Through the first 10 games of the season, the Boston Bruins were able to go 9-0-1 and on some nights, the case could be made that they did not play their best, but somehow found a way to win the game. Eventually with the injuries they have been dealing with, along with the suspension of Charlie McAvoy finally caught up with them Saturday night against the Detroit Red Wings (from ‘Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy suspended 4 games for illegal check to head of Panthers’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson, The Athletic, Oct. 31, 2023).
After building a 2-0 lead in the first period, the Bruins fell apart over the final two periods as the Red Wings rallied for a 5-4 victory at Littel Caesars Arena to give Boston their first loss of the season in regulation. Here are three takeaways after the Black and Gold dropped to 9-1-1 on the season.
Charlie Coyle Continues to Come Up Clutch
Over the last couple of seasons, Charlie Coyle has come up clutch at different times for the Bruins. Last season in the playoffs, he slid into the top six when Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci were out injured and filled the holes and against the Red Wings Saturday night, he was once again a calming presence for Jim Montgomery.
Boston was badly outplayed in the second period by a wide margin and somehow, they managed to escape the period with a lead. How? Well, they led because of Coyle. Jake Walman tied the game 2-2 midway through the period with a power play goal, but Coyle gave the Bruins the lead back when he was able to redirect a pass from Jake DeBrusk past Ville Husso. It was a goal that was badly needed to tilt the ice and slow down a Red Wings team that played a great period and deserved more than to be trailing after 40 minutes. It wasn’t enough in the end, but it was an encouraging sign to see the veteran come up big.
Bruins Puck Management Was Not Good
All night long, even when they held a 2-0 lead in the first period, puck management for the Bruins was not good. Passes were off, players were leaving the zone before the puck was cleared, which led to odd-man breaks for the Red Wings. In the third period, Detroit made up for being down 3-2 entering the period and took advantage of a lack of puck management to score three straight goals for a 5-3 lead.
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Through 40 minutes, the Black and Gold survived the lack of puck management, but in the third period, failing to get pucks out and failing to complete passes cost them and led to three straight Detroit goals. There are not many nights in the NHL where you can get away with that, especially against teams like the Red Wings.
Bruins Special Teams Had a Bad Night
Taking too many penalties was once again an issue for the Bruins and Detroit was more than willing to take advantage. Lucas Raymond cut a 2-0 deficit in half in the first period with a man-advantage goal, and then in the second period, Walman’s tally tied the game on the power play. Detroit finished 2-for-8 on the power play (three of the penalties came in the final two minutes) and they made Boston pay and gave them momentum to stay in the game after falling behind by two goals.
On the flip side, Boston was 1-for-4 on the power play with the lone goal coming from David Pastrnak in the third period to bring his team within 5-4. It was the missed opportunities in the second period that hurt as they were nursing a 3-2 lead with a chance to double the lead but failed to connect on the man-advantage. Staying out of the box and taking advantage when the other team is in it is going to be key this season for the Bruins team that is not as offensive as they were in 2022-23.
Bruins Quick Takeaways
- Matthew Poitras scored his fourth goal of the season and his career in the first period, then in the third period, he made a nice play along the wall on the power play to set up Pastrnak for his goal. He continues to make plays and proves he belongs in the NHL.
- James van Riemsdyk opened the scoring for the Bruins when Husso failed to control a rebound and the veteran was able to knock it home. van Riemsdyk continues to get his goals in the dirty areas for the Bruins.
- It was a night where McAvoy, Matt Grzelcyk, and Derek Forbort were missed. The Bruins could have used McAvoy’s presence in all situations, Grzelcyk’s ability to get the puck out of the zone, and Forbort on the penalty kill.
- Linus Ullmark finished with 35 saves, with 13 coming in the first and 16 in the second. In the third period, he looked a little tired and you can’t blame him. It was too much rubber fired at him by the Red Wings and a lot of it was the inability of the Bruins to manage the puck.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Bruins’ First 10 Games
Boston heads to Dallas to take on the Stars Monday night (Nov. 6) and it’s unlikely they’ll be getting any of the injured players back on defense. Last season following a loss, the Bruins were able to right the ship, now they’ll have to do it against a very good Stars team.
