The Boston Bruins couldn’t have asked for a better start to Monday night’s game against the Calgary Flames.
They set the tone in the first period by controlling the majority of puck possession and opening up a two-goal lead with tallies from Brad Marchand and Zdeno Chara. Torey Krug scored on a beautiful backhand goal just 50 seconds into the second period, which gave the B’s a commanding 3-0 lead and forced Flames head coach Bob Hartley to pull goaltender Karri Ramo.
Boston was in total control of the game, and even though Calgary got on the board with a goal from forward David Jones at the 6:51 mark, the B’s still had an opportunity to put the game away with a four-minute power play to end the second period.
That’s when it fell apart.
The Bruins’ power play has struggled throughout the season, especially on the road. Boston entered the game ranked 30th in road power-play goals and 29th in road power-play percentage, and that unit failed them again Monday night in Calgary. Instead of using the four minutes of time with the man advantage to regain a three-goal lead, the B’s weren’t able to tally a single shot on goal and failed to create enough quality scoring chances.
The Bruins still went into the third period up 3-1, but the Flames showed their trademark resilience to mount an amazing comeback and force overtime.
Calgary trimmed the deficit to one with a goal from Jiri Hudler at the 3:22 mark. A defensive breakdown left the Flames forward all alone to the left of Boston’s net. Hudler struck again on the power play at 14:51 when he deflected a Mark Giordano shot from the point.
Calgary finished with a 10-7 shots on goal edge and a 17-13 shot attempt advantage in the third period.
The Flames’ fantastic effort in the third period shouldn’t have been a surprise the Bruins. Calgary entered Monday night with a plus-32 goal differential in the third period and a league-best nine wins when trailing after two periods. Calgary is a speedy, hard-working team that raises its energy level another notch or two in the third period and Boston was unable match that pace. The Flames were first to loose pucks, won most of the puck battles and showed a higher level of determination in the final stages of the game.
Flames defenseman TJ Brodie sealed the win by scoring the game-winner in overtime when the puck went off Brad Marchand’s stick, bounced on top of the net and went off Tuukka Rask’s back before falling into the net.
The Bruins were 91-1-1 when leading by three goals at any point in a game since 2011 (10-0-0 this season), and to be fair, the Flames’ overtime goal was the product of a very lucky bounce. That said, the Bruins have not played well in third periods this season and they cannot afford to be outplayed at the end of games when every point is crucial to their position in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Boston sits just four points ahead of the Florida Panthers for the final wild card playoff spot with one more game played. Even the Philadelphia Flyers — with a 6-1-3 record in their last 10 games — have a chance to catch the B’s. Philly is now just six points back.
The Bruins return to action Wednesday night for a must-win game against an inferior Edmonton Oilers team. A loss to the 29th-place Oilers would put Boston in a difficult spot with matchups against West juggernauts the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks to end the road trip.
Thumbnail photo via Sergei Belski/USA TODAY Sports Images
