
Here are some talking points from the Bruins' shutout loss to the Predators. . .
GOLD STAR: Pekka Rinne has been excellent for the Predators since coming back from injury and that was the case again on Saturday night as the Nashville goalie made 26 saves in a shutout win over the Bruins. Rinne only had to make six saves in the third period while protecting the one-goal lead, but he made a huge save for the Predators in the first period when he had to do it. After Nashville scored the game’s only goal, Joakim Nordstrom had a breakaway off the ensuing face-off when the B’s caught the Predators napping. Rinne was able to stop Nordstrom’s wrist shot initial bid and then also was able to snuff off Nordstrom’s follow-up attempt in two different, legit scoring chances. That was the story for a Bruins team that couldn’t really generate many dangerous chances after that and didn’t have much of a chance against Rinne near the top of his game.
BLACK EYE: A bush league move by referee Marc Joannette in the first period where he botched a high-sticking call on Brad Marchand where the stick clearly didn’t hit Colton Sissons in any way, shape or form. He whistled Marchand for the initial high-sticking call, slapped him for an unsportsmanlike conduct after he taunted Sissons for the play on the ice and then Marchand was tacked on with another 10-minute misconduct at the end of the period as well. If a referee screws up a call like that then he needs to wear it a little bit rather than tack on the misconduct with a veteran player like Marchand that’s earned some latitude as one of the NHL’s best players. Maybe the two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct is on Marchand for his theatrics where he was mocking Sisson, but there’s no way he should have been sitting out the first 10 minutes of the second period. Joannette needs to have a little accountability in that situation as well.
TURNING POINT: The Bruins trailed 1-0 headed into the second period and had three different power play chances to get back into the game. Instead, the B’s came up short in all three PP possessions with few scoring chances and only a handful of shots on net, and instead squandered every chance they had to make a game of it. It’s pretty surprising considering that the B’s, even with their injuries, have been hovering close to the top-5 in the NHL in power play success, and the Predators PK ranked 22nd in the league entering Saturday night. It should have been an instance where the B’s power play could have done some damage, but instead the B’s penalty kill far outshone their power play unit in terms of special teams play.
HONORABLE MENTION: Give Jaroslav Halak credit for making 39 saves and giving the Bruins every chance to win the game against a quality Nashville club. His only miscue was an elite D-man rush by Roman Josi where he dangled through Danton Heine and Torey Krug – both players trying to stick-check him – and then was able to finish past Halak in a skill play. Otherwise, Halak was a brick wall for the Bruins keeping them in the game while their offense struggled to generate anything either 5-on-5 or during the power play. Halak was probably at his best in the third period when the B’s were outshot by a 17-6 margin and the B’s netminder need to make every save just to keep it a one-goal game where the B’s still had a chance at the end. Halak continues to give the B’s every reason to keep calling his number with the way he’s playing.
BY THE NUMBERS: 17-6 – the rate that the Bruins were somehow outshot by Nashville in the third period despite trailing 1-0 in the game. It was a close game, but the B’s looked outgunned in this one.
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QUOTE TO NOTE: “It’s a matter of generating offense throughout the group. They have the ability to score goals and we’re not getting it.” –Bruce Cassidy, on the Bruins inability to consistently get offensive production beyond their top players.
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