Final, Blue Jackets 3-2: When we look back on the first 49 games of the Bruins’ season and search for the losses that really stung, we may need to only look at the 49th.
Up by a goal entering the third period against the second-worst defensive team in the league, Boston chokes away a pair of much-needed points when the Columbus Blue Jackets score twice in the final 12-plus minutes.
Some postgame talk will center on the call against Milan Lucic with less than two minutes left, and rightfully so as the officials blew one there, giving the Blue Jackets a power play to cash in on. But there was a notable lack of drive in the final 20 minutes for the Black & Gold, who fall to 1-5-1 in their last seven games.
There is one day to ponder what went wrong before Ottawa, which pasted Boston on Monday, 5-1, returns to TD Garden for a matinee Saturday. Puck drops at 1 p.m. and we will again be following all the action as the B’s search for something. Anything.
Third period, 1.5 seconds, Blue Jackets 3-2: A swap of the goal gives it to R.J. Umberger, who did appear to tip in a drive from just inside the blue line.
The officials are debating putting some time on the clock but it likely won’t be enough, even though the B’s have evened the numbers with a Blue Jackets penalty.
Third period, 1:16, Blue Jackets 3-2: It takes Columbus 15 seconds to convert as Anton Stralman fires one in from the point.
The Lucic penalty will be debated, but what cannot be argued is the horrendous timing of it.
Third period, 1:31, 2-2: Finally a whistle after several minutes without one, and it comes after Steve Mason covers up the puck following a Bruins chance.
In the mix, Milan Lucic was called for a double minor for high-sticking, a questionable call given to Lucic when he fell to the ice and flailed an arm out, seeminly catching a Blue Jacket in the face. Replays showed that the stick in question was not even his, but one from a Columbus player. What a poor call.
That hurts. Columbus will be on the power play for the remainder, barring any other whistles.
Third period, 4:55, 2-2: Michael Ryder goes in almost untouched and gets a shot on Steve Mason from Mason’s left side, but it sails high. It’s one of the few legitimate chances we have seen from the Bruins this period.
Third period, 7:10, 2-2: The B’s are getting a little sloppy in the neutral zone, struggling to get things going into the Columbus zone.
Third period, 8:37, 2-2: Mark Stuart, fresh out of the penalty box, gives Rick Nash the business in front of the Bruins bench, but nothing comes of it.
Third period, 9:24, 2-2: Kris Russell bangs one off the post but the Bruins are able to kill the penalty. Still, Tuukka Rask is getting peppered here in the last couple of minutes as all the action seems to be on one side of the ice.
Third period, 11:20, 2-2: Columbus has a chance to take the lead for the first time after Mark Stuart is sent off for crosschecking.
Third period, 12:44, 2-2: Groans throughout the Garden after the Blue Jackets tie it.
It was a rush on Tuukka Rask that slowed a bit but in the scramble in front of the net Antoine Vermette was able to push the puck through the crease while falling to the ice.
Vermette’s goal in the second period was taken away, if you recall. It is his 15th of the season. The assist goes to defenseman Kris Russell, his 10th.
Third period, 13:52, Bruins 2-1: That makes the B’s 0-for-2 on the power play after they get little pressure on Steve Mason.
Third period, 15:10, Bruins 2-1: The B’s will have their second power-play chance after defenseman Anton Stralman is taken off for interference.
The Blue Jackets get an immediate rush the other way and are turned away by Tuukka Rask. That is the second great shorthanded opportunity for Columbus.
Third period, 18:15, Bruins 2-1: David Krejci has a great look sail high here early in the third. Krejci is without a goal in five-plus games.
Third period, 19:55, Bruins 2-1: The puck has dropped in a critical third period for the Bruins. Although the lead is just one, anything short of two points would be a disappointment.
A few strong shifts out of the gate here will go a long way to avoiding such a fate.
End of second period, Bruins 2-1: Another period controlled in large part by the Bruins, who killed the lone penalty of the stanza (thank you, instant replay) and outshot the Blue Jackets, 11-7.
