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Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins

Bruins lose third straight game in putrid Blue Jackets blowout

By Matt Dolloff
Nov 27, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Yegor Chinakhov (59) skates in on a breakaway as Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) trails the play during the second period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Bruins’ recent cold streak has gone from bad to worse.

After losing consecutive games in regulation for the first time all season last week, the Bruins have now lost three in a row for the first time after dropping an ugly 5-2 decision to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday at Nationwide Arena. The Jackets out-shot the B’s 41-33 on the night, while Bruins goaltenders Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark combined for a subpar .900 save percentage.

Ill-timed turnovers, sloppy puck management, and shaky defense – both on rushes and in coverage in their own end – plagued the Bruins throughout the night, and the Blue Jackets took full advantage. The Bruins are still 14-4-3 on the season, but their Eastern Conference gap has shrunk. They’re now tied with the New York Rangers for the most points in the conference.

Bruins-Blue Jackets Highlights

Most of the first period went without a score, but the Jackets drew first blood late. Rookie forward Dmitri Voronkov made a great individual effort to break free from Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort, then squeak a shot through Swayman’s pad at the short-side post, putting the Blue Jackets up 1-0.

The biggest play for the Bruins in the first period came in goal, when Swayman stopped Johnny Gaudreau on a breakaway. Columbus out-shot Boston 13-11 in the period, in addition to the one-goal advantage.

  • The Blue Jackets only continued to pick up steam in the second period. Defenseman Ivan Provorov put the Blue Jackets up by two when he walked the puck down the half boards and fired a wrist shot through Swayman, who appeared to be screened by Voronkov, who was left alone at the net-front.

  • Less than a minute later, Swayman headed to the Bruins’ dressing room, replaced by Linus Ullmark with 13:46 left in the second (h/t Jim McBride). But the goaltending change didn’t keep the puck out of the net for the Bruins. Forward Yegor Chinakhov made it 3-0 Columbus after capitalizing on a brutal turnover by defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, finishing his breakaway on Ullmark.

  • The Jackets out-shot the Bruins 19-9 in the second period, so it was no fluke that they extended their lead. The shot attempt battle was closer than that, an indication of more accurate shooting by the home team.

    Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery started to mix up his forward lines toward the end of the second period, and into the start of the third. It didn’t seem to help. Columbus made it 4-0 on the power play, after Kirill Marchenko buried a rebound. The Bruins’ net-front defense on the penalty kill left a lot to be desired.

  • The Bruins finally got on the board about midway through the third period. It was of course too little, too late, but rookie Matt Poitras led the rush into the zone and finished off a nice backhand feed from Charlie McAvoy to make it 4-1, his fifth goal of the season. Poitras is now on pace for 20 goals as a rookie.

  • The Bruins pulled Ullmark with more than seven minutes to go, and the Blue Jackets ended up potting an empty-netter to officially put the game away, as if it weren’t over already. Bruins rookie Johnny Beecher added a nice deflection goal late in the third, but the final score only made the game look closer than it really was.

    Up Next: The Bruins will look to get back on track when they return home for a Thursday night game at TD Garden. They’ll have a soft landing against the San Jose Sharks, who entered Monday at last place in the Western Conference.

    Get complete Boston Bruins coverage at 985TheSportsHub.com.

    Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Check out all of Matt’s content here.

NEXT: Are the Bruins officially ‘in’ on the NHL’s top free agent?

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