Ryan: In a season-long trend, Bruins’ lack of response looms large after Tuukka Rask’s injury

I know, I know — it’s 2020. The game of hockey has changed.

The days of Bob Probert, Donald Brashear and Marty McSorley routinely exchanging haymakers are now part of a bygone era in the NHL. 

Clips of Terry O’Reilly scrapping in the stands at Madison Square Garden are viewed more as a novelty these days — rather than a testament to the scrappy time period in which the “Big Bad Bruins” reigned. 

Even in today’s game, enforcers and goons such as John Scott have become a relic of yesteryear — with teams opting to replace size and snarl with speed and skill in their bottom-six and D corps.

So no, this isn’t going to be the “BRUINS NEED AN ENFORCER” column that some might be expecting following Boston’s disheartening 3-0 loss to the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. 

Boston might be in need of a jolt of energy to its lineup, but this club can’t afford to roll out a one-trick-pony for 7-8 minutes a night — just to have when necessary to beat the bag out of an opponent.

It’s much simpler than that when it comes to this Bruins club — one that, despite its strong play, has routinely been pushed around all over the ice. 

What they need is toughness, something that they showed very little of on Tuesday in Columbus. 



When asked postgame of the damage done to B’s netminder Tuukka Rask, Bruce Cassidy was blunt. 

How else could you sum up what transpired in just the second minute of play, as Columbus rookie Emil Bemstrom raised his arm and caught Rask in the side of the head while skating through the B’s crease?

No penalty was whistled against Bemstrom, while Rask exited the game for good after just 1:12 of ice time had ticked off the clock.

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1217238191910064128

“He's concussed, he got an elbow in the head,” Cassidy said of Rask. “He'll probably go into protocol, at least that's what I was told…. It’s an elbow in the head — it’s a penalty. It’s what it is. But they missed it, so you move on. It’s just unfortunate that it happens to your No. 1 (goalie). It was pretty clear to me.”

And yet, despite seeing their top netminder dropped in his own net, the Bruins let Bemstrom skate without issue for the close to five minutes he logged during the opening period.

Cassidy noted that the primary reason many on Boston’s bench didn’t scrap with the Blue Jackets forward was due to not recognizing that Bemstrom caught Rask with his arm during the sequence.

“I was asking the ref what happened and he said that it was an accident — all just stick to the face,” Brandon Carlo said of the play. 

Not seeing Bemstrom’s actions in real-time is a valid reason. But why did the Bruins not pummel the Blue Jackets following the first intermission, during which they were able to see the state of their goalie and replays of the hit?

"I don’t know if anyone saw it,” Cassidy said. “Brandon is kind of, bumping with him on his pants, but certainly it didn’t affect his elbow. Should have our guys had a better response?  I think there could have been, but I don’t know if they saw it in real-time. It was pointed out after the first period, that our goaltender got bumped.

“But listen, it's a little late then, you can't take the law into your own hands. You can certainly address it with the player on the ice if you felt it was inappropriate and I think some of our guys did that, but you've got to get back to playing."

Boston didn’t have to turn the clock back to the ’70s to send a message about their displeasure with Bemstrom. Nobody wanted a player like Brett Ritchie to dummy Columbus goalie Elvis Merzļikins in a retaliatory strike. 

But even as the game progressed, Bemstrom didn’t have to spend much time looking over his shoulder. The one time things got testy, Joakim Nordstrom was involved in a minor scrap with the rookie after the whistle — with Nordstrom eventually sent to the sin bin on an unsportsmanlike penalty call. 

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1217257975737438208

Nordstrom might be willing to eat up pucks on a regular basis (3.26 blocks per 60 minutes), but should he be the first man up willing to absorb some punches while standing up for his teammates? 

Hell, had Boston finished its checks against the Blue Jackets’ skill players — a tactic they mentioned as a successful deterrent earlier this year when liberties were taken against David Pastrnak — that response would be more acceptable than the no-show they put forward on Tuesday. 

For all of their up-and-down struggles as of late, this Bruins team is still ridiculously talented and anchored by a respected veteran core. Baring any mid or late-season collapses, this roster should once again be playing meaningful hockey in May — and possibly later.

But something needs to change before the Bruins put themselves through another postseason gauntlet, especially with heavy clubs like the Capitals and Blues potentially on the horizon.

Again, Boston doesn’t need to punch its way out of everything. But what Boston does need is players willing to respond when necessary, especially when liberties like this are taken.  There's a difference between the snarl an enforcer brings and the expected toughness all NHL teams should possess, especially when things get heated.

Before scouring the trade market to fulfill that toughness quota, Boston could keep things simple. Calling up the likes of Anton Blidh or Trent Frederic might suffice for now — or any other body down in Providence willing to ratchet up the intensity when things go south. Someone, anyone. 

Whatever the move may be, the Bruins can’t afford to keep letting teams walk away unscathed when they opt to poke the bear.