In a lot of ways, this upcoming period is a huge one for the B’s. Losing a lead in the third period is one thing out West, but at home against one of the worst teams in the league would be a killer, especially with Ottawa on the horizon.
Remember, the Senators blitzed the Black & Gold on Monday, 5-1.
Second period, 1:48, Bruins 2-1: To keep up with the stat mentioned earlier, Daniel Paille has recorded his fourth takeaway. The teams have combined for 10 total.
Second period, 2:50, Bruins 2-1: The B’s kill the penalty, dodging a bullet in the process.
Second period, 4:36, Bruins 2-1: The goal is taken away after replays show that Antoine Vermette kicked the puck through with his right skate.
Tuukka Rask was immediately up complaining about the goal and proven right. Bruins still lead.
Second period, 4:36, 2-2: For now Columbus has tied it on a goal by Antoine Vermette, but the play is under review. If it stands, it took Columbus just 56 seconds into its first power play to score against the best penalty-killing team in the league.
Second period, 4:57, Bruins 2-1: Patrice Bergeron is put in the box for hooking, giving Columbus its first chance on the power play.
Second period, 7:20, Bruins 2-1: Dennis Wideman just can’t win right now. He winds up to shoot one into the Columbus zone and drills Blake Wheeler in the leg, sending Wheeler to the ice.
Wideman just stared at the ice incredulously.
Second period, 8:30, Bruins 2-1: Daniel Paille just notched his third takeaway of the game, stripping a Blue Jacket clean in the Columbus zone. No other player has more than two takeaways thus far.
The Blue Jackets have none.
Second period, 10:45, Bruins 2-1: Dennis Wideman beats a Blue Jackets skater to the puck and a sarcastic roar rains down upon him. It’s tough going for Wideman right now.
Second period, 13:20, Bruins 2-1: Patrice Bergeron scorches one past Steve Mason and the Bruins reclaim the lead.
Bergeron was fed the puck nicely by Daniel Paille and fired one from the point that beat Mason glove side.
It is the 12th of the season for Bergeron. Zdeno Chara was also given an assist, his team-leading 24th.
Second period, 14:27, 1-1: Columbus goes over five minutes before it gets its first shot on net here in the second period.
On another note what looks like a stick blade was tossed onto the ice at the last whistle and nobody saw it.
Second period, 16:40, 1-1: Trent Whitfield had his first point of the season in the first period and nearly notched his first goal when he was stoned on the doorstep moments ago.
Whitfield, Michael Ryder and Miroslav Satan have formed the best line of the night so far.
Second period, 19:55, 1-1: Underway in the second period and just thought I’d pass on this little tidbit to show how often Columbus is forced to play from behind.
Michael Ryder’s goal at 2:11 of the first period marked the sixth straight game the Blue Jackets have allowed a goal within the first 2:29 of play.
End of first period, 1-1: The Bruins had a 12-10 advantage in shots on goal and a few more sustained attacks in the first period. But it’s one mistake by Dennis Wideman that has made this a tie game at the first break.
Back in a bit for the second stanza.
First period, 2:14, 1-1: A scramble in front of Tuukka Rask yields nothing on the scoreboard but plenty more pushing and shoving. This has become a bit of a chippy affair here late in the first period.
First period, 2:30, 1-1: Blue Jackets drop in droves in a span of a few seconds with defenseman Kris Russell getting the worst of it.
Russell was hit when Vladimir Sobotka tried to dump one into the zone. The trail of blood on the ice is currently being scrubbed away by TD Garden staff.
Russell was able to skate off OK and we’ll see if he comes back after a few stitches.
First period, 4:10, 1-1: Milan Lucic and Jared Boll go at it in a fight that didn’t have any great haymakers, but served to get the crowd into it a bit more. Hard to pick a winner there.
First period, 5:05, 1-1: Daniel Paille’s hard work gave the Bruins a good chance moments ago as he managed two straight strips of the puck and gave Patrice Bergeron an opportunity that was spent.
First period, 7:37, 1-1: The Blue Jackets tie it and you can pin this on one Dennis Wideman. Again.
Wideman fanned on the puck trying to get it out of the zone, leaving it sitting pretty for Raffi Torres, who found Chris Clark for a one-timer that beat Tuukka Rask.
