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B's fall in DC; Lysell called up, sent back down |
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Ty Anderson
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If the Bruins were drawing this one up pregame, a friendly bounce off the stanchion and out to the Bruins’ Justin Brazeau at the front of the net just 81 seconds into puck drop was exactly the kind of jump start that the Bruins needed against the East-best Capitals down in Washington.
And though the Bruins got exactly that, it would be the only bounce that went their way in a calendar year-ending 3-1 loss to the Capitals at DC’s Capital One Arena.
In a hole early, the Caps’ response to the Brazeau came before the end of the opening frame, with a game-tying marker from Aliaksei Protas at the 12:05 mark of the period, while the goal that would hold as the game-winning strike came just 5:06 later and on a power-play look from Jakob Chychrun.
Going against a stout Washington defense, the B’s bid for a comeback hit a definite wall in the middle frame, as the Bruins failed to record a shot on goal over the final 8:53 of the period. (A shot on goal from Cole Koepke, promoted up to the third line for this game, with 8:54 left in the second period was the final shot of what was ultimately a six-shot period from the Black and Gold.)
That stat alone is a biting one, but it only hurts worse when considering that the Bruins had a power-play opportunity in the middle of that 8:53 span in what was an 0-for-2 day for Boston’s man advantage.
Those struggles to get the puck on goal continued, too, as the Bruins at one point had just two shots over their last 17 and a half minutes over the course of the second period and into the third period before a Nikita Zadorov interference call put the Bruins back on the penalty kill.
The Bruins would make a push with their net empty, but their best opportunity of the 6-on-5 look — a David Pastrnak one-time bomb from the flank to the right of Capitals netminder Logan Thompson — ultimately went wide and paved the way to an empty-net goal for Washington.
In addition to his 26 saves, Thompson received a significant boost in front of him, with the Capitals credited for 28 blocked shots by the final horn. Washington’s 28 blocks are tied for the most single-game blocks against the Bruins this season, previously accomplished by the Flyers back on Oct. 29.
The Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman took the loss behind a 24-of-26 performance in goal. It was Swayman’s first regulation loss since that eight-goal disaster in Winnipeg back on Dec. 10, but continued what’s been a solid recovery and push back to his ‘norm’ of late for Boston’s No. 1 goaltender, with a 4-1-1 record and .919 save percentage over that span.
The Bruins will get back to work Thursday night in New York against the Rangers.
Lysell called up, sent back down after one game
The Bruins injected some excitement into the second half of their home-and-home, back-to-back with the Blue Jackets last weekend with the first NHL recall and subsequent NHL debut of 2021 first-round Fabian Lysell.
Lysell made his debut with a bang, too, as the Bruins scored a goal on his first NHL shift. And though it did not come with a point for the Swedish-born wing, it did come with some noticeable help, as Lysell helped gain the zone with his speed and made a smart dish back to Justin Brazeau behind the net after drawing two Columbus defenders his way.
It wasn't anything overly flashy -- and you could tell that Lysell didn't want to do anything that'd get him benched -- but it was enough to give him another look, you'd think. No dice. The Bruins instead sent Lysell back down to Providence the next day and didn't have him with them when they made their way down to Washington for Tuesday's loss to the Capitals.
If you're one of those people frustrated with how the Bruins handle their young players, I can't blame you. 2023 me would've told you to be a little more patient given the team's status as a 'win now' club, but right now? This is the team for development on the fly.
The Bruins are currently playing a roster that has multiple guys who, for the most part, likely do not factor into the Bruins' long-term plans. And hey, maybe guys like Georgii Merkulov and Lysell do not, but wouldn't it be nice to exhaust every avenue possible to formally make that call before trading them off for some more short-term help?
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