For the second consecutive game against the Capitals, the Bruins found themselves in a 3-0 hole. And for the second consecutive game the Bruins were able to claw their way back into the contest.
Unlike Saturday’s overtime loss however, the Bruins managed to turn the deficit into a lead, holding on for a 5-3 victory Monday night.
After David Pastrnak’s first two goals of the season got the Bruins within one, they were still searching for a push, one that would help them tie the game and hopefully eventually take the lead.
That push came from rookie Trent Frederic and in the form of his fists, going toe-to-toe with Capitals’ heavyweight Tom Wilson.
“I think Freddy (Frederic) had a lot to do with it, that scrap with Wilson,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said of the final momentum swing. “Kind of got everyone’s attention on the bench. That’s arguably the toughest guy in the National Hockey League. Zee (Zdeno Chara) would be in that mix too, obviously, and Freddy stood in there and gave us a bit of a boost.”
Since making his debut with the Bruins two seasons ago, Frederic has shown an edge to his game, bringing a satisfying amount of toughness to the table.
With just one official fight—against Brandon Tanev on January 29, 2019—on his resume, Wilson may end up as the toughest customer he comes across.
With teams in the Eastern division seeing each other eight times a season, and games often coming in pairs, tensions from the previous game are more likely to carry over. That was the case with the Bruins and Capitals after Saturday’s physical affair.
“They were pretty physical both nights really, so we tried to give it back,” Frederic said. “I thought the first night, we had the puck a lot, so it’s hard to really hit back, so we had to take a lot of hits, but when we get a chance, we try to be physical with them.”
While Frederic spent his five minutes in the box, goals by Craig Smith and Brandon Carlo helped the Bruins complete the comeback.
In an arena with no fans, Frederic himself was one as his time in the penalty box provided him with a front row seat to the action.
“I felt like just a huge Bruins fan sitting in that bench,” Frederic said with a smile. "I was like a little kid in there just jumping around when we scored. It felt good to watch that. I had a really good angle of Brandon's slapshot top shelf, so it was fun to watch that.”
Despite trailing 3-0 behind a lackluster effort through a period and a half, there was a lot to like about the Bruins game.
After a rusty season debut on Saturday, Pastrnak looked very Pastrnak-like, dominating play anytime he was on the ice.
“Scoring obviously felt great,” Pastrnak said. “Had a little trouble, I was missing the net a lot, so obviously it was a good one to finally hit the net, definitely good to get the first one up.”
With the early season struggles the Bruins had scoring goals five-on-five, Pastrnak’s two Monday was a refreshing sight.
“He’s been skating hard. He’s feeling very healthy. He was able to work with our skating coach Kim Brandvold for at least a minimum three weeks, and it gets a little boring on your own all the time. But he’s certainly working on his shot, and he was ready,” said Cassidy.
“A little bit ahead of schedule, thankfully for us. We knew that could be a possibility probably about a month ago because of the way he keeps himself in shape, and we’re happy to have him back in the lineup.”
Another positive to come from Monday’s win was the way defensemen Carlo, Jakub Zboril and Jeremy Lauzon all got involved offensively, playing key roles in the Bruins five unanswered goal outburst.
"That was great, the defensive guys got involved in the O-zone and that's obviously a huge help, as much as they can help us by doing that, we will help them in the D-zone," said Pastrnak.
"They have the energy and the strength to do it in the O-zone. We got some big goals and big points by our defensemen, so hopefully it will keep going like that."
With the departure of Torey Krug to St. Louis, the Bruins blue line lost their main source of offensive contribution. It’s been offense by committee so far from the Bruins d-core, and that’s been working out just fine.
Carlo’s game-winner was his second goal of the season. An improved focus on the offensive side of his game is paying off for Carlo and the Bruins.
"Obviously I want to be a part of the offense. I think it all starts with trying to get pucks towards the net," Carlo said.
"There have been decisions I've made as well when there are other options available, just trying to gain more comfort throughout that offensive zone. Find my spots, find the right time to jump in and be available. It's definitely a work in progress still."
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