BSJ Game Report: Kings 4, Bruins 3 (OT) - B’s let 2 points slip through their fingers

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Kings in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis:

Box Score

TWO THINGS TO KNOW: 

B’s can’t deliver knockout punch in another frustrating loss:

Against the worst club in the Western Conference, the Bruins laid a goose egg in their return to TD Garden, relinquishing a one-goal lead with 2:01 remaining in what was an eventual 4-3 overtime loss to the Kings on Tuesday night. 

Despite holding a 40-27 edge in shots on goal and generating a 23-11 advantage in 5v5 scoring chances, Boston struggled to cash in on its multiple chances against Jonathan Quick, with that insurance goal in the third period eluding them despite the B’s efforts at tilting the ice in their favor. 

Sure enough, Boston’s inability to land a knockout punch came back to bite them, as



Matt Roy beat Tuukka Rask just seconds after Quick was pulled from L.A.’s net to force five minutes of 3v3 play. 

Overtime might as well have been a microcosm of Tuesday’s result, as both Patrice Bergeron and Anders Bjork had quality chances at ending the contest with breakaway bids against Quick, but failed to light the lamp. Just seconds after Bergeron’s attempt sailed high, the Kings countered — with Anze Kopitar firing one home at 3:23 in the extra stanza to cap off a frustrating night for the B’s. 

So much for all that positive progress following Saturday’s win over Florida. Yes, Boston had extended stretches where it dominated play, and it clawed back from multiple deficits to put itself just minutes away from two points. But this team can't be dropping games like this on home ice, especially to the cellar dwellers out west. 

Special teams are still a work in progress: If there was one facet of Tuesday’s game that the Bruins were poised to dominate in, it was going to be special teams. Yes, Boston’s PK and man advantage have both left a lot to be desired as of late, but the Kings’ have been a special case of awful — entering Tuesday’s game with both the 30th ranked power play (12.4% success rate) and penalty kill (74.1%). 

But such a mismatch went out the door in a hurry, as the Kings opened the scoring just 2:17 into the contest off a power-play tally from Blake Lizotte. Boston countered with 59 seconds remaining in the opening stanza off a goal from Danton Heinen, but the B’s power play once again stalled in disastrous fashion in the second period — with Adrian Kempe tallying a shorthanded goal just 2:45 into the middle frame.

Had this been just a month or so earlier, one would think that the Bruins would have cruised to a two-point victory had its power play been up to speed. 

TWO UP:

Danton Heinen: Boston’s latest combination of a third line — Sean Kuraly sandwiched between Danton Heinen and Anders Bjork — had a so-so outing on Saturday against the Panthers, generating four 5v5 scoring chances, but getting out-attempted, 14-5, in its 8:09 of 5v5 TOI. But Tuesday was a step in the right direction for that trio, with Boston holding an 8-2 edge in shot attempts when their line was deployed over 5:55 of 5v5 ice time. Heinen himself finished with a goal and an assist in the loss. 

Brandon Carlo: His goal in the third period might have been a bit of a fluke, but Carlo has now surpassed his scoring totals from last season (2-8-10) in just 35 games played. Carlo also skated at times with Zdeno Chara during Tuesday’s matchup, freeing up Charlie McAvoy in the O-zone during shifts with Torey Krug. As a result, McAvoy landed a team-high six shots on goal in his 26:17 of ice time. 

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1207120572351700992

THREE DOWN:

David Pastrnak: Yes, he might have finished the night with a helper, but the winger is going to get knocked for this brutal sequence on Boston’s second power play of the night — in which Kempe was easily able to slip past him in the neutral zone and skate in unopposed against Rask. Sheesh. 

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1207107125308280833

Power Play: After getting back on track against the Panthers on Saturday, Boston’s power play put together a decidedly “meh” showing against a woeful Kings’ PK crew. Yes, Heinen’s tally was on the man advantage, but given the expectations of this power play and the competition they were up against, a 1-for-3 showing with just two scoring chances generated over 4:47 of ice time isn’t going to cut it. 

Tuukka Rask: At the end of the day, the Kings left TD Garden with two points because they were able to capitalize on timely scoring chances — even if they were laboring for most of the night when it came to puck possession. Yes, Boston was unable to build itself some breathing room in the third, but Rask needed to bail his club out on a night in which the B’s clearly didn’t have their A-game. Such wasn’t the case tonight. 

PLAY OF THE GAME:

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1207111611263131648

PARTING THOUGHT:

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1207112484232007680

LOOKING AHEAD: The Bruins will continue their four-game homestand on Thursday night, as they will play host to an Islanders club that currently sits just three points behind the Bruins in the Eastern Conference. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.