Bruins takeaways: Pastrnak benched, goaltending improves in weekend wins

Bruins takeaways: Pastrnak benched, goaltending improves in weekend wins initially appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Bruins hit a brand new low with last Thursday’s 8-2 loss to the Hurricanes in Carolina. This previous weekend provided the B’s an opportunity to get again on monitor with two matchups versus lesser-talented opponents, they usually took benefit.

The Bruins beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 on the highway Saturday afternoon earlier than coming residence to TD Backyard and defeating the Seattle Kraken 2-0 on Sunday.

Whereas the Bruins nonetheless have a lot of room for enchancment in nearly each aspect of their sport, these two wins did present that progress is being made to address what has ailed this team throughout the season thus far.

The Bruins are actually 6-6-1 via 13 video games. Listed below are 4 takeaways from their weekend victories.

David Pastrnak benched

Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery has not been afraid to ship a message to his finest gamers this season. He had a fiery outburst toward captain Brad Marchand throughout a loss in Utah final month, after which Sunday he benched David Pastrnak — the staff’s main scorer and highest-paid participant — for your entire third interval.

When requested concerning the benching after the sport, Montgomery told reporters, “Coach’s determination, third interval. That’s all I’m going to touch upon.”

Pastrnak led all Bruins gamers with seven pictures, however he additionally was credited with two giveaways within the 14:11 of ice time he bought via two intervals. One of many turnovers occurred on a late second interval energy play that resulted in a shorthanded scoring chance for the Kraken. He additionally had three giveaways in Saturday’s win.

Gamers like Pastrnak are going to rank among the many leaders in turnovers. They’ve the puck loads. The highest 10 gamers in giveaways final season included Pastrnak, Nikita Kucherov, Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, amongst different elite scorers. However on the similar time, puck possession is tremendous vital. Being too careless with the puck is an issue.

Regardless of what occurred, Pastrnak maintained a constructive angle on the bench in assist of his teammates.

“He wasn’t silent,” Coyle mentioned of Pastrnak, per WEEI’s Scott McLaughlin. “He was bringing vitality. He was speaking. He was into it. That’s the signal of a great teammate proper there. And that’s why he wears a letter as one in all our captains and one in all our leaders. There’s loads to be mentioned for that.”

Montgomery goes to carry everybody accountable, whether or not you are the staff’s highest-paid participant or a rookie simply making an attempt to carry on to a roster spot.

“All of us play on the identical staff,” Coyle instructed reporters, per McLaughlin. “There’s no particular remedy for anybody. I feel that’s the way it needs to be. I feel all of us take accountability. You ask any one in all us who’ve been in that place who’ve gotten an earful or no matter, it’s in all probability for a great cause.

“We’re all aggressive. All of us wish to play. We’ve all bought to be accountable in our personal approach. And Monty holds us accountable. That’s solely going to make us higher as a staff individually, however as a staff as effectively. I don’t suppose guys would change that.”

The Bruins’ subsequent sport is Tuesday evening towards the Leafs in Toronto. Pastrnak has loved loads of success towards the Leafs in his profession, each within the common season and playoffs. He scored one objective with one help when these two rivals met in Boston final month.

When Montgomery called out Pastrnak publicly after the Bruins’ Sport 6 loss to the Leafs in final season’s first-round playoff sequence, the celebrity proper wing responded with the series-winning goal in overtime of Game 7. It will likely be fascinating to look at how Pastrnak responds Tuesday towards the identical opponent.

Charlie Coyle performs his finest sport of the season

The Bruins wanted a lot better manufacturing from Coyle after a really sluggish begin. He entered the weekend with one objective and nil assists via the primary 11 video games. The veteran middle performed his finest sport of the season Sunday versus the Kraken. He scored a stunning objective on the ability play with an awesome deke that utterly fooled Seattle netminder Joey Daccord.

Coyle additionally tallied a season-high 4 pictures and dominated within the faceoff circle, successful 12 of his 14 attracts. The Bruins want Coyle to be an element at each ends of the ice to hit their ceiling, and Sunday was a really constructive step ahead for the second-line middle.

“I feel the final two nights, Charlie Coyle has been transferring his ft,” Montgomery instructed reporters postgame Sunday. “When he strikes his ft, he creates turnovers and takes pucks to the online, like that play on the penalty kill the place he ended up on a partial breakaway.”

Goaltending improves

Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo weren’t among the many high 5 or seven most disappointing gamers via the Bruins’ first 11 video games, however they did have to play higher, significantly Swayman. He posted a 3-4-1 report with a .884 save share and a 3.57 GAA via his first eight begins.

Swayman earned his first shutout of the season Sunday, making 23 saves on 23 pictures. He did not face a ton of Grade A scoring probabilities, however he was prepared after they did come.

Korpisalo earned his first ever shutout as a Bruins participant with Saturday’s win over the Flyers. He stopped all 20 pucks despatched his approach. In truth, since taking on for Swayman within the second interval of final week’s loss to the Hurricanes, Korpisalo has made 33 saves on his final 35 pictures towards (.942 save share). He has stopped 37 of the 38 pictures he is confronted in his final two begins (each towards the Flyers.)

A two-game pattern is not sufficient to say the Bruins goaltending is again to being elite, but it surely’s positively a step in the appropriate route after a tricky begin to the marketing campaign. The final time the B’s pitched a shutout on consecutive days was Oct. 27-28, 2008.

Quick begins

The Bruins have been falling behind early in video games this season, and that is a tricky technique to play, particularly for a staff that’s having bother scoring at 5-on-5. Boston got here into the weekend with a minus-6 objective differential (9 for, 15 towards) within the first interval via 11 video games. Boston trailed Carolina 4-1 after 20 minutes in Thursday’s defeat.

One of many major explanation why the Bruins beat the Flyers and Kraken this weekend is as a result of they began quick.

The B’s led the Flyers 1-0 after the primary 20 minutes, however the sturdy begin wasn’t nearly scoring. The Bruins earned a 31-8 lead in shot makes an attempt, a 15-3 pictures benefit, a 13-2 edge in scoring probabilities and a 7-0 lead in high-danger probabilities in the course of the first interval.

Sunday’s sport was very comparable. The B’s led the Kraken 1-0 after the primary interval, they usually managed the tempo of play by a large margin. Boston earned a 15-3 lead in pictures, a 16-5 benefit in scoring probabilities and a 6-1 edge in high-danger probabilities within the first interval.

The Bruins, even after this weekend’s success, nonetheless rank twenty fifth in 5-on-5 objectives scored with 19 in 12 video games. They aren’t, not less than proper now, constructed to beat early deficits on a constant foundation. This is the reason quick begins are so vital for this staff. Construct an early lead and permit your elite goalie to settle in.