Final, Jets 2-1: The Bruins once again give up a lead late in the third period, and once again, they end up losing the game in the shootout. None of it means much of anything at this point in the season, but if you’re going to play the games, you might as well win them. The B’s have attempted to do that twice on this road trip and have failed twice to do so.
The good news? Just two more games left in the regular season.
Shootout:
Round 1 — Reilly Smith stopped by Michael Hutchinson // Bryan Little scores (Winnipeg 1-0)
Round 2 — Ryan Spooner misses net // Olli Jokinen stopped by Chad Johnson (Winnipeg 1-0)
Round 3 — Brad Marchand stopped by Michael Hutchinson // Jets win the shootout 1-0
End overtime, 1-1: The Bruins had a couple of chances and a lot of possession on the power play, but they couldn’t find the back of the net. We’re going to another shootout.
Overtime, 4:20, 1-1: The Bruins are going on the power play late in the period.
Jarome Iginla was obstructed with on a race to the puck, and Olli Jokinen is called for holding.
Overtime, 3:00, 1-1: The Bruins had a chance when Johnny Boychuk won a puck battle behind the Winnipeg net and made a centering pass to Reilly Smith in the slot. However, Smith’s shot was blocked as the Jets recovered quickly and took away what looked to be a wide-open shooting lane.
Overtime, 0:01, 1-1: The overtime period is underway.
End third period, 1-1: Once again, the Bruins lose the lead late in the third, and once again, they’ll need to go to extra time.
Third period, 18:03, 1-1: It was just a matter of time.
The Jets have tied it up, thanks to Evander Kane. Blake Wheeler flew into the Boston zone and dropped a pass for Kane who moved into the slot. Kane quickly took a snap shot that beat Chad Johnson to the goalie’s right, and the game is now tied.
Third period, 17:00, Bruins 1-0: Chad Johnson with a little luck to preserve the one-goal lead, as Evander Kane just hit the post in another Winnipeg scoring chance.
Third period, 15:06, Bruins 1-0: The Jets are doing their best to make sure they end their home schedule on a winning note. Winnipeg is starting to dominate the puck possession battle in the third period where they have put 13 shots on goal so far. The bad news for them, though, is that Chad Johnson has stopped each of those shots — and all 33 he’s seen over the entire game.
Third period, 12:00, Bruins 1-0: Chad Johnson continues to be very solid for the Bruins. He just made a terrific save on Olli Jokinen, who took a centering pass from Adam Pardy. The bang-bang shot was stopped by Johnson with a quick right pad save.
Third period, 7:00, Bruins 1-0: Reilly Smith just had a great scoring chance in front of the Winnipeg net, but Michael Hutchinson came up big yet again.
Hutchinson got a pad on a redirect chance off of Smith’s stick. Smith took a pass from Brad Marchand and almost had the insurance goal, but Hutchinson was able to get a pad on the puck.
Third period, 1:10, Bruins 1-0: The two clubs just traded real good chances in the opening moments of the third.
First, it was Daniel Paille who took a stretch pass from Jarome Iginla and got free on a break down the left wing. He put a shot on net that Michael Hutchinson stopped with a right pad save. The puck went back the other way, where Blake Wheeler used his speed to get in all alone on Chad Johnson, but the Bruins goalie made his best save of the night as he closed his pads to foil Wheeler’s five-hole bid.
Third period, 0:01, Bruins 1-0: The third period is underway with the B’s looking to extend their lead.
End second period, Bruins 1-0: Jarome Iginla can’t seem to figure out Michael Hutchinson so far. Iginla had two more one-timers stopped late in the period, and Hutchinson is a big reason the B’s only lead by one through 40 minutes.
Second period, 16:59, Bruins 1-0: The power play is over after just one shot from the Bruins. That one shot was a good scoring chance, as Torey Krug fed Jarome Iginla with a pass through the slot to the left faceoff circle. Iginla hammered it at the net, but Michael Hutchinson went left to right to make the pad save.
Second period, 14:59, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins just finished off another “meh” power play, but they’re going to get another chance just 11 seconds after the previous man-advantage expired. Mark Stuart just caught Brad Marchand with a high stick, and it’s more power-play practice for the Bruins.