Wideman’s issues have been widely documented and he’s in the middle of the wrath again here early on.
First period, 9:20, Bruins 1-0: Rick Nash manages the only scoring chance on the Bruins power play. Nash, of course, plays for Columbus.
David Krejci gets a shot off for the Bruins as the man advantage expires.
First period, 11:50, Bruins 1-0: The B’s have the first power-play chance of the night after defenseman Jan Hejda is sent off for holding.
Boston’s power play is ranked seventh in the league at home (22 percent). Columbus is 15th overall in killing penalties (81.4 percent).
First period, 12:40, Bruins 1-0: After Tuukka Rask is able to turn a tumbling puck away, Michael Ryder gets another scoring chance in front of Steve Mason, but this one is tipped away.
First period, 15:26, Bruins 1-0: Dennis Wideman hears it early from a few fans after he is in the area when the puck comes free and winds up on the stick of Columbus’ Kristian Huselius.
Huselius missed in close but Wideman again had that look as if he didn’t know quite what had happened.
First period, 16:16, Bruins 1-0: As they unravel a skirmish in front of the Bruins net, we’ll note that Boston is 16-3-1 when scoring first this season.
First period, 17:49: Bruins 1-0: Michael Ryder lights the lamp less than three minutes into this one, finishing a great rush by the B’s.
Ryder beat Steve Mason with a wrister after getting a perfect feed from Trent Whitfield.
That is the 12th goal for Ryder and Whitfield’s first point. Miroslav Satan also picks up a helper on the goal.
First period, 19:08, 0-0: We are underway here and looking for a little something extra in terms of effort from the Bruins, who get the first mini-opportunity when Zdeno Chara dumps one in front of the net with a B’s skater on the doorstep.
6:57 p.m.: The starting lineups are confirmed now and it goes something like this for the Bruins:
Patrice Bergeron, Mark Recchi and Daniel Paille are across the front line again, with Zdeno Chara and Derek Morris the defensemen in front of Tuukka Rask.
6:30 p.m.: Greetings from the Garden, where we are getting set for a matchup between two teams which have disappointed, each in its own way.
While the B’s goal-scoring deficiencies are widely known, the Blue Jackets have made plenty of teams look like offensive juggernauts. It’ll be interesting to see if the Bruins can look like that, at least for a night.
Boston remains the lowest-scoring team in the NHL, averaging just 2.22 goals per game in the New Year.
As expected, Marco Sturm, Byron Bitz and Steve Begin are scratched tonight. Tuukka Rask will be between the pipes for Boston, opposed by Steve Mason for Columbus.
3:12 p.m.: When you are scratching and clawing to keep your head above water like the Bruins are right now, these are the games you have to win.
The B’s have had two days of rest heading into their matchup with the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets at the TD Garden. Puck drops just after 7 p.m. and we will be following all the action for you.And it’s not like Boston is without motivation. It was embarrassed in a 5-1 loss at the Garden on Monday afternoon, this just two days after blowing a late lead and losing in a shootout to Los Angeles in the finale of a three-game road trip.
We will have our eyes on defenseman Dennis Wideman, who was called out by coach Claude Julien after a pitiful performance Monday.
“First of all, he’s got to bring his intensity level up and he’s got to have a better compete level,” Julien said of Wideman on Wednesday. “That’s what makes him a great player. He should easily be a top-two, at worst, a top-three defenseman for us, and he’s not close to that right now. We know it. He knows it. He’s got to pick up his game.”
Wideman responded to NESN.com’s James Murphy on Thursday morning.
“I don’t really read papers or watch the news, but a couple of the guys told me about it and it’s nothing I don’t know already,” Wideman told Murphy. “I know what I need to do and I just need to go out there and do it. That’s all I can really say.”
Marco Sturm remains a question mark with a leg injury that has robbed him of the last two games. Tuukka Rask is expected to start in net after relieving Tim Thomas during the Ottawa debacle.Columbus, which has allowed the second-most goals in the NHL behind only Toronto, is coming off a 5-3 setback in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
