After a long road trip, the Boston Bruins returned to TD Garden to face the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 26. Although it is early in the regular season, this contest had some importance to it, as the Bruins were looking to set a new team record with their seventh straight win to start the season. Unfortunately for them, sloppy play during the final minutes of the third period saw them blow a multi-goal lead, and they lost in overtime to a hungry Ducks team. Let’s discuss three takeaways from the frustrating loss now.
McAvoy Three-Assist Night
While the Bruins got a disappointing loss in this one, it is hard not to praise McAvoy’s contributions to the contest. The right-shot defenseman recorded assists on all three of the Bruins’ goals. Needless to say, he made a big impact on the Bruins’ offense, and it was simply excellent to see from the star defenseman.
Besides getting these three assists, McAvoy looked quite confident with the puck. He created several other chances throughout the game, both due to his fast skating and great passing. Although the end of the game was far less than ideal for the entire club, that should not take away from McAvoy’s outstanding effort for the vast majority of the game.
After this contest, McAvoy now has six assists and a plus-6 rating in seven games played. If he can keep this kind of offense up and maintain his steady defensive game, he could be in the running for the Norris Trophy this season. The potential is truly there.
Pastrnak On A Mission
David Pastrnak was a clear standout from this contest. The superstar winger headed into this game without a goal or point in each of his previous two games. However, Pastrnak sure changed things on that front against the Ducks, as he had a goal and an assist. With that, he was clearly on a mission to get on the scoresheet, as he had a team-leading nine shots on goal. Charlie Coyle was second on the team with shots with four. The Massachusetts native also potted his first goal of the season in this one.
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Overall, this was a great response game from Pastrnak. Although he was not necessarily bad in his two previous contests, it is always noteworthy when he does not get on the scoresheet. This is because he is a franchise talent and has the potential to put up multi-point games every night.
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With this two-point performance against the Ducks, Pastrnak now has six goals, 10 points, and a plus-6 rating in seven games played. It has been a marvelous season for the 27-year-old winger thus far, and we will need to wait and see how he builds on it.
Bruins Give Game Away
As noted above, the Bruins were well on their way to winning this game against the Ducks. With less than two minutes left in the contest, they had a comfortable 3-1 lead, but, unfortunately for Boston, their bad defensive play led to them giving this game away. Ducks rookie Leo Carlsson scored his second of the season, and then Troy Terry tied the game up with just 15 seconds left. From there, the Ducks had all of the momentum, and Mason McTavish put the dagger in the Bruins’ heart in overtime.
The Bruins had so many chances to ice this game, but it is clear that fatigue played a notable factor in their horrid defensive play. With that, Linus Ullmark, who had a spectacular game up until that point, just could not bail them out of the chaos.
Blowing late leads, especially in the final minute, has become quite the ongoing story over the last few seasons for the Bruins, and it already has reared its ugly head early in 2023-24. However, the Ducks’ immense determination earned them this win and a tip of the hat is warranted.
Alas, the Bruins will need to move on from this frustrating loss to the Ducks and try to redeem themselves against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 28.