Here are five thoughts from the second period with the Bruins trailing the New York Rangers by a 2-1 score after the first 40 minutes at Madison Square Garden.
1) Tough last few minutes of the second period for the Bruins, and for Jonas Gustavsson. A crowd of bodies in front of the net completely screened out the Bruins goaltender, and Ryan McDonagh fired a shot off Zach Trotman’s skate that managed to get through him for New York’s first goal. The second score was a J.T. Miller rush up left wing where Adam McQuaid couldn’t keep him to the outside, and Miller made a nice play on a wrist shot past Gustavsson. A bit of a backbreaking goal with less than 40 seconds remaining in the second period.
2) Chris Breen is a big body, but he’s just not an NHL defenseman. He had a tough turnover on a blind pass out of the D-zone earlier in the period, and then was just standing around when Viktor Stalberg and Oscar Lindberg were camped in front setting up McDonagh’s opening goal for New York. If you’re 6-foot-7, you need to be able to move those bodies so you’re goalie can see the puck.
3) A bit of good and bad for Ryan Spooner: he’s got an assist and five generated shot attempts, but he’s also a team-worst minus-2 while going just 2-for-7 in the face-off circle. It was his wild pass that started the rush by J.T. Miller going the other way, and scoring the damaging goal against the Black and Gold.
4) Zac Rinaldo drew another penalty in the second period when Dylan McIlrath took a charging call smashing into the Bruins agitator after he crashed into Henrik Lundqvist in the first period. That’s the fifth penalty that’s Rinaldo drawn in the preseason as his game is becoming very clear to those watching him on the regular basis.
5) Good scrap with Tyler Randell and Dylan McIlrath. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Randell at some point this season if the Bruins need a little more size, energy and meanness in their lineup. He doesn’t look out of place in these games against the NHL lineups.