BOSTON — What’s ailing the Boston Bruins?
It’s a mystery illness, one that Dr. Jim Montgomery cannot diagnose. The Bruins head coach sounded like a man without answers, after mixing up his lines once again in the third period. His newest elixir was not a miracle cure.
The B’s went without a shot on goal in the third, as old friend and Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark did not have to make a save for one hour and seven minutes of real time. Ullmark came up with a huge stop, anyway, in overtime, and his former teammate and hug partner, Jeremy Swayman, could not match him, as Sens captain Brady Tkachuk fired home the game-winner mere seconds later.
Montgomery doesn’t feel the players aren’t listening to his message. But he’s leaving it up to the media to conclude why there seems to be a disconnect.
“It’s up to you guys to figure it out, come up with a reason,” Montgomery said. “We just weren’t good enough. You guys can write what you guys think is the malaise on the team and what’s going on. We’re just not playing good enough.”
Montgomery also alluded to a lack of “intensity” in the third period, in which the Bruins couldn’t get a single puck on net and were out-attempted 21-5 at five-on-five. Captain Brad Marchand rarely, if ever, lacks for intensity, but he does see a mental hurdle for the Bruins to overcome.
“Sometimes, when you lack confidence, or you’re overthinking, your execution is slow,” Marchand said. “We need to get out of our heads and stop thinking. It comes down to will and compete at this point. We need to start understanding we need to be better. That’s part of it. Sometimes when you’re thinking about where you’re supposed to be, you’re a half-second late and that’s too slow in this league.”
Second Star: Jeremy Swayman
Nov 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Ottawa Senators center Ridly Greig (71) takes a shot against Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) during the second period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Sure, perhaps the Bruins would’ve liked a save on the final shot of the game, when Tkachuk beat Swayman blocker side and the goaltender had a clean look at the shot. But if not for Swayman’s 31 saves prior to Tkachuk’s winner, the B’s might not have gotten a point out of this game in the first place.
Swayman was utterly left out to dry on the aforementioned Norris goal, and defenseman Nikita Zadorov appeared to screen him on Michael Amadio’s tying goal in the second period. Then, as the B’s literally couldn’t get a puck on net in the third period, he earned them a point practically by himself with 12 saves over the final 20 minutes.
So, it’s easy to give No. 1 a pass for the final goal, and a nod as the Bruins’ most valuable player on Saturday night, as the guys in front of him worked through their mysterious malaise.
