Skip to Search Skip to Live Player Skip to Content Skip to Footer

Felger & Mazz

Murray: Expect the Bruins to fall short in playoffs again

Author

On Wednesday’s Felger & Mazz radio program, the guys react to the Boston Bruins’ dreadful 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

 

Boston Bruins Not Ready for Playoffs?

Parts of conversation abbreviated for clarity.

 

Mike Felger: Murray, what are your thoughts on last night’s loss?

Jim Murray: I actually want to thank the Bruins for that performance. It totally grounded me after feeling too positive about them based on how they played for the last two weeks. You know those games against Carolina, down there, and the Florida game on Saturday. I was like, this is a little interesting. They look good.

And then, after that complete no-show last night and Jeremy Swayman playing like a complete A-hole, I left feeling terrible about the team. And I still expect them to tear my heart out come the postseason. There’s still a-holes. They were lucky to be scoreless in that game after one period.

Tony Mazz: Do you know how many shots the Bruins had after two periods last night?

Mike Felger: Wass it something like nine?

Tony Mazz: Ten shots after two periods? I thought they got freakin schooled.

Jim Murray: One guy showed up to play, Charlie McAvoy. And I can’t. I wonder if, after the game, he collectively ripped them a new one with the way the team played. It would’ve been justified, too. He was the only player for the Bruins last night that I felt actually showed out.

Tony Mazz: Carolina clearly came out and said, “Alright, you guys had the better of us over the weekend. We’re going to crank it up. We’re going to go to a higher level. We’re going to challenge every puck, and we are going to squeeze you so hard you’re going to suffocate.” And that’s what happened.

Mike Felger: That’s the way Carolina plays. And they usually school you because of it.

Tony Mazz: Yeah, that game, to me, was a reality check. Oh, that’s how well you have to play to win the Cup? OK, never mind. That’s how I felt after watching that game.

Mike Felger: Yeah, that loss started with Jeremy Swayman.

Tony Mazz: The Bruins knocked more pucks in their net than they did the freaking Carolina net.

That loss really did start with Swayman.

Jim Murray: He’s lucky he didn’t give up six goals.

Mike Felger: It should’ve been 3-0 Carolina by the end of the first period.

 

Segment Audio

 

Ryan Beaton is a producer for 985thesportshub.com. You can follow Ryan at @ry_beaton on Twitter.

Listen to Felger and Mazz from 2-6 every Monday-Friday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with hosts Mike Felger, Tony “Mazz” Massarotti, and Jim Murray “Big Jim”. You can listen live in the Sports Hub App and subscribe to their podcasts here. Follow @FelgerAndMazz on Twitter to keep up with the show!

3 Stars: Bruins come up short vs. Hurricanes

Tuesday night at TD Garden did not get off to the best start for the Bruins.

In fact, it happened on Carolina’s first shot of the evening, too. A no-angle weird shot on goal from the Hurricanes’ Martin Necas hit Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman, floated up and disappeared into the nothingness of a goaltender’s gear, and appeared to pop into the back of the Boston net. That was the ruling on the ice, too. Much like Saturday’s game against the Panthers, the Bruins appeared set to have to work out of an early hole, with the ‘Canes on the board just 1:59 into the first period of play.

However, a video review confirmed that the puck never crossed the goal line, Swayman and the Bruins were saved and back at 0-0.

But the Bruins failed to make that goal-line break count, as the Bruins struggled to get their engines firing at the other end in what finished as a 4-1 loss to the Hurricanes at TD Garden.

  • For the Bruins, this game was truly lost in the second period, as the Bruins took a step backwards after what was a strong opening frame, with just four shots for each team, and with a checking game that made you think it was late May, not early April. Calling it a step backwards was really the best and only way to describe it, too, as the Bruins’ offense stalled out, with just two shots through the halfway point of the middle period, and with Carolina’s offense finding its gear.

    “I loved our first,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said after the loss. “I thought we were really physical. I thought we were engaged, a couple of good scoring chances [and] they had a couple. Second period, I thought they came out and they pushed hard. They were over top of us. I thought their checking skills, were superior to ours and led to a lot of us playing in our zone. And then, obviously, they got ahead of us.”

    The loss put an end to Boston’s four-game win streak.

    Here are the 98.5 The Sports Hub (dot com) 3 Stars from a showdown at TD Garden…

  • Third Star: Charlie McAvoy

    Apr 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal during the second period against the Carolina Hurricanes at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

    Apr 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal during the second period against the Carolina Hurricanes at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)

    In a game short on Bruins rising to the challenge, the lone Boston goal of the evening came off the stick of defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who now has goals in back-to-back games for the first time since a two-game goal streak in October.

    McAvoy, who played just under 24 minutes in the losing effort, also added one hit and three blocks in this contest.

  • More on the Bruins

    – Four Bruins to watch over final four games of season

    – Danton Heinen earns nod as B’s Masterton nominee

    – How the Bruins could manage playoff rotation

  • Second Star: Pyotr Kochetkov

    Apr 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov (52) during the third period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

    Apr 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov (52) during the third period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)

    The Bruins really didn’t make Hurricanes netminder Pyotr Kochetkov sweat like they needed to in this game. But Kochetkov made the saves he needed to make in this one, particularly in the third period when the Bruins had an early push in an attempt to knot things up at 2-2. During that spell, Kochetkov’s best save came on a developing 2-on-1 sequence that saw David Pastrnak thread a pass to Danton Heinen at the net front.

    Kochetkov, who has been one of the best goalies in the NHL over the second half of the season, finished with 22 saves in the victory.

  • First Star: Andrei Svechnikov

    Jan 2, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Carolina Hurricanes right wing Andrei Svechnikov (37) skates against the New York Rangers during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

    Jan 2, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Carolina Hurricanes right wing Andrei Svechnikov (37) skates against the New York Rangers during the third period at Madison Square Garden. (Danny Wild/USA TODAY Sports)

    Boston’s a long way from Michigan, but the Hurricanes’ Andrei Svechnikov decided to bring The Mitt to Boston, as he opened the scoring in this game with a ‘Michigan’ goal on Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman.

    This is now the third ‘Michigan’ goal of Svechnikov’s NHL career, and credit to him, as he caught the Boston defense and Swayman sleeping behind the goal.

    “Well, I mean, he did it so quick tonight,” Montgomery said. “[Svechnikov] beats a guy one-on-one and in the corner. We don’t get a piece of him. So now he has all day to make that play. So the goalie’s got to be aware, but that’s a tough play on the goalie and defenseman. All you can do is meet him at the post and you got to meet a stick.”

    Svechnikov also added an assist on the Teuvo Teravainen goal that doubled Carolina’s second-period lead, and added two hits and four shots in 15:06 of time on ice by the night’s end.

Ryan Beaton is a producer and content creator for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Ryan was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 2021, studying Broadcast Journalism. Ryan started his radio career in college as a play-by-play announcer/producer for WMUA 91.1 FM. He produces multiple weekend shows, including: 98.5 Over/Under, Hockey Show, and Sunday Kickoff. He is also a part of the Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots Radio Network. His favorite sports are Mixed Martial Arts, Football, and Basketball. Ryan enjoys playing golf but is NOT good at it. Ryan writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.

Get The 98.5 The Sports Hub Newsletter Delivered To Your Inbox

Stay up to date with the latest Boston sports news and analysis, local events, exclusive contests, and more.

*
By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.
Author
Category:
Tags:
,,,,

More Bruins

Load More