Talking Points: Boston Bruins Fall in Penalty-Filled Contest

BOSTON – Here are the Talking Points for the Boston Bruins 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild at TD Garden on Thursday night.

GOLD STAR: it was a banner night for Millis, Mass. native and former Boston College star Matt Boldy, who scored his first career NHL goal and it ended up being the game-winner against the Boston Bruins. It was a nifty little give-and-go play where Boldy ended up finishing under the bar while showing the kind of skill he’s had throughout his career. Boldy finished with four shots on net and a plus-1 in 13:13 of ice time while clearly looking like he belonged for the Minnesota Wild after a call-up to the NHL while they’re down a few players. It remains to be seen what Boldy is going to be able to do at the NHL, but it sure looks like he’s another young player with a bright future with the Wild.

Matt Boldy gets his first pic.twitter.com/lc1S5sY6by

— CJ Fogler AKA Internet #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) January 7, 2022

BLACK EYE: It certainly might be Trent Frederic after he had to drop the gloves twice after a boarding hit on Kirill Kaprizov that knocked the Russian star out of Thursday night’s game. It was more unlucky than reckless as Frederic was going in for a hit along the side boards that turned dangerous once Kaprizov started stumbling toward the boards. The Wild game-breaker was knocked out of the game with an upper body injury and Frederic had to drop the gloves with Dmitry Kulikov in the ensuing melee. It didn’t go well for Kulikov at all. After that, Markus Foligno was spotted giving Frederic an earful in the penalty box and then Frederic and Foligno dropped the gloves at the start of the third period as well. It was Frederic’s second and third fighting majors of the season and his first fisticuffs since the opening month of the NHL season.

Trent Frederic clearly not a fan of bleached hair pic.twitter.com/3Y5RMIhEVn

— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) January 7, 2022

TURNING POINT: For the Bruins it was a sequence in the first period where both Brad Marchand (holding) and Brandon Carlo (interference) were whistled for penalties on a delayed initial call, just minutes after two Wild players have hit with penalties in the same fashion. The Wild scored a pair of power play goals with the two Bruins players in the box and that ultimately proved to be the difference in the game. The Bruins held the Wild power play scoreless outside that two-minute sequence in the first, but that was all the damage that needed to be done in order for the Boston Bruins to lose the hockey game.

HONORABLE MENTION: Patrice Bergeron was brilliant in a losing effort for the Boston Bruins. He had an “eyes in the back of his head” backhanded assist to Brad Marchand for a power play goal that edged the B’s to within a goal of the Wild. But he was also a beast in the face-off circle going 23-for-36 including three straight offensive zone draw wins in the closing seconds to get the B’s a number of chances to tie the game with the goalie pulled. Bergeron finished with seven shots on net, eight shot attempts, three hits and a takeaway in his 19:38 of ice time along with a couple of penalties taken while in the middle of a physical, gritty affair with the Wild.

BY THE NUMBERS: 5 – the number of penalties for Trent Frederic, who clearly wasn’t making friends with the officials on the ice. The two minute minor penalty for high-sticking as Frederic and Marcus Foligno engaged to drop the gloves at the start of the third period was an absolute head-scratcher to this humble hockey writer.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “I hope [Kaprizov] is okay. I didn’t mean to hurt him. I was just trying to make a hockey play.” –Trent Frederic on the hit against the side boards that knocked Russian star Kirill Kaprizov out of the game for Minnesota.