Talking Points: Boston Bruins Stumble In OT Flyers Loss

Here are the Talking Points from the Boston Bruins 3-2 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden on Monday night.

GOLD STAR: It seems like every time the Boston Bruins and Flyers play each other, Philly defenseman Travis Sanheim has a big game. That was the case again on Monday night as the Flyers blueliner made the winning play in OT blocking a Patrice Bergeron point shot and then taking the puck the other way for the game-winning goal. It was a massive two points for the Flyers chasing the Bruins in the standings and a series of games that Philly really needs results from if they are going to catch up to the Black and Gold. Sanheim certainly did his part with the game-winning goal as well as five shot attempts, two points, a takeaway and four blocked shots in 22:43 of ice time. He always seems ready to play when he’s at TD Garden and that was no exception again on Monday night.

Patrice Bergeron falls down and Sanheim buries the OT winner, what just happened pic.twitter.com/WmGH5K3TT7

— Brandon Murphy (@2Murphy8) April 6, 2021

BLACK EYE: Zach Senyshyn played 7:38 of ice time and was used pretty sparingly after the first period while Bruce Cassidy rotated in just about everybody else in the lineup. That doesn’t bode well for Senyshyn’s long term future with the team as they called him up to get a look at him in a possible bottom-6 role after he did some pretty good things at the start of the season in Providence. Instead, he finished with zeroes pretty much across the board in less than eight minutes of ice time in a game that went to overtime for the Bruins. It’s bad because Senyshyn played well in his first game after being called up to Boston, got injured and hasn’t been nearly as good for the Black and Gold since coming back from the injury. Senyshyn is running out of chances with the Boston Bruins.

TURNING POINT: Clearly the game turned on the play in overtime, but it was the Flyers netting a power play goal in the third period that allowed them to eventually bank the two points. Sean Couturier moved in with time and space and was able to snap a shot from the face-off circle that Dan Vladar was never even able to raise his glove in an attempt to stop it. The PP goal for Couturier in a game where offense was truly hard to come by for both teams working in hard-checking fashion and that’s the way things stayed until the 3-on-3 overtime broke it open.

HONORABLE MENTION: Listen, they aren’t all going to perfect for Patrice Bergeron. The overtime play wasn’t his best vintage after getting his shot blocked and then falling down while trying to back-pedal on defense. It allowed Travis Sanheim to move in uncovered for the overtime game-winner for the Flyers. But it’s too bad that play had to happen because Bergeron was predictably brilliant right up until that point. Bergeron finished with 11 shot attempts, a takeaway and won 23-of-31 draws in 18:38 of dominant ice time. The PP goal at the start of the second period was a beauty where he redirected a David Pastrnak pass after winning the offensive zone faceoff to begin with at the start of the play. But he’s also left with the minus-1 blemish after the sequence of unfortunate events in overtime. Nobody is perfect, right?

BY THE NUMBERS: 899 – With his power play goal at the start of the second period, Patrice Bergeron moved into fourth place all-time for the Boston Bruins in the points department. Only Phil Esposito, Johnny Bucyk and Ray Bourque stand ahead of him as he moves to within 100 points of hitting the exclusive 1,000-point club.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “I’m just living my dream out there. I’m trying to do my best to stop everything.” –Rookie goaltender Dan Vladar, who once again played very well while making 29 saves in the overtime loss and was good enough to give the Bruins a chance to win while playing as Jaroslav Halak is out on the NHL’s COVID Protocol list.