CLUTCH BEARS
Bruins making most of overtime
Finishing tied in regulation is no longer a source of angst for the Boston Bruins after 12 games in the 2021 season.
The Bruins have experienced scoring surges in both three-on-three overtimes or when the match graduates to the shootout.
The Bruins exited an overtime owning two points for the fifth time this season with Wednesday night’s 3-2 victory in New York. Left wing Brad Marchand delivered the knockout blow 36 seconds into the OT.
The Bruins improved to 9-1-2 (20 points), good for first place in the East Division. The Bruins will face the Rangers in a rematch on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Bruins are 5-2 in overtime games this season that includes two shootout wins. That is a stark contrast to last season when the Bruins opened with five straight overtime losses, four of which were decided in a shootout.
“It’s a small sample size so we’ll see how it goes,” said coach Bruce Cassidy after Thursday’s practice at MSG. “We didn’t put a lot of emphasis on it in training camp because we had seven days to get ready.
“We were more worried
about chemistry, how we wanted to play and integrating new guys and getting our D up to speed, etcetera.”
Despite winning the 2020 Presidents Trophy for being the NHL’s points leader (100) in the regular season, the Bruins repeatedly came up short in overtime or shootout situations. The Bruins lost 12 of 18 games that went the extra frame, an appalling ratio especially for a team that won 44 in regulation. There was a stretch from Dec. 5 to Jan. 2 where the Bruins dropped six straight in either overtime or the shootout. The Bruins were an abysmal 0-7 in overtimes that went to shootouts.
“The shootout last year, well we didn’t win any but I’m not going to sit here and say we spent the last four
months working through analytics to improve our shootouts,” said Cassidy.
“We looked at numbers and we looked how the players attacked the net. But at the end of the day, you get the extra save and the guy scores and it is as simple as that.”
The Bruins won their Jan. 14 season opener at New Jersey 3-2 on a shootout goal by Brad Marchand. The Devils came back with a 2-1 overtime victory on Egor Sharangovich’s first NHL goal with two seconds remaining. Giving up the game-winner at 4:58 of overtime is the worst kind of loss.
The Bruins regrouped with a 5-4 shootout out victory over the Flyers at the TD Garden. The Bruins scored four goals in the third period and left wing Jake DeBrusk slipped the dagger in during the shootout.
“Obviously it’s huge and it’s one of those things where you always want to
get that extra point when you go into those situations,” said DeBrusk. “We really hadn’t had much luck in that category but obviously we’ve had some good bounces go our way.”
The Bruins manufactured a 3-2 overtime win at Pittsburgh when right wing Craig Smith scored with 11 seconds remaining. The Bruins were beaten 4-3 in overtime at Washington on Jan. 30. Bruins’ nemesis Alex Ovechkin delivered for the Caps.
The Bruins beat the Flyers 4-3 in overtime in Philly on Feb. 3. David Pastrnak scored a hat trick in regulation and Patrice Bergeron potted the game-winner on the power play 31 seconds into the OT.
Jumping the penalty kill When winger Chris Wagner wasn’t serving time in the penalty box, he was helping the Bruins’ vaunted penalty kill unit undermine the Rangers’ power play.
Wagner drew a fiveminute major for fighting
when he threw down with the Rangers’ Anthony Bitetto at 9:17 of the third period. Wagner (high sticking) and Bitetto (roughing) also served concurrent minor penalties which were undoubtably precursors to the fisticuffs.
Wagner spent only 25 seconds on the penalty kill but made it count when he scored the Bruins’ third shorthanded goal of the season, unassisted at 9:41 of the second period. Wagner joined Marchand and Bergeron with shorties.
“I think we are really focused on when teams get set up in the zone,” said Wagner. “Usually when you are aggressive when they are coming over the blue line is when you get those chances like we have this year.
“They weren’t really set up and it was a short pass off the wall and I kind of read it and leaked out and put my stick on it. So, I definitely think we are focused on that.”