The Bruins played host to their first game at TD Garden since June on Monday night, as the B’s bested the Flyers, 4-3 in overtime, to improve to 2-0-2 so far this preseason. Trailing by a single goal in the closing minutes of the third period, Boston secured the equalizer off a goal from Chris Wagner at 18:14 — forcing Boston into its third overtime in four preseason bouts. Jake DeBrusk won it at 2:35 in the extra period, jamming one home down low after an initial shot from Brad Marchand.
Here are three takeaways from Monday’s victory.
David Krejci exits with injury
When it comes to the preseason, the top priority for just about every club is entering the slog that is the regular season with its full roster intact. The Bruins already don’t have that luxury on their blue line — as both John Moore (shoulder surgery) and Kevan Miller (knee surgery) are both expected to be on the shelf for an unspecified amount of time. Given the makeup of their D corps, however, the Bruins should be able to carry on without the two veteran options for some time. But they may not have an answer if David Krejci is forced to sit out due to injury.
The veteran forward, playing in his first preseason game of the fall, only lasted two shifts and 1:55 of ice time before exiting the contest with a lower-body injury in the opening stanza.
Krejci appeared to get tangled up during a scrum in the slot, with his knee/angle twisting around a bit as he fell to the ice. He got up under his own power, albeit gingerly, before heading back on Boston’s bench.
Bruce Cassidy
Both
Charlie Coyle
and
Trent Frederic
slotted up in Krejci’s place for the remainder of the night, but it would obviously stand as a brutal hit for Boston if Krejci is forced to miss any amount of time once the season begins in earnest on October 3.
Already without a set RW in the top six, the Bruins are in desperate need of stability on their second line — something that Krejci provided last year by tallying 73 points (tying a career-high) over 81 games.
If Krejci is sidelined for a bit, Boston does have a few options down the middle, both in terms of NHL talent and youngsters looking to crack the roster out of camp.
Coyle, who has arguably been Boston’s most impressive forward this preseason and looked like a natural on a possession-dominant line with
Brad Marchand
and
David Pastrnak
, would obviously slot up to the second line — where he would likely earn reps next to
Jake DeBrusk
and one of
Karson Kuhlman, Brett Ritchie
, etc.
Then things would get dicey. On the current roster,
Sean Kuraly
could get a promotion to 3C while versatile Swede
Par Lindholm
would then get the keys to the fourth line — but Boston also has the option to see if
Jack Studnicka
and
Trent Frederic
might be ready for a look.
At the very least, the Bruins do have some contingency plans if a worst-case scenario was to hit this club. But that doesn’t mean this isn’t a colossal loss for Boston is Krejci is indeed out of commission for a bit.
Lauko dazzles
While the Bruins’ big guns up front in
Brad Marchand
and
David Pastrnak
teamed up for a goal at 1:03 in the second period, one of the youngest players on the ice also put on a show in the O-zone.
While it’s been a relatively quiet preseason for
Jakub Lauko,
the 19-year-old winger wowed the crowd at TD Garden at 9:32 in the first — beating a pair of Flyers skaters before sniping a puck past
Brian Elliott
for his first tally of the fall.
Lauko showcased a bit of everything that has made him one of Boston’s most promising prospects during that sequence — those first three strides and elusiveness to slip past the first Flyers skater, the nifty-self pass and of course, the quick release from a tough angle.
What might be more impressive was the sequence prior to his moves in the O-zone, as the forward managed to prevent a rush down the other end of the ice thanks to a strong
backchecking effort — cutting off
Kevin Hayes
from a clean look down the ice.
Lauko’s game wasn’t without its missteps - as to be expected for a young forward. He was a bit too fancy with the puck at times in the O-zone, with an errant pass leading to goal for Philly’s
Carsen Twarynski
at 4:42 in the third. In total, he still finished with just 9:06 of ice time, the second-lowest of all B's skaters, trailing only the injured Krejci. But still, considering he’s still a year or so away from a legitimate push for the NHL, it was a promising night for the young Czech skater.
So-so night on the blue line:
Urho Vaakanainen
Jakub Zboril
The Bruins will return to TD Garden on Wednesday night for preseason game No. 5 — as Boston will play host to
Jack Hughes
and the New Jersey Devils
.
Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m.
