For the second time in four days, the Boston Bruins met the Minnesota Wild, this time on the road at the Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota. On Dec. 19, the Wild scored two third-period goals to take a lead before the Bruins tied it late on the power play to force overtime, where Minnesota won it 4-3.
Boston was entering the game coming off their most disappointing loss of the season Friday night (Dec. 22), 5-1, to the Winnipeg Jets, and the big question going into the game was how would they respond to that outing. For the first 20 minutes, the response was good from the Bruins, but over the final 40 minutes, it looked like the team against the Jets. The Wild scored three goals over the final two periods for a 3-2 win, the fourth consecutive loss for Boston. Here are three takeaways after the Black and Gold fell to 19-7-6 on the season at the three-day Christmas break.
Bruins Play Strong First Period
Second-year head coach Jim Montgomery was looking for a response after the Winnipeg game and he got it. Boston opened the scoring just 2:37 into the game when David Pastrnak scored on a power play. Following the goal, the Bruins played the game with pace, they were controlling the puck in all three zones and even got another power play shortly after the goal, but did not cash in.
Their structure was good and even more important, their attention to detail was good, something that was lacking for 60 minutes against Winnipeg. They only had five shots, but they won a lot of board battles, created pressure on the Wild, defended well in their zone and controlled possession. However, it was all for nothing as the final 40 minutes was a repeat of the full 60 in Winnipeg.
Wild Took Over the Game in the Second & Third Periods
The good feeling the Bruins had after the opening period was dashed quickly by the Wild in the second and third periods. Minnesota outshot the Black and Gold, 19-6, in the middle period and it certainly felt like it was worse than that. Minnesota tied the game on a Joel Eriksson-Ek power-play goal, then just 1:21 later a defensive zone breakdown off a faceoff by Boston led to another goal. They lost track of Kirill Kaprizov and left him alone in the slot and he was able to one-time a pass from the circle for a 2-1 lead.
They were lucky to be down just one after two periods, but early in the third period, Boston was called four their fourth penalty of the game and, Marcus Foligno outmuscled Brandon Carlo at the top of the crease in front of Ullmark and was able to bury a pass from Pat Maroon for a 3-1 lead. Morgan Geekie closed the gap for the Bruins late in the third, but they were not able to tie the game.
Over the final 40 minutes, Minnesota outshot Boston, 30-15, controlled the play, and won nearly every single battle in all three zones. Five of the six periods on the two-game trip were arguably five of the worst periods so far in the 2023-24 season.
Bruins Need the Christmas Break
This may be the biggest understatement, but the Bruins need the Christmas break in the worst way possible. Three days to get away from the arena, from each other, and reset. So far in December, they have just three regulation wins, and in four of their last eight games, they have been held to one goal against the Jets, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, and Buffalo Sabres.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Bruins’ 5-1 Loss to Jets
Boston has dealt with injuries during some of that stretch, but in the overall picture, there have been way too many breakdowns in all three zones, they are not getting much offense from their top players except for Pastrnak and their goaltending has done everything they can do to help them get points in three of their last five games that they have lost. They are still sitting on top in the Atlantic Division, but the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers are coming and just four points back. The schedule in terms of teams in the standings is manageable after the break, but with the way the Black and Gold are playing, nothing is given.
Bruins Quick Takeaways
- If was not for Linus Ullmark, the score would have been much worse. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner stopped 32 shots, several high-danger chances, and during a power play in the third period, he made three big saves in the first 45 seconds of the man advantage. As bad of a stretch as they are going through, goaltending is the least of their problems.
- Geekie had a goal in the third period, but he could have had more with the opportunities he had. He had a breakaway in the first period with the Bruins leading 1-0 and in the second period when they were down 2-1 and both times, Marc-Andre Fleury stopped him. Geekie finished with a team-high six shots on the goal, but just one finding the back of the net.
- Brad Marchand did not get credit with a shot on the net, while Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk, and Pavel Zacha had one each. Pastrnak finished behind Geekie with four, including his goal. Boston is going to need more from their top six after the break if they are going to snap their losing streak anytime soon.
Again, the three-day break might be the thing the Bruins need right now. They return to the ice on Dec. 27 against the Sabres on the road, before a home game on Dec. 30 against the Devils and a game on New Year’s Eve against the Detroit Red Wings on the road. It’s not panic time yet in 2023-24, but they need to turn things around sooner rather than later when they get back together in Buffalo.
