In a year of high scoring, back and forth contests, this game was a throwback in all the worst ways.
[Yawn]
…Let’s just get this over with.
1st Period
The Bruins and Wild did…mostly nothing. There was a fight between Marcus Foligno and Mark Kastelic, but that was about it.
Onto the 2nd.
2nd Period
The sole goal of the game was scored by Frederick Gaudreau, who was used primarily as a pinball bumper by Marcus Johanssson as he took a shot from distance to pop the puck in past Jeremy Swayman. 1-0 Wild.
3rd Period
Try as the Bruins might, absolutely jack-all happened in the third period, bringing the final score to 1-0 Wild.
Game Notes
- Your TOI Leader was David Pastrnak, who played 25:18 tonight.
- What a dull, boring game. In an NHL whose skill and talent level is higher than ever and games have never been more fever pitched, the Wild and Bruins came together to drag fans back into the late 90s and early 00’s, only this time there was no NZ trap involved (thank god); just pure ineptitude of two sides who’s very best are either out of the lineup, or putting in backbreaking work to get their squad to do something, anything, with the puck. Both sides had power plays, neither side did anything with them. The only goal that went in was some deflection off of a guy’s body, and the Wild were more than willing to sit themselves right down on that lead and never relinquish it. It was a tired, gross, slog and I’m glad it’s over.
- Boston’s offense was completely disorganized; playing with very little speed, making no headway in controlling the faceoff dot (neither did Minnesota), accomplishing little in their physical play, and the few players who could do something were passing to their teammates’ skates, or promptly took the very few good passes of the night and completely bobbled them.
- David Pastrnak’s point streak comes to an end tonight with 17 games, and 33 points accrued in that time. He did a lot of attempting to force plays tonight; part of it being that some of his teammates could in fact find open lanes to be in, but the minute the puck touched them; whether from the skate or to the stick, it was like they were simply repelled from the net or from doing anything marginally interesting with it. Just that kind of night for Boston.
- In a game this tight, Jeremy Swayman gave you a chance. A deflection goal-against and a .955 SV% should be more than enough to save you if you can summon the horses necessary to both tie the game and then also get ahead. Boston had neither of those things tonight.
- Two more games before the deadline. One against Nashville, and then one against Carolina. Better make your intentions known now; the teams who are selling are getting great deals and the buyers are getting frustrated that there aren’t enough sellers to go around.
Boston makes a quick trip home to play the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. That game drops the puck at 7pm EST.
We’ll see you there.