Bruins fall to Stars at home for third straight loss, by 5-2 final
It’s officially a losing streak for the Boston Bruins, who fell to 3-4-1 on the season on Thursday night against the Dallas Stars by a 5-2 final at TD Garden. The B’s have lost three straight, going back to an overtime loss to the Utah Hockey Club.
Penalties were again a major issue for the Bruins in this game, as they racked up 10 more minutes and allowed three more power play goals, all of which came in a back-breaking second period.
The Bruins did get a much-needed fast start against a talented opponent, out-shooting the Stars 9-3 in the first 10 minutes of play. They also scored first, as Matthew Poitras intercepted a pass attempt behind the Dallas net and fed it to David Pastrnak, who ripped home the one-timer for his fifth goal of the season.
The B’s almost made it through the first period without allowing a goal, but the Stars stormed back to take the lead in shots on goal and eventually found the equalizer off the stick of Matt Duchene, making it a 1-1 tie entering the second period.
That’s when disaster struck early for the Bruins. Pastrnak committed an undisciplined hooking penalty just 11 seconds into the frame, then 12 seconds into the power play, Dallas’ Jason Robertson fired home his fourth goal to give his team a 2-1 lead.
And when it rained, it poured. Two more Bruins penalties, an interference on Parker Wotherspoon and a trip on Pastrnak, both led to two more power play goals for the Stars, by Logan Stankoven and Tyler Seguin, respectively, to make it 4-1.
The B’s responded with a power play goal of their own, off the stick of Justin Brazeau. But the damage was done, and they headed to the second intermission down 4-2 while getting out-shot 25-17.
The B’s made an admirable push in the third period, out-shooting the Stars 10-6 over the final 20 minutes. But the only third-period goal was an empty-netter by Dallas’ Roope Hintz, rounding out the 5-2 final. Boston (3-4-1) is now under .500, in terms of regulation wins and losses, for the first time since losing the 2018-19 season opener on Oct. 3, 2018.
Up Next: The Bruins will stay in Boston, where they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs for the first time in the 2024-25 season on Saturday night at TD Garden.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
