The Bruins can take some positives out of what was a disappointing end in St. Louis. Jaden Schwartz scored in the third period to tie the game and later scored the game-winner in overtime for the Blues as they beat the B’s 2-1 on Thursday night, but the Bruins clinched a playoff berth in the process by earning a point.
In one of the most unpredictable events in recent memory for the Bruins (45-17-10), they’ve already clinched a playoff spot with 10 games still to go. They reached the 100-point mark for the first time since the 2013-14 season.
After a strong first period for the Bruins, the Blues roared back to control most of the action in the second and third frames. Schwartz finally broke through for the Blues with a short-side wrist shot off a drop-pass from Alex Steen that beat Anton Khudobin.
Donato With No. 2
The lone offensive highlight for the Bruins came from none other than precocious rookie Ryan Donato. The 21-year-old winger capitalized on a loose puck that bounced off an official, slapping the rolling rubber by Blues goalie Jake Allen to put the Bruins up 1-0 in the first.
St. Louis’ normally reliable captain Alex Pietrangelo committed the turnover off the referee, leading to Donato’s opportunistic snipe:
The Blues certainly had the better-quality scoring chances for the balance of the game. Khudobin stopped just 18 of 20 shots in all, but some of them required superlative efforts. He saved the point for the Bruins with under 5 seconds left in regulation, when he stopped a long slap shot from Carl Gunnarson then made a sprawling blocker save on Dmitrij Jaskin.
Despite another losing effort, the Bruins can at least say they grabbed a point and clinched their playoff berth in the process. They continue to play admirably in the face of a ridiculous rash of injuries. And Donato continues to look like a potential game-changing addition for the home stretch.
The B’s head to Dallas next to take on Tyler Seguin and the Stars on Friday.
— By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
