Bruins Game Notes: 2nd Straight Shutout Leads to Decisive Win Over Kraken

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Starting off the season on a rocky foot, the Boston Bruins now find themselves winners of two consecutive games with a 2-0 win over the Seattle Kraken on Sunday night (Nov. 3). The victory is Boston’s second straight shutout and the first for Jeremy Swayman who stopped all 23 shots against. Charlie Coyle scored his second goal of the season on the power play while Justin Brazeau’s fourth of the year that opened the scoring ended up being the game-winning goal.

Solid Defensive Game Leads to First Back-to-Back Shutouts Since 2011

Off the back of Joonas Korpisalo’s 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday (Nov. 2), the Bruins recorded their second straight shutout for the first time since November 2011 and the first on consecutive days since 2008. Korpisalo and Swayman combined for 43 saves on the weekend, solidifying a hot streak for Boston goaltenders as the calendar switches to November.

With an offseason of public contract negotiations that went well into training camp and the preseason, Swayman has had a slower start than he or the Bruins would like, entering Sunday’s contest against the Kraken with a .884 save percentage (SV%) and a 3.57 goals-against average (GAA). There were many question marks for Boston and how the acquisitions plus departures would play out on the ice, but many were confident in having Swayman as the number one starter, making the slow start a little more concerning.

However, against the Kraken, Swayman looked great. In the opening frame, Seattle mustered only three shots on goal and another seven in the second period as he was not challenged in the slightest while the Bruins dominated offensively. In the final frame of the game, however, Seattle outshot the Bruins 13-3 in the third period and that’s where Swayman stood strong. His usually calm, cool, and collected demeanor between the pipes was on display as any real attempt for Seattle was quickly stopped, and there weren’t too many chances where it felt Swayman was out of position.

Jeremy Swayman Boston Bruins
Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

A huge reason for the ease in Swayman’s night was the Bruins’ strength defensively. Seattle had zero shots on goal in the opening 14 minutes of the game and at 5v5, generated only two high-danger chances in the entirety of the game. In those first two periods, they only had 0.31 expected goals for (xGF). Not only did the Bruins defend really well, but they blocked a ton of shots – the most all season long – with 27 recorded blocks in this game.

Hampus Lindholm had a very strong high-danger scoring chances ratio, outscoring the Kraken 8-1 while on the ice, Charlie McAvoy looked great offensively with an assist along with seven shots on goal and strong defensively with three blocks and two takeaways. Brandon Carlo and Andrew Peeke also had three blocked shots each while Nikita Zadorov played another very solid game, continuing off Saturday’s performance which might be his best of the season.

Charlie Coyle Has His Best Game of the Season

Bringing in Elias Lindholm in free agency was meant to take some of the offensive load off of Charlie Coyle this season but instead, has seemingly prevented him from playing his best. It’s been no secret that he has struggled early on this season, scoring only one goal in 12 games and not doing much defensively either. His game has just seemed off, unlike the usual strong puck-handling, good forechecking Coyle Bruins fans have become accustomed to.

Related: Boston Bruins’ 3 Stars of the Month: October

Sunday’s win marked Coyle’s best game of the season and very well could have been a three-point outing. On the first goal of the game by Brazeau, he made a tremendous play by the corner glass battling with Brandon Tanev, stickhandling while falling and for another few seconds on his knees before feeding down the wall to McAvoy at the blue line. McAvoy fed the puck laterally to Zadorov whose shot was deflected home by Brazeau, so even though he wasn’t credited with an assist on the play, this goal does not happen without Coyle’s effort.

Later in the period, on the man-advantage, the Bruins were utilizing the cycle game as Elias Lindholm fed the puck from the high faceoff circle down low to Brad Marchand. Marchand slid it over across Joey Daccord’s crease to Coyle, but instead of just firing a quick one-timer, Coyle used excellent patience to draw Daccord out of the crease, dangle around him and tuck the puck in to give Boston a big insurance goal. It’s the kind of goal that looked like it was performed in slow motion and when Coyle is on his game, those are the kind of plays he is capable of.

Again in the first period, Coyle kept the offensive pressure going by using his skating to avoid a Kraken skater on the outside, passing it to McAvoy who rifled it towards the net, allowing Zacha to deflect it home. Unfortunately, the goal was called back due to a so-called offside on the zone entry by Zacha, but Coyle very well could have (and to some people, should have) another point in this game. Either way, his effort and drive were extremely motivating and hopefully a sign of things to come.

David Pastrnak Benched in the Third Period

After seven shots and over 14 minutes of ice time in the opening 40 minutes, David Pastrnak did not take the ice for a single shift in the third period and while he was absent for a brief amount of time, later returned to the bench where he remained for the rest of the game. Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery was asked post-game about the benching, saying “Coach’s decision in the third period. That’s all I’m gonna comment on.”

The decision seems odd, as Pastrnak not only is the clear best offensive talent the Bruins have, but was also having a pretty decent game. Remarkably, the Bruins outshot Seattle 17-1 in the time Pastrnak was on the ice at all strengths and 8-1 at 5v5. Additionally, Pastrnak led the team in shot attempts (nine), unblocked shot attempts (seven), and expected goals percentage (95.7%). In a two-goal game while the team is trying to build some momentum, assuming there is no undisclosed injury, full-on benching him seems extreme.

If we are looking for reasons to justify the benching, Pastrnak did have two giveaways in this game, something Montgomery has clearly been trying to limit especially from Boston’s star players, but more so, in the first period, he had a wide-open net to score on but failed to lift the puck above a sprawling Daccord who was on his stomach. The goal would have given Boston a 2-0 lead at the time and it seems lately Pastrnak’s finishing ability has been struggling, so Montgomery could be trying to spark something in him. At times, he can be careless with the puck to try and make plays, and that costs him. Sometimes players need a break to get a different view, but this is definitely something to keep an eye on.

Fortunately, the choice to keep Pastrnak seated for the final period didn’t upset the team as they were able to close out with the win. Coyle was also asked about it after the game, stating “Pasta wasn’t silent. He was bringing energy. He was talking. He was into it. That’s the sign of a good teammate right there. That’s why he’s one of our captains. There’s a lot to be said for that.”

November Off to Strong Start

The month of October was not great for the Bruins but thankfully, it was the first month of a long season. Starting off a new month with an undefeated record is huge for the confidence and trying to get their game back on track. It’ll be a busy month as Boston has only three two-day breaks in the entire month, playing every other day including a back-to-back at the end of November. Of the 12 upcoming games, three are against the Atlantic Division and six against Eastern Conference teams – every point matters. The Bruins will look to keep the ball rolling with another matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday (Nov. 5) in Toronto.

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