Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 2-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Bruins pounce early: Given the state of Boston’s lineup and the timing of Saturday’s matchup, it wouldn’t stand as much of a surprise if the Bruins were flat in the second leg of a back-to-back slate. And while the final stat sheet shed light on a contest tilted in favor of Arizona, a bombastic start by the B’s was all that Boston needed to build a lead that it would not relinquish — as the Bruins lit the lamp twice in the span of 2:45 to open the tilt. Without the highlight-reel heroics of the Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak line at their disposal, the Bruins built their lead thanks to considerable effort around the net and bodies in front, starting at 1:12 when Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson tapped home a rebound off of a wraparound attempt by Noel Acciari.
Just 1:33 later, a 200-foot rush orchestrated by Brad Marchand led to another tally, with Jake DeBrusk tallying his fifth goal in his last six games after tipping the loose puck by Arizona goalie Darcy Kuemper in the crease. During a game in which a depleted Bruins squad was largely on the ropes, all it needed was a couple of wild haymakers in the opening minutes to walk away from the bout with some points.
… and hold on late: Two minutes and 45 seconds of impassioned play by the Bruins was all that they needed to clinch two points Saturday night, but it’s becoming clear that this depleted B’s club is going to have to roll with the punches as it looks to stay afloat amid a myriad of injuries. Highlighted by a second period in which Boston was outshot, 11-3, the Bruins labored at times in Saturday’s contest — a byproduct of both a jumbled-up roster and fatigue setting in on the team’s second game in as many days. While Arizona finished with 57 attempts over 60 minutes of play, the Bruins put together a statement win on the road — with a makeshift PK stymieing four Phoenix power plays and players like Forsbacka Karlsson and Jeremy Lauzon doing their part. Given the circumstances, three points out of four in their last two outings is pretty impressive for the Black and Gold.
FOUR UP
Jaroslav Halak: Serving as the last line of defense in front of a banged-up blue line, Halak provided an impressive follow-up performance after Tuukka Rask’s heroics against Dallas on Friday. With Boston struggling to generate much of anything down the other end of the ice, the Coyotes outshot the B’s, 33-23, in the contest — with Halak posting 32 saves in the win. Facing off against an opportunistic Arizona penalty kill with an absurd 10 shorthanded goals this season — Halak came up big in the middle stanza, turning aside a 2-on-0 rush by Michael Grabner and Derek Stepan to keep the Coyotes off the board at the time. Saturday’s victory was another gritty effort by the Black and Gold, but much like Friday, a hefty amount of credit has to go to the man in net.
Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson: In his sixth career game up in the NHL, “JFK” finally found the back of the net — opening the scoring for the Black and Gold off of a quick wrist shot at 1:12. Centering a revamped third line with a heavier presence on the wing in Acciari, JFK continued to provide a steadying presence at the pivot — while Acciari was active all over the ice after sitting out a pair of games earlier this week.With the initial helper off the wraparound attempt, Acciari also tallied his first point of the season in his 17th game of the season.
No. 1 for JFK.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/XR04FdzdWd
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 18, 2018
Just tap it in. ⛳️ pic.twitter.com/D4uduKuLmo
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) November 18, 2018
Jeremy Lauzon with the final save of the night. What an ending. pic.twitter.com/SV2xX2xsul
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) November 18, 2018