Frustration settles in
B’s effort can’t get by Ducks
ANAHEIM—The Bruins have endured some frustrating nights in their quickly-slipping-away season, but last night’s 4-2 loss to the Ducks is near the top of the list.
The B’s had fought back to tie the game 1-1 in the second period and were utterly dominating Anaheim. But though the B’s outshot the Ducks 15-3 in that period, Anaheim scored on two of the three shots for a 3-1 lead and never looked back. Derek Grant scored on a tip 2:35 into the third and the Ducks, who got a pair of goals from two former Northeastern Huskies, were on their way.
Noel Acciari scored a late goal for the B’s with 22 seconds left when the game was already decided. It was the B’s fourth straight loss (0-3-1) and they fell to 6-74 on the season.
The Bruins came in without David Krejci, David Backes, Brad Marchand, Andes Bjork, Ryan Spooner and Adam McQuaid but, on this night anyway, injuries were no excuse. The Ducks have been just as hard hit on the injury front. Ryan Getzlaf, Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm and Patrick Eaves were unavailable due to various maladies.
But the Ducks have had the B’s number for a while, sweeping the season series for the past three seasons and winning the previous seven games. And early on it looked like it didn’t matter who was wearing the Anaheim jerseys, the trend was going to continue.
The Ducks had the early jump and it was one of their fill-ins that put Anaheim on the board at 13:26 of the first period. Former Northeastern star Kevin Roy scored his first NHL goal in his third big league game. Nick Ritchie took a shot from the right side that Tuukka Rask stopped. Zdeno Chara and Ritchie went after the rebound and the puck popped into the air. It landed in the slot, bounced and Roy, beating both Brandon Carlo and Frank Vatrano to the puck, batted it out of mid-air into the net.
The B’s were even with the Ducks in shots in the first period at 11-11, but their two best chances never made it to goalie John Gibson. Patrice Bergeron set up David Pastrnak in the slot but Pastrnak fanned on the puck. Then later, Sean Kuraly ended a terrific cycling shift by feeding Danton Heinen at the top of the crease but Heinen’s redirect went just wide.
The Bruins came out flying in the second period, landing the first 12 shots and scoring on that 12th at 8:48. The play was started and finished by Heinen. First, Heinen stole the puck from Kevin Bieksa on the forecheck. Eventually, Jake DeBrusk took a bad angle shot that went off Riley Nash and Heinen collected it behind the net, took it out front on his backhand, patiently circled the crease and roofed it over Gibson for his third of the year.
But with the B’s outshooting the Ducks 14-1 in the period, Anaheim went ahead again on an odd goal. Corey Perry went at Chara one-on-one and, after one nifty move, lost control in the corner. It looked as if the B’s relaxed, believing the threat had passed, but Roy’s fellow Husky Josh Manson shot the loose puck toward the net. It went off Chara’s skate into the net at 14:24, erasing all of the B’s hard work.
Then came a crushing goal with 46.1 seconds left in the second. Antoine Vermette took the puck deep on the left wing and found Ritchie, who sneaked behind Charlie McAvoy for the chip-in to make it 3-1 as Anaheim got its second goal on just three shots.