Second period, 12:48, Bruins 1-0: Shawn Thornton just earned the Bruins a power play. Thornton came racing into the zone with the puck, and he was held up by Adam Pardy. Pardy is being sent to the penalty box for hooking.
Second period, 10:17, Bruins 1-0: The two clubs are going to play 4-on-4 for the next two minutes. Torey Krug was called for holding, and that apparently got under Eric Tangradi’s skin. Tangradi did some pushing, shoving and hugging, and he gets a roughing penalty to ensure both head to the box.
Second period, 9;53, Bruins 1-0: This game means a whole lot of nothing for the Bruins, but they have gotten a nice game out of the first line. Milan Lucic just hammered a one-timer from the high slot, but Michael Hutchinson made the glove save.
Second period, 7:50, Bruins 1-0: Boston was able to avoid danger after Johnny Boychuk’s stick was broken in the Bruins’ zone. Boychuk broke his stick early in the shift, and the Jets kept the puck in for a good 30 seconds, but the Bruins did a nice job of keeping the Jets on the boards. Boychuk did his part by stapling a couple of blue jerseys to the glass, as well.
Second period, 5:04, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins killed the penalty behind a big save from Chad Johnson, who went post-to-post to stop a one-timer from the left wing. Johnson has been arguably the best Bruin on the ice so far.
Second period, 3:04, Bruins 1-0: The Jets are getting their first power play. Jordan Caron was just called for hooking, and the B’s will be shorthanded for a couple of minutes.
Second period, 0:01, Bruins 1-0: The second period is underway.
End first period, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins will take the lead into the dressing room, despite a late charge from the Jets in the final minute of the period.
First period, 16:12, Bruins 1-0: The night off seems to have done David Krejci well. He just made a brilliant play to make a backhanded touch pass through the neutral zone that sprung Jarome Iginla on a breakaway. Unfortunately for the Bruins, Iginla’s shot was stopped by Michael Hutchinson.
First period, 15:33, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins have the game’s only goal, but the Jets are certainly getting the better of the chances. Winnipeg is outshooting the B’s 9-3 so far, but Chad Johnson is having another nice game.
The Jets appear to be getting the good Evander Kane in this one. He already has four shot attempts, two of which have been on goal.
First period, 10:12, Bruins 1-0: The Bruins are without Patrice Bergeron on the second line for this one, but that’s the line that gets on the board first.
Reilly Smith dumped the puck into the corner on the rush into the zone, and that’s where Brad Marchand won a race to the puck. He was able to get around the Winnipeg defense and then beat Michael Hutchinson with a very nice move at the net for the goal.
First period, 9:52, 0-0: Evander Kane came within inches of putting the Jets on the board first. Kane took a pass from the point and was all alone in front of the net as the Bruins’ defense had gotten too aggressive chasing the play along the boards. Kane spun around and got a good look in front, but he put too much on the shot and lifted it over both the cross bar and the glass.
First period, 7:00, 0-0: An unsuccessful Bruins power play just came to an end. Not many real solid chances there for the Bruins. Milan Lucic tried to redirect a puck early in the man-advantage, but that attempt went wide. The B’s had a near-chance when Ryan Spooner tried to feed Torey Krug in the slot, but Krug didn’t see the pass. That seemed to be some unfamiliarity working against the Bruins there.
First period, 4:47, 0-0: The Bruins had plenty of good cycling in the Winnipeg zone by the third line, and it eventually leads to a power play.
Olli Jokinen was just called for hooking Carl Soderberg, and the Boston power play gets a chance in the opening minutes.
First period, 0:01, 0-0: And we’re off. The game is underway.
7:50 p.m.: Here are the projected lines and defensive pairs for the Bruins.
Milan Lucic — David Krejci — Jarome Iginla
Brad Marchand — Ryan Spooner — Reilly Smith
Daniel Paille — Carl Soderberg — Loui Eriksson
Jordan Caron — Gregory Campbell — Shawn Thornton
Andrej Meszaros — Johnny Boychuk
Matt Bartkowski — Kevan Miller
Torey Krug — Dougie Hamilton
7:33 p.m.: Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron are not on the ice for pregame warmups. Jarome Iginla and Kevan Miller, however, are on the ice.
7:30 p.m.: Claude Julien may have pulled a fast one on us all. Tuukka Rask was the first goalie off the ice at morning skate, but Chad Johnson just led the team out for pregame warmups, which means he’ll get the start.
