BSJ Game Report: Bruins 6, Wild 1 - Complete effort keys B’s to convincing win over Minnesota

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 6-1 win over the Wild in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis:

Box Score

HEADLINES

Special teams stand out: You think the Bruins enjoyed their time off? Just 24 hours after the Bruins relied on a stout PK (6-for-6) and quick-strike man advantage (2-for-4) to post a win up in Winnipeg, the script remained the same for Boston on Saturday night at the Xcel Energy Center. Boston’s power play once again did most of the heavy lifting against the Wild — as the B’s man-advantage lit the lamp three times during the second period to pace the club to a 6-1 victory in Minnesota. 

Torey Krug led the way with four points (two goals, two assists) and four other skaters posted multipoint nights for the Bruins, who improve to 31-10-12 on the season. Along with Boston’s 3-for-4 showing on the power play, the PK unit has now killed off all 10 penalties that have come its way since returning from the All-Star break. 

Boston’s opening tally came during 5v5 play, with Krug skating unopposed into the Wild’s slot and beating Devan Dubnyk off of a nifty backhander at 12:28 in the first period. 

Jaroslav Halak, making his first start since Jan. 21, was solid in net for Boston, stopping 25 of the 26 shots that came his way in the win. After Mats Zuccarello ruined Halak’s shutout bid at 14:31 in the third, both Anders Bjork and Jake DeBrusk closed out the scoring with a pair of goals during the 58th minute of regulation. 

Given the beating the Bruins both doled and received on Friday in Winnipeg, Saturday’s convincing win was awfully impressive, as Boston put together arguably its most complete win of the season. 

Internal competition continuing to benefit B’s: While the usual suspects such as Pastrnak, Krug, Brad Marchand (two points) and David Krejci (two points) all chipped in on Saturday, Boston’s depth has continued to rise to the top as of late. 

Par Lindholm, replacing Sean Kuraly in the lineup, orchestrated Boston’s opening goal with a strong drive to the net, while Jeremy Lauzon and Anton Blidh logged 3:33 and 1:34 on the penalty kill to go along with three total blocks and six combined shots on goal.  

Lauzon, in particular, has been huge since getting recalled ahead of the break. The defenseman has stabilized Boston’s third D pairing next to Matt Grzelcyk while providing some of the snarl on the blue line that the B’s have missed for various stretches in 2019-20. It remains to be seen how much these performances will impact Boston’s game plan as far as the trade deadline is concerned, but for right now, this internal competition is getting the best out of just about everyone on the roster. 

FOUR UP

Torey Krug: Krug came thiiiiiis close to being the first Bruins defenseman to tally a hat trick since Zdeno Chara accomplished the feat on Jan. 17, 2011. Still, Krug had his way throughout the night against the Wild, leading Boston with a four-point performance. 

https://twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/1223793749018529793

David Pastrnak: One of the primary architects of Boston’s latest power-play clinic, Pastrnak helped tear apart Minnesota in the second period, recording a pair of secondary assists before tallying his 38th goal of the season at 15:29 in the middle frame. That ties Pastrnak’s previous career-high for goals, set last season. He has 29 more games to set a new record for himself. I don’t know about you, but I think he does it.

https://twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/1223820551174721542

Penalty kill: Dominant stuff from Boston’s PK unit in this one, as the Wild were limited to just six shots on goal and one high-danger scoring chance in eight minutes of 5v4 play. As you can see from the heat map below, most of those shots came from low-danger areas all around Boston’s zone. 



Jeremy Lauzon: Lauzon’s stock continues to soar with this club. Along with logging 3:33 of shorthanded TOI (second on the team), Lauzon and Grzelcyk impressed during 5v5 play — with Boston holding a commanding 16-5 edge in 5v5 shot attempts during their 13:27 of ice time together. 

ONE DOWN

Bergeron Line (AT 5v5 PLAY): Please put the pitchforks away. While Marchand and Pastrnak dominated on the power play, the Bruins' top line had a rougher go of it during 5v5 play, with Minnesota holding a 5-1 edge in shots on goal and generating a pair of high-danger scoring chances when the Bergeron line was deployed over 9:48 of ice time. 

PLAY OF THE GAME

You’d think the Wild would have learned their lesson the last time Krug skated into the slot against them, but ….

https://twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/1223785345763901441

PARTING THOUGHTS

Brad Marchand at his best.

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1223796287012843520

LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins will now return home for their next matchup, with the B's welcoming in the young, but talented, Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.