The Boston Bruins had a horrible effort in their opening game of the season. This could be a long season for B’s fans.
That really sucked. The Boston Bruins opening night performance was torture for fans. The Washington Capitals obliterated the B’s on Wednesday night outplaying them all over the ice.
The Caps defeated the Bruins 7-0 on Wednesday night in a game that had absolutely no positives. Now before we get too angry let’s remember that this is the first game of the season. The Bruins could go 81-1 for all we know (probably not).
But if the Bruins play like they did on Wednesday night they won’t win any games this year. The B’s offense couldn’t get anything going, the defense was non-existent and the goaltending? Well, we’ll get to that later.
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Thankfully for the Boston Bruins, they have a much more favorable opponent in their next game. I also think that the B’s will benefit from possibly having Jaroslav Halak in net.
Wednesday night was definitely a game that all Bruins fans wish they could forget. Lucky for us they play again on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres.
Hopefully, they will be able to pick up their first victory and calm fans nerves. I wouldn’t listen to the radio if they manage to start the season 0-2.
So brace yourselves cause this definitely won’t be pretty. Here are the 3 main takeaways from the Bruins terrible performance to kick off their season.
1. Rask was rough
There is no other way to put it, Tuukka Rask was terrible on Wednesday night. Without a doubt it was Rask’s worst game as a pro. When you give up 2 goals in the first two minutes of the game it isn’t a good sign.
Now Rask did bounce back. He performed much better in the 2nd half of the first period. He made some great saves and seemed to have everything under control. Then Rask allowed 3 more goals including a truly terrible effort on the Capitals 5th goal.
Rask seemed out of it on Wednesday night. He let up some easy goals that I think my local high school’s goalie could have stopped. The Bruins need a much better effort from Tuukka.
Jaroslav Halak came in halfway through the 2nd period and did a great job in relief. The veteran goaltender stopped the bleeding and made some amazing saves. I expect Halak to get the start on Thursday and let Rask recover from the beating he took.
The plan before the game was to have Halak play and even though Rask will be well rested, I want to see what Halak can do with a full 60 minutes.
If Tuukka Rask continues to struggle like he did on Wednesday night there is no way the Bruins will even make it to the playoffs.
2. The Boston Bruins miss Torey Krug
When watching the Boston Bruins play you could see that they were missing something in both the offensive and defensive zone. It’s clear that the B’s need Torey Krug.
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These next 3 weeks look like they are going to be a challenge for the Bruins.
In the offensive zone, the Bruins struggled to get any solid opportunities to bury the puck home. Krug is a major threat in the offensive zone with his great shot and great passing ability.
In the Bruins own zone, they continued to struggle. Now even though Tuukka Rask gave up some rough goals, the Bruins defense didn’t do him any favors. Multiple times on Wednesday night the Capitals were gifted odd-man rushes and Rask came up on top.
During the offseason there were plenty of people saying that the Bruins should trade Krug. Well, I’m pretty sure that this game proved exactly why the B’s need him.
Hopefully, the Bruins defense will perform much better on Thursday night.
3. Brad Marchand hasn’t changed
You see that blood pouring down from Lars Eller’s face? That’s courtesy of an angry Brad Marchand. It appeared that Marchy didn’t appreciate Eller’s celly after he scored the 7th goal of the game.
If you thought Marchand’s game had changed over the Summer, you were sadly mistaken.
Take a look at this from Marchand.
I just love seeing this from Marchand. The Bruins were out of the game for a while. The B’s easily could have just packed it in and just looked forward to their game versus the Sabres.
Marchand had other plans and wanted to send a message. This is Marchand’s first fight since 2016. He wanted the NHL to know that you can not mess with this team. If you are going to celebrate like you just scored a go-ahead goal in a game that’s 7-0, you are going to pay for it.
So Wednesday night was a long one for Boston Bruins fans, but thankfully one game doesn’t define a season. Thursday night is a new day and hopefully, the B’s have a much better effort against Buffalo.