Few people have the Bruins at the top of their Stanley Cup contender’s list, despite their position atop the NHL standings. And after last season, it’s a good bet the B’s are fine with being no one’s favorite.
But while this team has flaws that are plain to see, the B’s are finding new and interesting ways to rack up points.
The B’s did receive a hat trick from old reliable David Pastrnak (Nos. 42, 43 and 44) in their 6-2 win over the Ottawa Senators but they also got other contributions from unexpected sources.
Big Justin Brazeau, who was on an AHL contract for most of the year and dismissed as being too slow for the NHL, scored a pair of power-play goals (Nos. 2, 3). Kevin Shattenkirk, a healthy scratch in the previous two games, jumped back into the lineup on his off side and notched three assists, throwing his hat in the ring to be in the lineup when the playoffs begin.
And now Linus Ullmark is making a push to be the starter for Game 1. On Tuesday night, he stopped 30-of-32 shots (including 21 in the second period, though there was one he would have wanted back) and he is now 3-0 with a .956 save percentage since the trade deadline.
This team is no juggernaut, just one with a chance. And though the B’s notched their third straight win for the first time they won five in a row from Jan. 13-22, there’s a belief that, with12 games left in the regular season, they haven’t come close to hitting their ceiling.
“That’s definitely not what we talk about in the room,” said Pastrnak of the potential of winning the Presidents’ Trophy. “We don’t care where we finish. We want to feel good about our game and wherever it takes us. We don’t look too far right now. Our game is not where we want it to be, so we’re taking it game by game so we are ready when it counts.”
The game started rather sleepily for the B’s and everyone else in attendance with two short delays for rink repairs by the bull gang. But Pastrnak woke everyone up with a pair of goals in less than three minutes midway through the period.
The first one came at 8:27 when, parked in the slot, Pastrnak deflected Matt Grzelcyk’s slap pass past Joonas Korpisalo.
Then he turned defense into offense for his second goal. Wheeling in the B’s zone, Tim Stutzle attempted an ill-advised pass that Pastrnak picked off and pushed ahead for a breakaway. With a pair of Sens on pursuit, Pastrnak took it in tight and just got the puck to roll over Korpisalo’s blocker for the 2-0 lead at 11:23.
“It’s great having a game-breaker on your team,” said Shattenkirk, noting the team’s slow start.
The B’s controlled play after that for the rest of the period but could not extend the lead.
And they didn’t make it easy on themselves early in the second when John Beecher was called for slashing and, after spending nearly the entire penalty kill in their own zone, Charlie Coyle was called for a dubious tripping penalty, giving Ottawa a 37-second 5-on-3. Ullmark, who made a couple of good saves early in the game as the B’s got their footing, had to be spectacular to keep the Sens off the board.
But when Andrew Peeke was called for interfering with Mark Kastelic on an Ottawa rush, the Sens finally got on the board at 13:08. On the Sens’ 21st shot of the game, Shane Pinto’s Grade A shot from the slot broke through Ullmark to make it 2-1.
When the B’s finally got their first power play at 17:15 after Jakob Chychrun interfered with Trent Frederic, who’d been getting under the Sens’ collective skin for a few shifts, they cashed in. After the first unit turned it over to the second unit, the B’s scored on a simple play. Coach Jim Montgomery had been looking more of a shot mentality and he got. Shattenkirk got a shot on net that Korpisalo could not handle and big Brazeau was there to deftly control the rebound and score on the rebound at 18:51.
“In training camp, I remember saying to people, ‘He’s a poor man’s Dave Andreychuk,’ because he seems to get to every puck below the goal line. He makes subtle little smart plays. And he has a nice touch,” said Montgomery. “I’m glad he got rewarded because he’s been playing a lot better than what his stats have shown on paper, but we’re really happy with how he’s playing in all three zones and how well he supports his teammates.”
But the B’s could not bring the two-goal lead into the second break. Ullmark spit out a rebound of a Chychrun shot and Brady Tkachuk pushed his way to the top of the crease to shove the puck home with just three seconds left on the clock.
It was a painful goal to allow, but the B’s – outshot 23-11 in the second – probably deserved to be in a tight game at that point.
In this one, they put the hammer down. Pastrnak completed his 17th career hat trick at 4:43. Playing down low, Shattenkirk attacked the net and tried to get a pass through the Pavel Zacha but Korpisalo denied it with his stick, knocking it into the slot. Pastrnak homed in on it and beat Korpisalo with a backhander.
“(Shattenkirk) made two incredibly clever plays and he looked really good on his offside, defending and breaking pucks out, which is not easy,’ said Montgomery.
Twenty-five seconds later, Jesper Boqvist took a Beecher pass in the neutral zone, cut from right to left in the offensive zone and beat Korpisalo on a nice move to his forehand.
After nearly blowing a three-goal lead to Philadelphia on Saturday, the B’s were able to salt this one away with little drama, allowing just four shots to make it to Ullmark. Brazeau added his second power-play goal of the game with 1:54 left to finish it off.
