Latest Bruins preseason loss comes with positive signs from the kids
The penultimate game of the 2023 preseason did not come with a win for Jim Montgomery and the Bruins, but the push from some of the team’s bubble players was very much there, as the Bruins got goals from four different scorers in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Capitals at TD Garden.
For the Bruins, the focus was once again on the 19-year-old Matt Poitras.
Entering training camp with the goal of ‘making it hard’ for the B’s management team to send him back to the Ontario Hockey League, Poitras once again delivered, this time with a game-tying goal in the third period of play.
The goal was an obvious highlight in a night that also featured three blocked shots, a takeaway, and wins in 10 of 17 battles at the dot in 18:27 of time on ice for the B’s hopeful.
“Overall, he competed,” Montgomery said of Poitras. “What you like is that, he lost some battles but he comes back and wins some battles. That was a big goal he scored to tie it up, and he continues to show a lot of poise with the puck.”
But Poitras wasn’t alone when it came to making yet another strong impression.
Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei put himself on the board with a strike on Boston’s second shot of the game, and just the 2:42 mark of the first period. The goal featured strong senses by Lohrei to activate towards the Washington net, and saw the Bruins hook up for a goal that featured a defenseman-to-defenseman pass from a high-danger area.
Speaking after the win, Montgomery noted that this was the best he thought Lohrei looked when it came to jumping into the play and creating offense.
Lohrei finished his night with three hits and a blocked shot in 24:40 of time on ice.
And on Boston’s fourth line, Johnny Beecher once again looked like a player capable of manning the middle of the Black and Gold’s fourth line with Milan Lucic and Jakub Lauko on the wings. Beecher drove to the net on Lucic’s second-period goal (and picked up an assist in the process), and finished with wins in seven of his 13 faceoffs.
In goal, the Bruins rode with Linus Ullmark for yet another full-game performance from the reigning Vezina winner.
Ullmark really seemed to settle in and find his game from the second period on, and finished with 36 saves in the losing effort. But Ullmark was under serious duress throughout the night, with Ullmark credited with an 18-of-20 line in the net when it came to facing high-danger shots, according to NaturalStatTrick.
The Bruins will wrap up their preseason schedule Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
Bruins place five players on waivers
Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Alec Regula (75) makes the save against against the New York Rangers during the second period at TD Garden. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)
One of four Bruins defensemen to hit the waiver wire Tuesday, the Bruins will try to sneak Alec Regula down to Providence after what was a one-game preseason run for the Blackhawk-turned-Bruin.
Deployed for just over 21 minutes of time on ice in Boston’s preseason opener back on Sept. 24, Regula finished that contest with one shot attempt, one hit, and four blocked shots.
The 6-foot-4, right-shooting Regula is coming off a 2022-23 campaign that included five goals and 21 points, along with 69 minutes in penalties, in 51 games for AHL Rockford.
Regula also drew into four games for Chicago last season, and racked up four hits and eight blocks while averaging 16:36 per game for the Blackhawks.
Oct 2, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Flyers center Sean Couturier (14) and Bruins defenseman Dan Renouf (44) battle in front of goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) during the second period at Wells Fargo Center. (Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports)
And for the second time in as many training camps with the Bruins, Dan Renouf will hit the waiver wire.
In action for what was his preseason debut Monday night in Philadelphia, Renouf finished with one hit, one takeaway, and two blocked shots in 15:28 of time on ice.
The veteran Renouf put up one goal and 11 points, along with a plus-10 rating, in 54 games for Providence last season.
Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Anthony Richard (90) skates against the New York Rangers during the first period at TD Garden. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)
At one point looking like a potentially interesting option for Boston’s bottom six, forward Anthony Richard will hit the waiver wire after two shots on goal, one blocked shot, and two penalties taken in over 40 minutes of time on ice over three preseason games. Speed is certainly the name of Richard’s game, and while he could be a potential depth piece down the road, his inability to elevate after the strong start was definitely a bummer for th Bruins, who at one point gave him a chance to ride with David Pastrnak.
The 5-foot-11 Richard was an undeniable standout in the AHL a year ago, with 30 goals and 67 points in 60 games for AHL Laval. Richard led the Rocket in goals (30), assists (37), and points (67), and his 30 goals were actually tied for the seventh-most among all AHL skaters in 2022-23. Richard, who was also named to the 2023 All-Star Challenge, was one of just six AHL skaters to record at least 30 goals and at least 30 assists last season.
Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Reilly Walsh (92) skates in the neutral zone during the third period against the New York Rangers at TD Garden. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)
In another backend-related move, the Bruins also confirmed that defenseman Reilly Walsh will hit waivers for the purpose of assigning him to the minors.
The right-shooting Walsh was given three games this preseason, and recorded one assist (a power-play helper on a Matt Poitras goal in the preseason opener), along with one hit and two blocked shots.
The Bruins really dug deep to find out what they have in the North Falmouth, Mass. native, and really focused on utilizing him in a defensive role, which saw him hammered for a defense-high 10 hits taken and three goals against.
Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Parker Wotherspoon (29) waits for play to begin against the New York Rangers during the second period at TD Garden. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)
Yet another defenseman moving from the Bruins to the waiver wire in pursuit of sneaking him on down to Providence, Parker Wotherspoon departs the NHL camp after recording one shot on goal, six hits, and three blocked shots in two games for the B’s this fall.
Over the course of his 12-game run with the Isles last season, the 25-year-old posted one assist and a plus-5 rating, and added seven blocks and eight hits, while averaging 13:20 per night.
A fourth-round pick of the Isles in 2015, Wotherspoon has a boatload of AHL experience, with 22 goals and 108 points in 293 games over eight seasons with Bridgeport.
