BSJ Game Report: Wild 4, Bruins 2 - Shorthanded Bruins fall in chippy contest against Minnesota

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 4-2 loss to the Wild, with BSJ insight and analysis:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

Bruins can't land knockout punch in Minnesota: This game had all the makings of a scheduled loss before the puck was even dropped on Wednesday night at the Xcel Energy Center. 

Not only were the Bruins taking to the ice less than 24 hours after a hard-fought overtime win over the Blackhawks, but they were also significantly shorthanded up front, with Patrice Bergeron ruled out for at least the next two games (more on that in a bit). 

Add in the fact that the Wild entered the game with two days of rest, and this was the type of contest where low expectations should have been prescribed. 

All things considered, the Bruins managed to stick with the Wild for most of the night, entering the third period stuck in a 2-2 draw before eventually running out of gas down the stretch — with Jordan Greenway’s tally at 7:56 in the third putting the home team ahead for good.

More than anything, a chippy contest like this might reinforce that the B’s need to add a bit of snarl to this roster ahead of March 21, be it a bruising blueliner like Jacob Middleton or a bottom-six scrapper.

Bergeron ruled out for at least next two games

The Bruins were dealt a major hit shortly before puck drop, as Bruce Cassidy announced that Bergeron would miss at least the next two games due to an arm injury — with Boston trying to limit the risk of infection by sitting him out for the time being.

Bergeron will fly back to Boston, with the Bruins' doctors set to determine if the veteran forward will be cleared for Monday’s road matchup against the Canadiens.

"Something happened in practice…nothing to do with his head (laceration that he suffered on Feb. 8). It's somewhere on his arm area," Cassidy said "We're just trying to be cautious about it at the end of the day. We don't want anything to come of it."

Bergeron looked no worse for wear on Tuesday night in Chicago, logging over 20 minutes of ice time and scoring his 17th goal of the season. Even though this current ailment perhaps hasn’t hindered Bergeron on the ice, Cassidy and all parties were in agreement that it’s better to be safe than sorry and let the injury sort itself out.

"It's too bad, the timing for this particular setback for him," Cassidy said. "But I guess if there's gonna be a time to get a break for a guy his age, now is not a bad time to sort of get the legs rested up for the home stretch. We'll take it as a positive assuming it's nothing that will stretch out for very long."

Even though Tomas Nosek was respectable as Boston’s temporary 1C on Wednesday, the Bruins will have at least another option down the middle on Friday in Winnipeg, with Jack Studnicka called up as a temporary stopgap.

Studnicka was originally recalled on Wednesday, but did not make it to Minnesota in time for puck drop. 

TWO UP

Brad Marchand: With Bergeron out of commission, Marchand rose to the occasion — burying his first goal in eight games (and just his fourth tally over the last 20 games). Marchand now sits at 343 goals - just one away from tying Cam Neely for the sixth-most in Bruins franchise history. 

Craig Smith and Charlie Coyle: Smith continues to stay red-hot, with the veteran winger now up to eight goals over his last seven games. With his eight tallies since March 1, Smith is tied with Matt Duchene (8 w/ NSH), Anders Lee (8 w/ NYI), Auston Matthews (8 w/ TOR) and Jason Robertson (8 w/ DAL) for the most among all players through that span. That third line continues to roll. 

Cassidy also had plenty of postgame praise for Smith’s center in Charlie Coyle, noting that he was engaged andphysical throughout the contest. Once again, no issues at all with this third line.

ONE GOOD/BAD 

Charlie McAvoy: It was a rough start for McAvoy, who was caught sleeping and let Kirill Kaprizov slip past him en route to a breakaway tally in the first period. But as the game progressed, McAvoy turned into a madman down both ends of the ice — logging 22 minutes of ice time, landing five shots on goal, dishing out five hits and blocking five shots. Quite the response. 

TWO DOWN

Connor Clifton: Rough game for Clifton on Boston’s third D pairing. Yes, he was without his stick and scrambling a bit on Greenway’s tally, but Clifton was also lost in a bit of no man’s land down low on Kaprizov’s first goal of the evening, with the blueliner unable to fully get in the shooting lane before the Minnesota star fired home the puck.

David Pastrnak: With Bergeron out, you would have liked to see a stronger performance from Pastrnak and Boston’s second line. In Pastrnak’s 18 minutes of ice time, he landed just one shot on goal. 

PLAY OF THE GAME

LOOSE PUCKS

Quite the scrap here between Trent Frederic and Brandon Duhaime. Frederic landed some nice punches as this bout carried on. 

LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins will continue their four-game road trip on Friday with a matchup against the Winnipeg Jets. Puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m.