BOSTON — As the Bruins mounted an ultimately unsuccessful comeback bid Tuesday night, Ryan Spooner watched most of the third period from the bench.
Spooner, who centered the Bruins’ third line to begin the game, saw only power-play time in the final period of Boston’s 5-4 loss to the San Jose Sharks after coach Claude Julien made the decision to play just the three top lines. Spooner and fourth-liners Zac Rinaldo and Tyler Randell were the odd men out, with Joonas Kemppainen rising up to take the former’s spot on the third unit.
“If you watched the game, you’d know (why I made the change),” Julien said. “Did you like Kemppainen? Did you like Kemppainen? Because I thought he played well.”
Spooner skated 15 shifts — tying a season low — logged a mere 8:53 of even-strength ice time and recorded just one shot on goal in the loss. He also committed a costly tripping penalty, as Joe Thornton potted the eventual game-winning goal on the ensuing Sharks power play.
Given these struggles, the 23-year-old said afterward he understood Julien’s decision to bench him.
“I wasn’t playing that well,” said Spooner, who assisted on Patrice Bergeron’s power-play goal in the third period. “The first period, I thought I was OK. The second period, I didn’t play well at all. So, I don’t disagree with it at all.”
Tuesday was the sixth time this season the Bruins allowed four or more goals on home ice, making it not at all surprising that they own a 2-6-1 record at TD Garden.
“I think (Tuesday’s) game, I don’t think we played that bad,”Spooner said. “I think defensively, we were a little bit lackadaisical, I guess. We scored four times, and we let in five, so that’s definitely not acceptable.”
Thumbnail photo via Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images
