Bring on Maple Leafs and the playoffs
B’s kick away chance to win Atlantic Division
If the Bruins were looking to lower expectations heading into the playoffs, they did a good job of it the last two nights.
With the Atlantic Division title on the line for the second straight night, the Bruins again showed up to the rink with little pace and purpose early and paid the price for it on the scoreboard.
The B’s, who were shut out in Washington on Monday, fell to the Ottawa Senators, 3-1, on Tuesday at the Garden in the final regular season game of the year. They scored one goal in their final six periods of the regular season and for that reason, couple with the Florida Panthers’ win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, the B’s finished in second place in the division.
That has earned them a date with the Leafs in the first round, which is expected to start on Saturday at the Garden. The B’s swept the four-game season series, and the B’s have beaten the Leafs in three Game 7s on Garden ice in the past 11 years. But none of that matters now. The Leafs have a potent offense (3.65 goals per game, second in the league) that cannot be overlooked.
On Tuesday, after giving the Sens a 2-0 lead in the second period, the B’s outshot Ottawa 23-2 in the third but could manage only one Pavel Zacha power-play goal.
With the B’s on a late power play, they pulled goalie Linus Ullmark to make it a 6-on-4 but David Pastrnak’s bad cross-ice pass was picked off by Artem Zub, who deposited into the empty net to end it.
With the playoffs finally here and the regular season done, coach Jim Montgomery chose to focus on the urgency that was evident late, not the lack of it early on Tuesday.
“Disappointed in it, but I do like that fact that we got better every period. Our third period was a good brand of hockey, something to be confident about going into our preparation for playoffs,” said Montgomery.
Montgomery and the players did not yet know who their first round opponent was going to be when they met the media after the game. Captain Brad Marchand (minus-3) acknowledged the team showed up two periods too late, but he was already focusing forward.
“This game is done and over with, regardless of how we played in any of the periods,” said Marchand. “Come payoff time, there’s so much excitement and adrenaline and guys are so dialed in. It would have been nice if we played better tonight but at the end of the day, we have all week to prepare and we’ll be excited to get going.”
One of the big questions moving forward is who will get the starter’s net in Game 1. Ullmark has been very good down since the trade deadline, but Jeremy Swayman posted two big wins over Toronto in their last two contests. Chances are, both will see some time.
“It’s a whole different beast. There’s a lot emotions,” said Ullmark, who like Swayman is still looking for his first series win. “Everything becomes more fun, so I’m very excited about what’s to come.”
Regarding Tuesday’s missed opportunity, the first period was scoreless, which was a good thing for the Bruins, who weren’t very good in the opening 20 minutes. The playing-outthe-string Senators held a 11-3 shot advantage, thanks in part to a pair of penalties from Marchand. Fortunately for the B’s, Ullmark was on top of his game early to send the game into the first intermission at 0-0. The only Bruin highlights were a post hit by Zacha and a thunderous Andrew Peeke hit on Thomas Chabot.
The B’s weren’t much better to start the second and, this time, Ullmark couldn’t bail them out as he gave up a pair of goals in 51 seconds midway through the period.
First, the B’s gave up an odd-man situation, with Erik Brannstrom feeding Jiri Smejkal on the left wing and Smejkal’s low wrister tickled through Ullmark’s pads and just over the line. It was originally waved off but a quick review showed that the puck did indeed cross the line by a couple of inches.
Then, at 10:54, defenseman Jakob Chychrun, pinching down from the left point, took a feed from Drake Batherson and, from about the same spot from where Smejkal scored, beat Ullmark.
With that, the B’s started to spend a little more time in the Ottawa zone and test goalie Anton Forsberg. But for the fifth straight period of hockey, the B’s put up a goose egg. Beyond that, they also hadn’t earned a power play in that time, which might have been more telling than the lack of goals.
As one might expect, the B’s dominated the third period and finally got a power play at 12:03. And at 12:44, the B’s got on the board. Kevin Shattenkirk, now manning the first powerplay unit, threw a puck on net that was blocked in front but Zacha swooped in and beat Forsberg on the backhander.
Then at 13:29, Trent Frederic picked a loose puck out of Forsberg’s glove after the whistle, creating a scrum that led to a 4-on-4. With the open ice, Jake DeBrusk fed Charlie McAvoy on a 2-on-1 but Forsberg absolutely stoned him at 15:26.
But with 3:31 left in regulation, the B’s got another power play on a Shane Pinto hook and pulled Ullmark to make it a 6-on-4. But Pastrnak made an egregious cross-ice pass attempt that was picked off Zub and deposited into the empty. Game over.
Now the real games begin.