LAS VEGAS — Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 3-2 shootout win over the Golden Knights in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis…
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Bruins continue to gut out wins: Boston certainly looked like a team playing its fourth straight foe on the road Wednesday, as the B’s legs seemed to give out at times against a heavy Vegas club. By the end of the night, Vegas held the edge in shots on goal (33-27) and overall attempts (76-53), but Boston once again did just enough to gut out two points.
On a night in which the Bruins relinquished the lead twice — one of which was a tally by Nate Schmidt just 27 seconds after Brad Marchand gave Boston a 2-1 advantage — Jaroslav Halak kept his club in it, holding off the Golden Knights all the way until the shootout, where David Backes provided the heroics with the game-winner in the sixth round. As has been the case throughout this stretch, it seems as though every player on Boston’s roster is starting to pull his weight when needed.The results have shown, with Boston now securing at least a point in 12 straight games — while extending its win streak to seven in a row.
B’s make Coyle deal official: The top news to come away from tonight’s game didn’t involve much on the ice, as the B’s officially announced the Charlie Coyle trade right around 10:45 p.m. — with the official cost being Ryan Donato and a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. If Boston advances to the second round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, it will keep its fifth rounder and instead include the Rangers’ 2019 fourth-round pick, which the Bruins acquired in the Adam McQuaid deal back in September.
“The Bruins are excited to add Charlie Coyle to our immediate lineup,” Don Sweeney said in a team release. “Charlie brings unique qualities to our team – he is an experienced, productive, two-position player with size, skill and speed. Charlie will provide the necessary depth in all areas of our game as we continue to battle for a playoff position.
“Charlie is a player our entire organization believes can help us now and moving forward. The Bruins also want to thank Ryan Donato for his contributions to our organization, and we wish him much success in his NHL career. He is a special young man with a bright future in the league.”
As I noted in my analysis piece on the Coyle trade, I think it’s a good move for the Bruins, as Coyle should shore up the vacant spot at third-line center that has plagued the Bruins all season long, while also giving Boston a chance to keep guys like Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and Trent Frederic down in Providence to work on their game, rather than have them waste away up on this team by logging eight to nine minutes a night.
We’ll have plenty more to break down with this trade later...
THREE UP
Jake DeBrusk: DeBrusk’s warpath continued on Wednesday, with the second-year winger lighting the lamp for the fifth time in as many games. It was a strong play all around by Boston’s second line — as Karson Kuhlman kept the play alive by absorbing a hit, David Krejci sent the puck into the slot off a feed along the boards, while DeBrusk spun around a snapped one past Marc-Andre Fleury for his 19th goal of the season.
Jaroslav Halak: It’s looking more and more like Halak is turning a corner after a brutal stretch from December through January. The B’s backup was fantastic on Wednesday, stopping 31 shots and turning aside five of the six attempts that came his way in the shootout. Halak has only relinquished three total goals in his last three appearances.
Patrice Bergeron: He didn’t log a point in the win, but No. 37 was still vital in the win, logging 20:14 of ice time while keeping Vegas off the board in overtime, especially after the Golden Knights gained another skater in the extra period after Boston was whistled for too many men on the ice. Bergeron shut down numerous chances throughout overtime, tipping shots and sealing off seams with his stick. Another usual outing from the guy nicknamed “Selke” in the B’s locker room:
TWO DOWN
Bottom Six: Backes might have provided the heroics on Wednesday, but Boston’s third and fourth lines had a rough go of it for most of the night. During 20:48 of 5v5 TOI Wednesday, both the Frederic & Acciari lines were out for 11 attempts in favor of Boston, and 27 in favor of Vegas.
Power play: Vegas has a stout PK unit with a success rate of 83.4 percent (4th in NHL), but Boston’s power play made things pretty easy for Vegas most of the night, going 0-for-3 on the man advantage.
PLAY OF THE GAME
Jake DeBrusk makes something out of nothing here:
It's your regularly scheduled Celly SZN tweet.
Jake DeBrusk buries a goal for the fifth game in a row. pic.twitter.com/SEgpJu7xb9
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) February 21, 2019
Chris Wagner on the message the Coyle trade sends:
"I think we're proven we can play with anyone right now. Getting Pasta back eventually will be huge. ... Everyone is talking about Tampa and Toronto, but that's fine with us. Keep talking about them, we'll slide under the radar
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) February 21, 2019