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Bruins beat Sharks; B's make more moves |
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Ty Anderson
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In a season already full of frustrating-beyond-belief losses, the first 40 minutes of Monday’s head-to-head with the Sharks had the Bruins lined up for what would’ve been the worst one yet.
Knotted up at 2-2, but going to the power play after Cody Ceci tripped David Pastrnak, the Bruins absolutely pummeled San Jose netminder Yaroslav Askarov for 12 shot attempts in a span of 2:23. But be it because of the Bruins missing the net or Askarov standing tall, a third Boston goal could not be found off a Bruin stick. But after a Parker Wotherspoon giveaway sparked San Jose the other way, Fabian Zetterlund collected his own rebound and potted the goal to put the Sharks up 3-2.
It was as brutal a gut-punch as the Bruins have absorbed this season — and that’s certainly saying something — and put the club down by one through two periods of play.
But powered by four third-period goals, including two from Charlie Coyle, the Bruins turned that body blow into a combo the other way and avoided disaster by way of a 6-3 win over the Sharks at TD Garden.
In goal, Joonas Korpisalo came through with a 25-save performance for his first win since Dec. 21 against the Sabres. It was a definite up and down kind of afternoon from Korpisalo, but he certainly did his part to hang in there and came through with a perfect 8-for-8 effort in the third period. Korpisalo’s best save of the third period came with his club down a man, too, as he sprawled out and had a glove save on San Jose’s Colin Graf with just over seven minutes remaining in a then-tied game.
Prior to Coyle’s third-period takeover, Boston’s goals in opening 27 minutes of play came from Vinni Lettieri and David Pastrnak. Lettieri’s goal, which opened things up at the 9:21 mark of the first period, was his second in three games since being called up to the B’s last week.
Pastrnak’s tally, meanwhile, came on the power play and off a favorable bounce off a Shark and into the goal, and gave Pastrnak goals in four straight contests.
While defenseman Charlie McAvoy remained out of action for his third straight absence, B’s forward Trent Frederic also missed this game, with Frederic ruled out due to an illness.
The Bruins will get back to work Wednesday night in New Jersey against the Devils.
Everything else
- Hand up, count me among those who couldn't help but roll their eyes at the B's decision to call up 29-year-old Vinni Lettieri from the minors last week. By now, you know I'm firmly in Camp Play The Young Guns, and 'AAAA' players like Lettieri get in the way of that. But there's no doubt that Lettieri has made good on the B's decision to bring him up from the minors, with two goals in three games. In addition to the scoring, Lettieri has also drawn a penalty and has a team-high 10 hits with Boston. You'll take that every day of the week.
- If there's one 'good' thing to be found within Charlie McAvoy's absence, it's that Mason Lohrei has really grabbed the rope and been at his best since then. Monday felt like one of Lohrei's better efforts of the season in terms of his puck movement, puck decisions, and balancing that fine line between creating offense and being too aggressive.
- Keeping it simple, Joonas Korpisalo really needed that victory.
Bruins make multiple roster moves
The Bruins’ flight to New Jersey on Tuesday came with two late additions, as the club officially recalled forwards Patrick Brown and Max Jones from AHL Providence.
Providence’s captain, Brown comes back to Boston with nine goals and 25 points in 37 games for the P-Bruins, and with three goals and nine points in his last 10 outings for the club.
A ‘steady’ veteran-type player capable of playing both center and wing, Brown has made one appearance for the Big B’s this season, with two shots and a hit in 12:42 of time on ice in a Nov. 17 loss to the Stars.
Now in his second season with the Bruins organization, the 32-year-old Brown reports back to the big club with one assist, 29 hits, and wins in 17 of his 37 faceoffs in 12 games with Boston over the last two seasons, and projects as a fourth-line fill-in player if he draws into action on Wednesday.
Jones, meanwhile, is coming back to Boston with eight goals and 11 points in 26 outings for the P-Bruins since clearing waivers and reporting to the minors back in November. Jones is also coming back to Boston on a bit of a heater, with a two-goal outing against Syracuse this past weekend.
Signed by the Bruins last summer, Jones ran into some downright horrific penalty trouble with the B’s out of the gate this season, with the 26-year-old Jones assessed four minor penalties in just 44:51 of total time on ice over four games with the Bruins, including two in the offensive zone in his penultimate B’s appearance. That had the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Jones on a rate of 5.35 minor penalties per 60 minutes, which was the second-highest rate among a group of 412 NHL forwards with at least 40 minutes of time on ice at the time of his move to the waiver wire back in November.
But Jones plays with pace that the Bruins want to have in their bottom six, and that could be needed for Wednesday’s showdown with the Devils, especially if forward Trent Frederic‘s illness keeps him out of action for what would be a second straight absence.
It could also be a need for the club given the corresponding move that came with the recalls, as the Bruins placed Mark Kastelic back on the injured reserve.
Kastelic, who made his return from the injured reserve and to the lineup last Saturday in Ottawa, left Monday’s game early with an undisclosed injury after just seven minutes of time on ice.
Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com and is the host of The Shaw’s & Star Market Hockey Show heard every Saturday morning 9 to 11 a.m. on 98.5 The Sports Hub. He has been covering the Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, and has been a member of the Boston chapter of the PHWA since 2013. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, HockeyBuzz.com or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on X: @_TyAnderson.
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