The Boston Bruins followed up their lethargic performance on Thursday with another bad game on Saturday. David Pastrnak wasn’t having it.
Boston may have outshot the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night, 32-25. But don’t let that number fool you. Minnesota outshot Boston 12-6 in the first period, and 22-18 after the second frame. By that point, Minnesota held a 4-1 lead going into the third period and put the game in cruise control.
Pastrnak scored his ninth goal of the season to make the game 4-2 in the third period. Then Danila Yurov scored his eighth and ninth goals of the season by tacking on the final two, giving Minnesota a 6-2 win.
With opponents outscoring Boston 11-4 in roughly a 48-hour span, the captain needed to sound off.
Via Joe McDonald of BostonBruins.com, Pastrnak said, “…we’re not playing our way right now. We have to play better defensively.”
After allowing 5.5 goals per matchup over their last two games, Pastrnak isn’t wrong. Tack on the fact that Boston allowed five goals before scoring on Thursday and three before scoring on Saturday, and it is the only evidence one needs of poor defense.
Bruins In Shambles Following Two Blowout Losses
One reason for the bad defense on Saturday? Minnesota blew Boston out in the turnover battle. The Bruins committed 25 giveaways compared to the Wild’s 13. Minnesota also stole the puck eight times, while Boston posted just four takeaways.
That means Boston turned the puck over 33 times, nearly twice as many turnovers as the Wild committed. Jeremy Swayman is a good goaltender whose coach has a lot of faith in him. But even the best netminders in the world would have a tough time bailing their team out in such performances.
At some point, Boston must get back on form and play better hockey. They must refuse to make a habit out of the way they have been playing lately. Given their past success leading into these last two games, it isn’t like the Bruins can’t return to form.
Boston Can Respond In A Big Way In Upcoming Matchup
The Bruins have two days off before they face the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. Boston won’t face Los Angeles in the Stanley Cup Playoffs or the Final — unless the Kings start turning things around themselves. But the B’s must gain their confidence back defensively against a manageable opponent.
Los Angeles also lost on Saturday night, 3-2 against a mediocre Calgary Flames team. The Kings are 5-11-2, with 49 goals scored on the year. At an 84-game pace, they will score 229 goals at their current rate.
In other words, this isn’t a high-octane team like the Canadiens or the Wild. The Kings are also aging, clocking in at an average age of 32.1. They should make for an easier opponent before the Bruins head into Detroit to face a pesky Red Wings team.
The short-term plan? Take Pastrnak’s latest comments to heart, identify the issues defensively, and apply those adjustments against a less-than-stellar opponent. Then, swing back around and take the intra-divisional game against Detroit.
Those will be the first two steps to taking back control following two straight meltdowns on their home ice.
Bruins Star David Pastrnak Sends Blunt Message After Wild Loss