Bruins drop third straight preseason contest
Another road preseason tilt for the Bruins came with yet another sluggish effort from the club, as the Bruins surrendered three straight goals against en route to a 3-1 loss to the Flyers at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center.
“We just weren’t sharp,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said following the loss. “I didn’t think we won enough battles. I didn’t think our puck support was quick enough offensively or defensively to get back on offense and in turn, we just didn’t generate enough opportunities in the offensive zone because very rarely did we have the puck there.”
To Montgomery’s point, the Bruins were held to just 14 shots in the loss, and 11 before the Bruins decided to pull Jeremy Swayman for the extra attacker and a 6-on-5 advantage late in the third period of play.
The lone positive at the offensive end of the rink came in the first period, really, and off the stick of Morgan Geekie.
On the power play in the opening frame, Geekie drove towards the net and took a terrific feed from Charlie Coyle to beat the Flyers’ Samuel Ersson at the 14:50 mark of the period. The goal also came with a secondary helper from prospect Matt Poitras, who outright refuses to fade out of frame and return to the OHL without a fight.
Geekie got it ✔️ pic.twitter.com/Ge2FXuTyMP
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 2, 2023
But beyond that, this was a game where the Bruins certainly wanted and expected more fight from some of their tweeners looking to make a lasting impression on Montgomery & Co. with the preseason nearing its end.
2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell started his evening in a premier spot with Jake DeBrusk and Charlie Coyle, but failed to make much of anything happen with that chance, and was demoted by the third period. Lysell, who was relatively quiet in his 2023 preseason debut, too, finished with two shots and was whistled for a high-sticking penalty in the first period.
Swayman went start to finish in this contest, and finished with 21 saves on 24 shots faced. Swayman was especially sharp on the penalty kill, with four saves on as many shots thrown his way by the Philly power play.
With the loss, the Bruins dropped to 1-2-1 on the preseason, and will look to win their second game of the warm-up slate when the Capitals come to TD Garden on Tuesday night.
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Sep 26, 2023; Buffalo, New York, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Kyle Keyser (85) gets a drink during a stoppage in play against the Buffalo Sabres in the second period at KeyBank Center. (Timothy T. Ludwig/USA TODAY Sports)
EDMONTON, AB – JANUARY 04: John Farinacci #25 of the United States celebrates a goal against Finland during the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship semifinals at Rogers Place on January 4, 2021. (Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)
