BSJ Game Report: Bruins 5, Wild 3 -- Depth's crucial but where's Pasta?

Everything you need to know from the Bruins' win over the Wild on Monday night at TD Garden.

HEADLINES

Digging deep: Despite a depleted lineup, the Bruins relied on their depth and dismissed the Wild. Boston hasn’t played with this much energy since its opening night victory against the Nashville Predators. On Monday, Jake DeBrusk, Frank Vatrano, Sean Kuraly and Torey Krug provided the offense. Tim Schaller added an empty-net goal. Every goal was the result of simply putting the puck on net.

“They weren’t tic-tac-toe goals, but we won pucks, used our speed and the nicer ones tend to happen from there,” said Bruce Cassidy.

Something's missing: Maybe it's the fact that David Krejci is on injured reserve and has missed the last seven games due to back issues. Either way, David Pastrnak hasn't been at his best and maybe that's the reason Cassidy challenge the forward to become more of a leader on the ice at a time of need. When Cassidy was asked after Monday's game how a coach can get the best out of a player like Pastrnak without disrupting his creativity. Here's what Cassidy said:

"It’s a tough job right there. It’s a good question. Sometimes you’re going to give him some rope. Hopefully he doesn’t hang himself with it. Other times you are going to pull back. That’s just a feel – sometimes it matters how the rest of the group is going. Who else is in the lineup? Are you putting a better player out there in that position? Sometimes you just send a hard message, doesn’t matter whose there. 'Hey, enough is enough.' There’s different ways to do it in game. Tomorrow, there’s conversations. 'Hey, do you want to be a leader? You’re getting into that phase of your career. Is that how leaders play?' Kind of see what he thinks of the whole situation. He might have a different answer, so those are the challenges that coaches face trying to grow his game without shutting him right off. So that’s what we’ll do tomorrow."

Masked man: When a team is missing the likes of Brad Marchand, David Krejci, David Backes, Adam McQuaid and Noel Acciari, on most nights the goaltender has to be the best player on the ice. That was the case for the Bruins on Monday as Tuukka Rask made key saves at important times to secure the win. The biggest save he made came on a penalty shot at 6:55 of the third period. Krug dragged down the Wild's Mikael Granlund at center ice while Bruins were on the power play. Granlund sprang loose with the puck, so Krug had no choice but to haul him down. Fortunately for the Bruins, Rask made the save to secure Boston's two-goal lead. The Wild’s Eric Stall scored on a breakaway at 15:56 of the third, so Rask’s save on the penalty shot proved crucial.

“It was a big save,” Cassidy said. “At the time it seemed like a game-changer until we gave them another breakaway. We’re going to need him to make his saves at the appropriate times, and tonight we got run support for him – finally. I imagine it’s tough on a goalie if every shot you think ‘If I let this one you lose the game.’ It’s stressful. I’m sure he’d tell you he’s paid to stop the puck no matter what the score is, but it’s nice to give him some breathing room and he made a big save for us (on the penalty shot). We’re going to need it. We’re no different than anybody else. We need goaltending to win, and some nights it has to be better than other nights, but we need goaltending.”



Follow the leader: Zdeno Chara's leadership has never been more important than it is this season. He understands the situation and he's doing his part to lead by example. He was a beast again Monday night, posting a plus-3 rating and logging 25:48 of ice time.

INJURY UPDATE

After the game, Cassidy announced that Marchand (upper-body injury) will not be traveling with the team to New York to face the Rangers on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. Marchand was on the receiving end of a big hit by the Capitals’ Tom Wilson early in the first period of Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Washington. Marchand was clearly shaken up on the play and cautiously made his way to the bench. He never went to the room and didn’t miss a shift. He appeared to be a step behind for the rest of the night. Later in the first period, Marchand also collided with the Capitals’ John Carlson.

TURNING POINT

Near perfection: Other than the first 20 seconds, the Bruins dominated the second period and took total control of the game. Boston was relentless on the forecheck. The Bruins' breakouts were nearly perfect. It also helped that Boston outshot the Wild 15-4 in the second.

“It was our best period all year,” admitted Cassidy.

CHIRPIN’ POINT

Stepping up: It seems like this category has become Matt Beleskey’s corner. He's played with urgency and energy the last two games. Maybe he finally got sick and tired of being a healthy scratch and wants to prove his worth. After the Bruins jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the first, the Wild attempted to gain a spark when Luke Kunin dropped the gloves with Beleskey, who gladly accepted and won the fight. He even imitated a little P.J. Stock when Beleskey began to wave his arms to the fans.

"It was something that they wanted to get their team going, and if you respond well in those situations it picks up our bench as well," Cassidy said. "I thought Matt did a good job tonight all around the ice. He was really solid defensively. He's getting pucks behind their D, and he's another guy that's (been a healthy scratch) so he wants to prove that he belongs in there every night. . . good job by Matt and that's something he can do for us. He has that ability that when the abrasive play starts, he can answer the bell."

NOT ON THE SCORE SHEET

Saving the day: With the Bruins holding a 2-1 lead late in the first period, the Wild were pressing and sustained a solid forecheck. Minnesota created a pair of quality scoring chances, but Rask made two of the biggest saves of the game. First, he stopped a screened blast from the Wild’s Kyle Quincey with right-pad save at 15:33. With the rebound free for the taking, Minnesota’s Mike Reilly quickly pounced on it but Rask made another terrific, split-second save at 15:38 to secure the one-goal lead.

UP NEXT

The Bruins head out on the road and will face the New York Rangers at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. Boston then plays a home-and-home series against the Maple Leafs, beginning on Friday night at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, before the teams face off on Saturday (7 p.m.) at TD Garden.