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Noting comes easily for this Bruins team, even on a night like Saturday when it looked they would have every reason to feel good about themselves.
The B’s broke open a taut, playoff-like game with three goals in 2:56 early in the third period to take a 5-2 lead over a desperate Philadelphia Flyers who went into the night with a thin three-point cushion for a playoff spot. But the B’s let the Flyers back in the game and had to white-knuckle home a 6-5 victory at the Garden.
Coach Jim Montgomery lauded the Flyers for how hard they played and their never-say-die approach, as well as his own team’s early explosion in the third.
But…
“We’ve got to learn that we’ve got to close out games,” said Montgomery. “You can’t just think it’s over. Other teams are desperate and it’s like a playoff game. There are going to be those momentum and emotional swings. We’ve got to be a little bit better and little more mature as a team to be able to close out those games, a little bit easier, especially when you’re up 5-2.”
And yet, despite this team’s plain-to-see blemishes, they find themselves in a spot few would have expected at the start of the season. With Florida’s second consecutive regulation loss, the B’s are not just at the top of the Atlantic Division standings, but they lead the entire NHL for the moment. After what happened to last season’s juggernaut, the B’s know that it doesn’t mean much at this point. But there are a lot of teams who would change places with them.
“I think it’s a testament to what these guys have done here throughout the year,” said Jake DeBrusk, who stayed hot with a goal (17) and an assist. “Obviously there’s a lot of naysayers and people that didn’t think we’d make the playoffs and all that stuff. I feel like we’ve heard that two years in a row, so we knew we’d be all right. There’s a lot of trial and error. It’s not as pretty or as clean. But it’s a testament to what we can be as a team. Obviously, in the post-season everyone starts at zeroes and it’s a different game. But you always want advantages when you can get them. That’s what the regular season’s for.”
The game was a wild one.
With their coach John Tortorella back from a two-game suspension, the Flyers came ready to play. They contested every puck and held the B’s off the shot clock for the first 12:26. They also took the first lead of the game at 4:18. Along the right boards in the offensive zone, David Pastrnak, who’d just missed the net on a good chance from the slot, could not gather a loose puck. Charlie McAvoy pinched down and couldn’t get it either. That allowed Garnet Hathaway to break out on a 2-on-1 that developed into a 3-on-1. Hathaway made the cross-ice pass to Ryan Poehling, who blasted a one-timer past Jeremy Swayman.
The Bruins knew they were in a game and responded in kind, pushing back and starting to get some offensive zone time.
Later in the period, the B’s tied it up just seconds after they nearly went down 2-0. Travis Konecny got behind Parker Wotherspoon for a quick breakaway but Swayman stoned him with good pad stop. Wotherspoon quickly retrieved the puck and got it up to Jake DeBrusk. Cutting left to right, DeBrusk gained the zone with speed and fed Morgan Geekie, who was near the end of his shift. Geekie stepped into the right circle and unleashed a slap shot to the far top corner, his 16th of the year at 15:51.
They Flyers regained the lead on a second period power play. McAvoy delivered what looked like a good check through the body on Travis Konecny, but it rode up to catch the Flyer in the head after initial contact and he was called for an illegal check to the head. Just before the penalty expired, Joel Farabee tipped home a Cam York shot at 12:01 to give the Flyers a 2-1 lead.
But the B’s evened it up at 15:32 when they got their first power play of the game. Pavel Zacha won a faceoff and got it over to Brad Marchand. The captain could not handle the pass, but he stuck with it and sent a backhand pass through the slot for Charlie Coyle, who had a wide open net for his 22nd of the year, a new career high for the centerman.
The game was getting testy and, after a dustup after the horn to end the second period, matching minors were handed out and the third started with a 4-on-4. And it was with that extra ice that the B’s took their first lead of the game at 1:08 of the third. The B’s had controlled the play on the 4-on-4 and, after Pastrnak handed it off to an oncoming Coyle, who roofed it past Sandstroom.
That was just the start. Andrew Peeke picked up his first point as a Bruin, moving down on the right side and feeding John Beecher in front. Beecher first hit the post and then followed up his own rebound for his sixth.
Then just 19 seconds later, DeBrusk took a pass from Brad Marchand and made a pretty move to avoid the prone Sandstrom and tuck it inside the near post at 4:04.
With that, Tortorella called his timeout to stop the bleeding, which it did. Then they got two quick ones 1:08 apart late in the period.
The Flyers got one back with 5:48 left in the third when Sean Couturier caught Swayman leaning the wrong way and fed Nick Deslauriers from behind the net for a tap-in at the side of the net.
Then Morgan Frost got the Flyers back to within one with a beautiful between the legs finish at the top of the crease.
But with 2:59 left, Danton Heinen took off on a an odd-man rush off a defensive zone block and sniped a goal from the left wing.
It still wasn’t over. With 2:04 left in the third, Farabee scored on a wraparound with Sandstrom pulled.
That, however, was the merciful end to the Flyers’ comeback bid as the B’s somehow survived the onslaught for the win.
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