The Boston Bruins had hit a rut, seemingly running out of gas after three games in four nights against some of the NHL’s toughest opponents. With a 10-day layoff, a loss against the rival Toronto Maple Leafs would have left a sour taste, but did little to affect the Black and Gold’s comfortable position in the league standings.
Instead, the Bruins addressed several concerns that arose during their first multi-game losing streak of the year. After a week-long skid, a re-energized Boston back-end led the charge.
Derek Forbert and Brandon Carlo gave Boston its first two leads of the night, at 6:57 and 12:33 of the second period, respectively.
Terrific effort by Trent Frederic and Charlie Coyle to get Derek Forbort a shorthanded goal: pic.twitter.com/zoN9iRvMTj
— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) February 2, 2023
The league’s best third-period team saw their standard slip in crunch time. Boston’s uncharacteristic lulls during the Final 20 led to disappointing losses to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers.
“I think we got back to our identity tonight,” Jim Montgomery told NESN’s Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley. “I think our depth, our d-men, scoring, our fourth line is coming along like they are and Charlie Coyle’s line is playing unbelievable. It’s been fun to watch.”
Wednesday night saw a refreshing return to excellence during the final frame.
A.J. Greer collected his fifth of the year just 2:13 into the third, and Pavel Zacha dunked a double later.
Xha’s continued scoring prowess after the signing silenced Toronto’s comeback bid, with his first tally just 30 seconds in from Kale Jankroek to cut Boston’s lead to 3-2.
Helluva shift from Pavel Zacha ends with a snipe: pic.twitter.com/ne1vFRpb1J
— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) February 2, 2023
Zacha made the big change by returning to the high slot and past Ilya Samsonov to make it 4-2 for Boston. The Czech forward added his second of the game just 3:11 later, converting on the doorstep after a superb feed from fellow countryman David Krejci.
After that third-period takeover, the Bruins returned to their winning ways before their 10-day layoff. Here’s what we learned after Boston improved to 39-7-5 after a 5-2 win in Toronto.
The back-end rediscovers their scoring touch.
Carlo was in the midst of Boston’s first skid of the year.
The stay-at-home blueliner’s dependable play waned a bit during the Bruins’ first skid of the season. With two days to go before their final test before a 10-day layoff, Carlow and the Bruins can now hit the reset button.
“We’re focused on our process, which revolves around making smart decisions laterally, especially through the neutral zone,” Carlo told reporters. “I think we did a good job tonight. The forwards obviously got to the front of the net and opened up some opportunities to screen the goalie and get the puck behind him. It was good to get that result and get back on track.”
Carlo and Forbert rewarded a Bruins defensive corps that was inactive during their three-game skid.
Once again, the Bruins used their weak-side defenseman to quickly transition up the ice at any opportunity. It started with Connor Clifton’s first-period breakaway effort and continued with strong goals from Carlow and Forbort. On Wednesday, the trio, known more for their defensive-first skills, thrived most within Montgomery’s offensive system.
Forbert jumped as the second man in the offensive zone and buried a feed from Frederick. Carlo found himself in the right circle and collected the puck behind Samsonov. Their key second-period markers provided the tone-setters for the final 20.
“They’re always good for me because I’m not a big scorer,” Carlo said. “It definitely gives a little bit of a confidence boost in that game. Heading into the break, it will be good to have a mental break.”
Bruins return to third-period excellence
As good teams do, the Maple Leafs gave the Bruins their best shot in hopes of overcoming a pair of two-goal deficits. Unlike their two losses in the Sunshine State, the Bruins provided an excellent response to Toronto’s late push.
A neutral zone breakdown led directly to Victor Hedman’s game-winning goal in Tampa. Two nights later, the Bruins failed to clear the puck multiple times on Alexander Barkov’s last-second tying goal.
This time, the Bruins had an answer to any Toronto pushback in the third period. After Zacha’s pair, the Bruins had a more comfortable cushion to work with after Jarnkrok cut the deficit to 3-2.
“That was Bruins hockey,” Montgomery told NESN. “We stayed with our relentlessness, you know, trying to add to the lead and not just comfortable trying to win the game by one goal.”
Aside from the Jarnkrok tally, the Bruins played a very complete third period. They’ll need some timely stops from Linus Ullmark during Toronto’s push, as the second-year Bruin delivered another stellar outing with his 33-save effort.
Whatever midseason blips Montgomery’s club faced in last week’s slump quickly subsided after the 200-foot bounce-back effort. The Bruins can now feel good about themselves as they head into a well-deserved rest period.
“I think we were getting better as the game went on,” Zacha told NESN’s Sofia Jurkstovich. “I think we played better in the third. We just made them defend a lot, and we were ready for them.