Boston Bruins

Bruins Grades: Pastrnak Puts Team In Early Hole; Third Line Hits Third Rail

Published

1 month ago

December 13, 2024

AP Photo/Jason Redmond

The Boston Bruins needed to get back on track after beginning their five-game road trip with a disastrous loss but never gave themselves a chance.

Not even a minute following the opening puck drop on Thursday night against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena did the Bruins find themselves in an early hole.

Oliver Bjorkstrand scored on the power play just 24 seconds into the first period after David Pastrnak took a double minor penalty for high-sticking on the very first shift of the night.

The deficit grew to two not too long after when yet another Boston penalty led to yet another Seattle goal.

Technically, the goal by Jaden Schwartz came at even strength as the penalty by Tyler Johnson had just expired before he made it a 2-0 lead for the Kraken. Nonetheless, the lack of discipline by the Bruins buried them before the game really even started.

“We put ourselves in a really bad spot,” Bruins captain Brad Marchand told reporters in Seattle. “Guys aren’t trying to take those penalties, but when you get down 2-0 that quick in a game, it really is deflating.”

Marchand scored a penalty-shot goal, but it was the one and only shot the Bruins put past Philipp Grubauer as they fell 5-1 for their second loss in a row.

Bruins: C

The Bruins were actually the better team for the majority of the night.

Once they gave themselves a chance to play at even strength following those woeful opening few minutes, the Bruins quickly got to their game and controlled the rest of the first period with a 14-2 shots-on-goal advantage.

“After the first six minutes of the game where we were shorthanded, I thought our five-on-five game started to come around,” interim head coach Joe Sacco said to reporters in Seattle. “We generated, we had some opportunities, and we had some looks; it just didn’t go into the back of the net for us tonight.”

Despite dominating possession and having the majority of scoring chances, Boston couldn’t capitalize against a Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer, who entered play with a .870 save percentage.

Joonas Korpisalo: C –

As for Boston’s goalie, Joonas Korpisalo has been one of the most reliable players on the team this season. Typically when the Bruins have suffered a bad loss this year, they’ve been able to turn to Korpisalo to help stop the bleeding.

That wasn’t the case against the Kraken, though. Korpisalo could barely stop any 20 shots that Seattle threw his way, as he made just 16 saves in the loss.

The Bruins didn’t do Korpisalo any favors by taking those two early penalties, but that is a situation where a goalie needs to make a save.

Bjorkstrand’s opening goal is forgivable since it came off a deflection on the very first shot that Korpisalo faced in the game. Schwartz’s goal was not.

Boston had just come up with a huge successful penalty kill. Even after Charlie McAvoy failed to clear the puck from the zone, Korpisalo seemed to have all of the net covered as Schwartz lifted an innocent-looking backhand shot from a sharp angle in close.

However, Schwartz managed to find the small amount of space that was open between the crossbar and Korpisalo’s shoulder for a back-breaking second goal.

“That was a great move by him, but I overplayed it a little bit,” Kopisalo told reporters in Seattle. “I opened up a little hole next to my ear, and he was good enough to put it in. At the end of the day, I can’t let him score right there. It happens.”

hey @espn can we submit this for Top 10 consideration bc 🤯 pic.twitter.com/E19i5X1rML

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) December 13, 2024

Korpisalo settled in after that and kept the game close until it all came undone in the third period when Seattle piled on with three more goals, resulting in his first regulation loss since in eight starts.

Brad Marchand: B –

The Bruins captain was about the only player who had a net positive impact for the Bruins, not to mention the only one who registered a point.

Down by two in the second period, Marchand scored effortlessly on a penalty shot to give the Bruins a bit of momentum.

A 6️⃣3️⃣ solo mission 🚨 pic.twitter.com/sGHcFlSqQk

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 13, 2024

“For me, I like to have a move in my head and kind of stick to it regardless of if it’s open or not,” said Marchand. “I don’t know what other guys do, but that’s just where I feel most comfortable. It’s nice it went in.”

It was Marchand’s seventh penalty shot goal of his career in 10 attempts, putting him past Mario Lemieux and tying him with Pavel Bure on the all-time list.

In 18:48 of time on ice against the Kraken, Marchand registered three shots on goal and had a rating of plus-one.

David Pastrnak: D

It was David Pastrnak’s double minor penalty that quickly led to the Bruins falling behind 1-o. Taking penalties at the start of periods has become a bad habit for Pastrnak, as this was the fourth time this year he’s done it.

Even when Pastrnak had the chance to make up for the early penalty later on, he failed to do so, as he twice he had prime opportunities to score.

Pastrnak found himself standing all alone in the low slot in front of Grubauer in the second period but couldn’t bury the chance as the Seattle goalie barely got enough of his blocker on the shot to turn it aside. Pastrnak had another chance moments later on a breakaway but couldn’t even get a shot off after Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour lifted his stick on the back check.

After being held off the board against Seattle, Pastrnak now has just two goals in his last 13 games.

Third Line: F

Perhaps the Bruins should play with just three lines next game because they would’ve been better off doing so on Thursday.

Pretty much anytime the line of Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic, and Tyler Johnson was on the ice, it resulted in a goal against as they finished a combined minus-nine.

Coyle has been one of the most disappointing players on the Bruins since the outset of the season, and that continued when he failed to register a shot on net in the loss. Frederic himself only had one.

As for Johnson, Thursday was his first time back in the lineup in five games, and he didn’t make a strong case to stay in, either, after getting called for a tripping penalty at 3:10 of the first period, which led to Schwartz’s goal.