BSJ Game Report: Ducks 5, Bruins 3 - Rask labors as B’s submit sloppy showing

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 5-3 loss to the Ducks, complete with BSJ insight and analysis:

Box Score

SHORT SHIFT

A fruitful seven-game homestand ended on a sour note for the Bruins — with Tuukka Rask submitting another stinker in what was a 5-3 loss to the Ducks on Monday night at TD Garden.

David Pastrnak, Taylor Hall and Erik Haula all scored for the Bruins, who fall to 24-13-2 on the season. Rask put together another disheartening showing in net, relinquishing five goals on just 27 shots. Through four games, Rask is 2-2-0 with an .844 save percentage. 

For the second straight game, the Bruins were slow out the gate — landing just five shots on goal against John Gibson over the first 20 minutes of action.

A boarding call against Oskar Steen (which was initially ruled as a major) gave Anaheim an opportunity to strike — with Ryan Getzlaf beating Rask through a screen to make it a 1-0 game at 9:59.

Anaheim built its lead early in the second, with Isac Lundestrom firing a shot in against Rask that leaked past him for a brutal shorthanded tally at 1:28 in the second. 

Pastrnak finally got Boston on the board at 7:47 off of a slick set-up from Tomas Nosek, but Anaheim punched back a little over three minutes later — with Getzlaf beating Rask once again to make it a 3-1 contest. 

Boston’s second go-around on the power play went much better than its first, with Hall making it a one-goal game once more with a netfront knock-in off of a crisp pass from Brad Marchand at 15:52 in the second. 

There would be no third-period rally this time around for the Bruins — with Troy Terry and Greg Pateryn adding to Anaheim’s lead with a pair of tallies at 6:12 and 10:58. Haula made it a two-goal game with a garbage-time strike with 3:32 left, but the B’s were unable to make another dent in Gibson for the remainder of the night. 

ONE UP

Tomas Nosek: Nosek may have been an under-the-radar signing this summer, but the veteran pivot has continued to impress as a steady contributor capable of flashing more skill than expected for a fourth-line grinder. Nosek jumpstarted the sequence that led to Pastrnak’s 5v5 tally — carrying the puck into the offensive zone before hitting his fellow countryman with a slick feed. 

TWO “MEH”

David Pastrnak: With his second-period tally — his 12th goal in his last 11 games — Pastrnak reached the 20-goal threshold for the sixth consecutive season. Even with such a slow start to the year, Pastrnak is still on track for 42 goals over an 82-game pace. Not too shabby. However, Pastrnak still warrants a spot in the rare “meh” tier. Because other than that tally — the B’s winger was knocked time and time again for some costly puck gaffes and crucial turnovers. Honestly, I might be giving him a bit of a pass by not putting him in that bottom tier.

Haula Line (at 5v5 play): Yes, Haula might have scored in garbage time when the game was already out of reach, but this top-six line really struggled to string together strong shifts throughout the night — with Haula effectively benched for a solid chunk of the game, leading to Nosek earning some reps at 2C. In total, during the 5:58 of 5v5 ice time that the Hall-Haula-Pastrnak line logged, the B’s were outshot, 5-1. 

THREE DOWN

Tuukka Rask: The early returns on Rask? Ehhhhh … not that great. Rask might be a notoriously slow starter throughout his career, but the veteran netminder has looked awfully rusty so far this season. Not hitting the panic button quittttte yet, but Boston really needs him to start gaining some traction in net. At this point, crucial points are up for grabs — and Boston can't let them slip away as Rask tries to work on his game.

Nick Foligno: Well, Foligno sure made himself noticeable in this game, at least. Of course, even with a scrap with Sam Carrick and a big brouhaha with Gibson, the main highlight from Foligno’s night will probably be the brutal turnover that led to Lundestrom’s shorthanded tally. To add injury to insult, Foligno exited the game later in the second period and did not return, with Boston labeling it as an upper-body injury.

Collective Defensive Effort/Slow Starts: Might be a bit of a cop-out to cast such a wide net here, but the Bruins were by and large sloppy all over the ice in this one — routinely coughing up pucks in the neutral zone, committing ugly line changes and, in general, just making it easy for the Ducks to get down the ice in numbers.

Don’t get it confused. Unlike Tuesday’s debacle against Carolina, where a porous defense shouldered pretty equal blame with Rask, Monday's end result falls primarily on the netminder.  

But be it more defensive lapses or yet another slow start (the Bruins have entered the third period without a lead in FIVE straight games now), the Bruins have other areas to tighten up beyond just the play of Rask in net. 

PLAY OF THE GAME

QUOTE OF NOTE

"He's not where he needs to be.” - Bruce Cassidy on Tuukka Rask.

PARTING THOUGHTS

It’s good to hear such a beautiful, civil debate up in 300 sections once again. 

LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins will now head out on the road for a three-game trek — starting with an anticipated showdown with the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.