BSJ Game Report: Predators 4, Bruins 3 (OT) - Bruins rally back vs. Nashville, but come up short again in OT

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

Box Score

TWO THINGS TO KNOW

Bruins let yet another two points slip away: For the first 47 minutes of regulation on Saturday night, it looked as though Boston had put together the right formula to snap out of another extended losing skid. A reworked fourth line managed to cash in against the Predators in the second period, with Par Lindholm lighting the lamp at 7:30 in the middle stanza after a hard-nosed drive to the net. Close to 12 minutes later, Patrice Bergeron gave Boston the lead once again — firing a puck past Pekka Rinne from the bumper for a power-play tally with 48 seconds to go in the frame. 

Seven minutes into the third period, Boston was holding firm with its 2-1 lead, with Jaroslav Halak shaking off an iffy goal to Roman Josi in the second stanza. But as the seconds continued to tick off the scoreboard, things unraveled in short order for the B’s. At 7:35 in the third, Filip Forsberg generated the equalizer during a delayed penalty, tucking the puck past Halak to make it a 2-2 game. Just 35 seconds later, Nashville took the lead again — with Josi firing the biscuit into an empty net after Halak challenged the Predators defenseman by leaving the crease during a breakaway bid. 

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Yes, the Bruins did manage to at least scrap together another point on the night, with Bergeron’s second goal of the evening at 18:55 forcing overtime. But once again, Boston was not able to seal the deal, with Ryan Ellis beating Halak with 55 seconds to go in the extra period to close out a 4-3 win for the visitors. 

The Bruins, who have now lost eight of their last nine games, will now try to salvage this homestand on Monday against the Capitals. Yes, the team that has beaten the Bruins in 16 of its last 17 head-to-head matchups. 

Frustrations haven’t reached a boiling point, yet: Bruce Cassidy wasn’t putting forth any revelations when he noted postgame that “our guys are sick of losing,” but the B’s bench boss also added that this slump hasn’t reached a breaking point in which the skid has soured a veteran locker room. 

“I don’t see a negative in the room in terms of blaming each other or lack of effort in practice, lack of compete to come back, I don’t see that, but I just see that they’re getting frustrated with not being able to get into the winner’s circle,” Cassidy said. “Especially with these overtimes and two one-goal games in Washington and Tampa, better efforts that haven’t resulted in wins.”

Yes, you could make the case that Boston has played better recently than during those November stretches — where it managed to snatch away victories with late-game rallies. But for Bergeron, staying positive despite the negative results does not mean that the Bruins are taking their comfortable lead in the Atlantic (nine points) for granted.

“You can’t just enjoy when things are good and when things are bad, just jump ship,” Bergeron said. “That’s too easy. I’ve said that before — it’s a long season and hopefully these things make you stronger and that’s when you have to be behind each other, support each other and find ways (to win). I wouldn’t want to do that with a different group. I enjoy coming to the rink every day and putting in the work. That’s the challenge we’re facing and the urgency we need to find and I wouldn’t change it. That’s where we’re at. It’s a long season and you’ve got to look at the positives, but also we got to look at that challenge in front of us.”

TWO UP

Par Lindholm: Seems like Lindholm took Cassidy’s comments about getting inside in the O-zone a bit literally, eh? Lindholm’s second goal of the season might not have been pretty, but it was the kind of effort that Boston’s bottom six needs to bring on a regular basis to get Boston back on track. 

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Patrice Bergeron: Bergeron helped Boston avoid another costly regulation loss on home ice, tallying a pair of goals on Saturday — including the equalizer in the final minute of play. During the 11:58 of 5v5 ice time that the Bergeron Line logged on Saturday, Boston held an 11-1 lead over Nashville in terms of scoring chances. 

THREE DOWN

Jaroslav Halak: I mean, you know why he's on here. After potentially earning himself another start on Monday thanks to his strong play of late, Halak might have fumbled his chance to earn some extra reps with his costly decision to challenge Josi on this breakaway attempt. Halak finished with 25 saves on 29 Nashville shots. 

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Second Line: Another lackluster showing from the new-look DeBrusk-Krejci-Heinen line, with Boston out-attempted, 8-5, in their 8:52 of 5v5 ice time. Postgame, Cassidy said that Krejci did not touch the ice in overtime because he simply “went with six other guys.” Curious. 

Power Play: Even if Bergeron managed to beat Rinne on the man advantage, Boston still left a lot to be desired during 5v4 play — generating just one high-danger scoring chance in what was a 1-for-4 night on the power play. 

PLAY OF THE GAME

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PARTING THOUGHT

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LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins will close out their four-game homestand with a matchup against the Washington Capitals on Monday night. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. The Caps still haven’t slowed down this season, leading NHL clubs with 57 points on the year thanks to a 26-6-5 record.