6 p.m.: Bruins fans are probably stressing out as they scoreboard-watch in the final days of the season and the B’s wait to see who they’ll play in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. One person who says he’s not paying too close attention is Bruins president Cam Neely.
The B’s will almost certainly end up playing either the Detroit Red Wings or the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round, and Neely doesn’t have a preference as to which team the B’s face.
“You certainly pay attention and watch what’s going on, but we’re kind of (looking at as) “the chips fall where they may,'” Neely said Thursday afternoon on 98.5 The Sports Hub. “And in the meantime, we’re certainly looking at the various opponents and prescouting.
“I never have done that (hoping for a certain opponent) and don’t like doing it. I’ve seen too many things happen. Not just in the series I’ve played in but watching other series over the years. It’s the old saying, be careful what you wish for.”
1:23 p.m.: Here’s what Claude Julien had to say about potential lineup changes.
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1:08 p.m.: Tuukka Rask was the first goalie off the ice at morning skate, and it looks like he’ll get his second consecutive start. It will be interesting to see how the Bruins let that situation play out in the final few games. There are just three games left counting Thursday night, and Rask is apparently going to get at least one of those starts. It seems unlikely that he would get all three, though. The B’s have games on Saturday and Sunday, so it stands to reason that Chad Johnson will get at least one of those games.
1:02 p.m.: The consensus seems to be that Patrice Bergeron will also get the night off. We’ll have to wait until pregame warmups to know for sure, though. If Bergeron is out, Ryan Spooner would be inserted into the lineup.
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12:55 p.m.: The Bruins will indeed be without Chris Kelly against the Jets. He’s dealing with a back injury, head coach Claude Julien told reporters. Kelly is day-to-day with the issue.
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12:40 p.m.: Bruins morning skate is underway at the MTS Centre, and the B’s are missing a couple of players. Chris Kelly and Patrice Bergeron are absent from the morning skate. However, Jarome Iginla and Kevan Miller are on the ice for the skate. They skated before Tuesday’s morning skate in Minnesota but did not partake in the formal part of the skate.
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12:10 p.m.: Former Bruins prospect Michael Hutchinson is expected to get the start for the Jets in goal against his former organization. Hutchinson made his NHL debut Monday night against the Minnesota Wild. He stopped 16 of the 17 shots he faced, but the Jets couldn’t find the back of the net, and Hutchinson took the loss. The 24-year-old was a third-round pick of the Bruins in the 2008 draft and spent parts of three seasons with the Providence Bruins.
11:30 a.m.: The Boston Bruins will likely start the Stanley Cup playoffs a week from Thursday, but there’s still business to take care of before they can start the NHL’s second season.
That includes Thursday night’s stop in lovely Winnipeg, where the Bruins will take on the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre. The B’s are looking to get back on the winning track after they dropped a 4-3 shootout decision Tuesday night in Minnesota. They’ll do so against a Winnipeg team that has literally nothing to play for as they play out the string from the bottom of the NHL standings.
Boston, meanwhile, is trying to sharpen its game before the playoffs while simultaneously resting some players. It seems that rest is the most important thing in the final few games. The B’s made David Krejci a healthy scratch on Tuesday in Minnesota while Jarome Iginla and Kevan Miller have been held out of the lineup in the last two games with minor injuries. Chris Kelly suffered some sort of injury in Tuesday’s game against the Wild. He skated just one shift in the third period for precautionary reasons, according to head coach Claude Julien. Kelly also sat out Wednesday’s practice. Boston recalled Ryan Spooner from Providence on Wednesday on an emergency basis, and he could be in the lineup Thursday night against the Jets.
The B’s are also still making a push for the Presidents’ Trophy, which would be a nice notch on their belt and would also give them home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs, but little else. Boston is battling St. Louis and now Anaheim (Colorado has a sliver of a chance as well) for the top spot in the NHL standings.
Here are how the standings currently look.
The top spot is definitely there for the taking for the Bruins, who have already wrapped up the Eastern Conference’s top spot. They could technically eliminate the Blues from the Presidents’ Trophy race with a win over the Jets and a St. Louis regulation loss against Minnesota.
Puck drop from Winnipeg is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
