Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Zdeno Chara goes down with knee injury: An already decimated Bruins blue line took another devastating hit in the closing minutes of the first period, as Zdeno Chara exited the contest with a lower-body injury and did not return.
Here’s a look at what might have caused Chara’s exit. As you can see, that knee doesn’t look too great.
Might be the play where Chara went down with an injury. Not a good look on that knee. pic.twitter.com/EuYblCreVX
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) November 15, 2018
He might be 41 years old, but there’s no doubting that Chara is still an established, top-pairing defenseman and a major contributor on the penalty kill. Boston’s PK clearly suffered following Chara’s exit, with the unit now without three of its regulars in Chara,
Brandon Carlo
and
Kevan Miller.
Whatever the injury is, it certainly doesn’t look good for the B’s captain. Thanks
MacKinnon Line edges Bergeron Line
At the end of 60 minutes, the MacKinnon line more than proved why it has entered into the conversation as one of the top trios in the NHL — with the group combining for six points in the win with a plus-1 rating.
Meanwhile, the Bergeron line finished with three points but was tagged for a goal against after MacKinnon’s wrister at 9:02 in the third gave Colorado the lead for good.
Brilliant. Fantastic. Gorgeous.
Take your pick, all are applicable here. pic.twitter.com/cfv5lZzvVD
— NHL (@NHL) November 15, 2018
The MacKinnon line was not without fault, as the first period saw the trio surrender a number of costly turnovers.
After a poor pass from
Gabriel Landeskog
out to the slot nearly resulted in a
David Pastrnak
goal that ultimately pinged off the post, the Avs’ triumvirate were finally penalized after a feed from MacKinnon out to the point skittered into no-man’s land — allowing
Jake DeBrusk
to scoop up the biscuit and beat
Semyon Varlamov
down the other end of the ice.
Still, as the contest moved along and the B’s started to slow down, the MacKinnon line imposed its will, with
Mikko Rantanen
in particular proving himself as one of the top young forwards in the league with strong play on the puck both in the Bruins' zone and through the neutral zone.
It’s a shame that Boston and Colorado only face off twice this season, because this was a primetime matchup between two very skilled clubs. When they’re both firing on all cylinders, the Bergeron and MacKinnon lines are a joy to watch.
TWO UP
Jake DeBrusk:
Don’t look now, but Jake DeBrusk is starting to heat up. The winger lit the lamp twice in the win, with the 22-year-old skater now with four goals in his last four games. He might have called it a lucky play, but DeBrusk closed out the first period with that breakaway tally, while later notching a power-play goal off a tip in front off a point-shot blast from Pastrnak.
As he continues to get into a groove offensively, DeBrusk is emerging more and more of a weapon on that first power-play unit, especially serving as the netfront skater. As a tenacious forward with a nose for the goal, DeBrusk might be the final piece needed up front on the man advantage for an already stout unit.
David Pastrnak:
Who else would open the scoring for the Black and Gold? Pastrnak tallied his 17th goal in 18 games on Wednesday night — marking just the 18th time in NHL history that a player has accomplished the feat. Pastrnak countered Landeskog’s opening tally at 16:43 in the first, tipping home a blast from
David Krejci
for his league-leading 17th tally. The power-play goal was also notable for standing as
David Backes’
first point of the season after a 12-game scoreless streak to open the year.
David x 3 = ?#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/DrwAYLErnh
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 15, 2018
THREE DOWN
Penalty Kill:
While the B’s PK did surrender three goals, this is more of a foreshadowing than anything, because Boston’s penalty kill is in pretty rough shape.
After losing Chara, the B’s don’t have many go-to options to anchor the penalty kill, with Miller still out for at least the next two games and Carlo’s status still up in the air. With Chara out,
Jeremy Lauzon
tied for the lead in shorthanded TOI among defenseman at 2:51 — in his sixth career game. That’s not great.
Krejci Line:
Aside from DeBrusk’s two goals, the Krejci line had a rough night — with the trio out for six shots against and just a single shot for in over 10 minutes of five-on-five TOI. While he saved an empty-net goal with a hustle down the ice in the closing minutes of the third, Krejci found himself out of position on Landeskog’s opening tally, with Colorado’s captain getting a clear shooting lane with Krejci away from the slot.
Jaroslav Halak:
The case could be made that it could have been an 8-3 game considering the pressure Colorado put on in the second and third periods, but Halak wasn’t at his best Wednesday, stopping just 19 of the 25 shots that came his way.
PLAY OF THE GAME:
The man knows how to score – and celly.@Jdebrusk | #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/TmL8b7qWAV
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 15, 2018
LOOKING AHEAD:
The Black and Gold will continue their trek out west on Friday, with the B’s set to take on the Stars. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. Both squads faced off back on Oct. 5 at TD Garden, with a
Brad Marchand
OT goal serving as the difference maker in the 2-1 win for the B’s.