After two convincing 5-2 wins over the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens, the Boston Bruins looked to build on their winning streak against the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, the Bruins blew another lead late into the third period and then fell to the Lightning in overtime by a 5-4 final score. Overall, this was another frustrating loss for the Bruins, so let’s go over a few takeaways from the contest now.
Pastrnak Stays Hot
While the Bruins got the loss in the contest, David Pastrnak put together another strong individual performance offensively. The 2014 first-round pick posted a goal and an assist, improving his point streak to seven games. Over that span, the 27-year-old winger has four goals and 15 points. Needless to say, he is on fire right now.
Besides getting on the scoresheet multiple times in this one, Pastrnak also was a threat throughout the game. The superstar forward led the Bruins with eight shots on goals, while Charle McAvoy was second on the club with just four. He created several chances and was very engaged throughout it, so he was a clear bright spot for the Bruins in this loss.
With this two-point performance, Pastrnak now sits at 12 goals and 29 points in just 17 games played thus far. He is not showing any signs of slowing down, and this could be another monstrous campaign for him because of it.
Bruins Lack Discipline & Lose Energy
A huge takeaway from this contest was the Bruins’ penalty trouble. Mason Lohrei, McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, Brandon Carlo, Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha, and Johnny Beecher each got minor penalties during the contest. While the Bruins’ penalty kill did well, allowing only one Lightning power-play goal, killing so many penalties certainly made the club more tired as the game rolled on.
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As the game continued, the Lightning possessed far more momentum, and a lot of that had to do with the Bruins getting tired. The third period effectively displays this alone, as the Lightning crushed the Bruins in shots 14-5. In overtime, the Bruins were completely gassed, and Brandon Hagel took advantage of that by scoring the game-winning goal.
Ultimately, the Lightning’s energy improved as the game rolled on, while the Bruins lost their momentum. In the end, they got burned because of it, which we will discuss now.
Bruins Third-Period Final-Minute Woes Continue
While it is hard to complain about the Bruins’ great start, the biggest red flag with them right now is blowing leads in the final minute and then losing the game afterward. This, once again, happened against the Lightning. At the 19:55 mark, the Bruins allowed a goal to Steven Stamkos that tied the game up at 4-4. Then, as noted above, Hagel stole the two points for Tampa Bay in overtime.
Sloppy play in the final minute is a big reason for this Bruins loss. We saw this against the Anaheim Ducks earlier this season and, of course, against the Florida Panthers during the postseason. This is a trend that the Bruins will hopefully stop soon.
Jeremy Swayman should also not be blamed for this loss. The Alaska native was extremely busy all night, saving 41 out of 46 shots. Meanwhile, the Bruins had just 27 shots on the night.
The Bruins will now look to turn things back around against the Panthers on Nov. 22. This is a big game, as the Panthers are only four points behind the Bruins in the standings, sporting a 12-5-1 and winning eight out of their last 10 games. Thus, this is a must-watch Atlantic Division contest.