sharks. Khudobin turned in a 36-save performance on 37 shots, with 15 of those in the third period. He is now 3-0-1 on the season, with a 2.52 GAA and a .926 save percentage. For a “back-up” goaltende, those are very good numbers in only five starts. He’s more than held down the fort during Tuukka’s absence, putting the team over .500 again. He even pulled a veteran goalie (more about this later) move last night by “inadvertently” bumping the goal off the pegs.  A move long used by many goalies to stop play so their team can regroup.

Tuukka 2017
On the flip side Tuukka Rask is 1-3 with a 3.30 GAA and a .882 save percentage. Those numbers would get a back-up goaltender a bus ticket to Medicine Hat. Tuukka has become a polarizing figure in Boston sports. You either love him or hate him, there is no in between. I’m not declaring where I fall in the polls, but I do know this: he needs competition, he needs to feel discomfort, and he needs to know his job holds no guarantees. Tuukka is your typical goaltender — competitive,  fiery,  but more importantly, he’s human.  Not immune to getting comfortable, he occasionally loses concentration and lets in a soft goal and sometimes doesn’t bring his best when it matters most.

Tim Thomas?
Anton Khudobin is 31 years old, he’s been around the block and obviously has not won a starting job in this league. Maybe he’s a late bloomer, like Tim Thomas. Thomas didn’t grab hold of a starting job until 2008 when he was 34 years old, and we all know what happened after that.

I’m not saying that Anton Khudobin is Tim Thomas, or even deserves the starting job with the Bruins. I AM saying that he deserves a chance to play more, if he and the team behind him are playing well.

In the end it should make Tuukka Rask uncomfortable.  And I think that’s a good thing.

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.

 

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 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.