Well, the Garden good instances couldn’t final without end, may they?
The Bruins suffered their first regulation lack of the season on Thursday towards the Seattle Kraken, 3-0, and it was a no-doubter.
The first sport again from a West Coast journey is rarely straightforward, and Lord is aware of the B’s had been due for an ‘L’ on house ice. But take nothing away from the Kraken. They pissed off the B’s within the offensive zone, clamping down in the home space in entrance of their web, by no means permitting the seam go to get by after which shortly turning it into offense. And every time they did break by for a top quality scoring likelihood, goalie Martin Jones (27 saves) was there to make the primary cease. There was hardly ever a necessity for a second one.
“Their team structure is excellent. I thought their speed defensively gave us a lot of problems, on the forecheck, in the neutral zone and especially in the D zone,” mentioned coach Jim Montgomery. “We were kind of one-and-done in the offensive zone and I think that was a credit to how fast they played defensively.”
Underscoring the B’s tough in creating scoring probabilities, Montgomery pulled goalie Linus Ullmark down 2-0 with just below 5 minutes to go in regulation. Like the whole lot else he tried, it didn’t work. With 1:50 remaining, Jaden Schwartz ended it with an empty-netter.
Montgomery sensed a psychological fatigue in his troops.
“There were guys wide open and it didn’t matter who it was. We make a lot of plays throughout the year and we weren’t seeing those plays,” mentioned Montgomery. “We were not a second, but two seconds late and then we were trying to force the plays, which led to a lot of turnovers and them being able to transition on us in the offensive zone. That doesn’t usually happen and I think with the mental fatigue, we were just a little bit lazy with our offense. Unfortunately, they were in the right spots and went the other way on us.”
The B’s dropped to 19-1-3 at house this season and it was the B’s first regulation house loss since April 14, 2022. Whether or not protecting that unimaginable streak alive had something to do with the psychological fatigue that Montgomery sensed, it’s now kaput. They get to show the web page on Saturday with a sport towards rival Toronto, second within the Atlantic (11 factors again) and nonetheless holding out faint hope of giving the B’s a run for the division.
A reminder that that they aren’t invincible, even on house ice, will not be the worst factor on the earth to occur to the B’s.
“We know we’re going to get everybody’s best. We’ve played very well this year, but yeah, I think it is good. It defintely helps to avoid complacency and a sort of entitlement,” mentioned Charlie McAvoy. “Losing in your own house for the first time in the long time, I think we’re all excited to shift to Saturday and a chance to get back at it.”
On Thursday, Seattle acquired one purpose every within the first two intervals and by no means let the B’s up for air within the third.
The Kraken, arriving with a six-game win streak, confirmed why they’re one of many shock groups within the NHL with their first interval. They outshot the B’s 14-8 and took a 1-0 lead, which may have been extra onerous for the B’s if not for a few terrific stops by Ullmark, who made 28 within the sport. The Kraken didn’t permit many Grade A probabilities off the push or inside the zone and so they shortly counter-attacked with pace for his or her offense.
Seattle took the lead at 7:14 on an odd play. The B’s seemed to be answerable for the puck when Brandon Carlo rimmed it behind the web to protection accomplice Hampus Lindholm. But Lindholm couldn’t cease the puck and it rolled alongside the boards to the appropriate hash marks. From there towards the boards, Daniel Sprong whipped a wrister towards the web. It was going extensive, however Brandon Tanev along side the web to redirect it into the quick facet previous Ullmark.
In the second interval, Montgomery ran his traces by one cycle earlier than he determined to change issues up, going to his outdated dependable tactic of loading up the tip line with Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. And it virtually labored out instantly as Pastrnak was sprung for a breakaway, however Jones got here up with the blocker save. As time wore on, even that time-tested line had no solutions.
The B’s had a pair extra probabilities in tight, each off the stick of Trent Frederic, however Jones held his floor. Then the Kraken delivered a backbreaking purpose with 38 seconds left within the interval when Eeli Tolvanen gathered a puck within the slot, spun round and delivered an ideal shot into the higher left nook proper underneath the bar.
The house streak, clearly, was in jeopardy. And this time, there could be no third-period magic. At 32-5-4, Montgomery wasn’t about to overthink the defeat.
“It’s a our first loss at home and it’s our 23rd game of the year (at the Garden),” mentioned the coach. “I guess we’re fortunate in one way. We’re not happy about how we played and we’ll address it (Friday), we’ll regroup and be better Saturday night.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com
