Bruins let one slip in setback vs. Rangers
For the second game in a row, the Bruins had one hell of a push and downright carried play for much of the night. But for the second game in a row, the Black and Gold failed to score more than one goal, and suffered their second straight loss, this time by way of a 2-1 final against the Rangers.
In what was a 33-shot evening from the Bruins, the only goal came in the middle frame, and off the stick of Elias Lindholm for his seventh goal of the season and his fourth in his last eight games.
But the goal, which was ultimately created off some fantastic board work and a great pass from David Pastrnak to find Lindholm chilling to the left of the Rangers’ Jonathan Quick, ultimately came with the Bruins’ mistakes already accounting for two Ranger goals.
The first came when Jeremy Swayman made a poor decision to play the puck following a Charlie McAvoy and Nikita Zadorov collision and by all means hand the puck to the Rangers en route to a Mika Zibanejad tally. The second, meanwhile, came when Brett Berard capitalized on a bad pinch from Mason Lohrei to give the Rangers a 2-on-0 and a 2-0 lead in a span of just 3:05.
Even in shots at eight each side through 20 minutes, the Bruins clearly took control in the second and third periods of play, with a 25-19 shot advantage that felt twice that at times.
For the Bruins, their best shifts seemingly began with battles won behind the net that tenderized New York’s defense and opened things up from high-danger areas. But even with those favorable shot totals, the Bruins often looked for a pass too many, and sent pucks into feet and New York sticks, stalling their own momentum.
In goal, Swayman finished with 25 saves on 27 shots (and made 20 straight saves after the Berard goal), with Thursday’s outing marking the sixth time this season that Swayman suffered a loss despite posting an in-game save percentage of at least .920.
Up front, the Bruins threw Oliver Wahlstrom back into the lineup for his first appearance since Dec. 27. Wahlstrom finished with one shot, two hits, and clanged a shot off the post in over 12 minutes of work. With Wahlstrom in, Marc McLaughlin took a seat as Boston’s healthy scratch up front.
The Bruins will wrap up this three-game road trip Saturday night in Toronto.
