The Boston Bruins suffered their seventh loss in nine games Sunday afternoon, falling to the Chicago Blackhawks in their final road contest of the regular season.
The 6-4 defeat prevented the Bruins from climbing back into the Stanley Cup playoff picture, as they’ll head into their season-ending three-game homestand one point back of the Detroit Red Wings — whom they’ll host Thursday — for third place in the NHL’s Atlantic Division.
Boston still controls its own destiny, however, and would clinch a playoff spot if it wins out.
As the B’s prep for one final postseason push, let’s unpack a few notes from their date with the Hawks.
— The Bruins completely neutralized the Artemi Panarin-Artem Anisimov-Patrick Kane line in their win over the Blackhawks two months ago. That did not happen Sunday.
The offensively explosive trio produced five of the Blackhawks’ six goals (three by Kane, one each by Panarin and Anisimov) and racked up 11 total points to carry Chicago in the rematch.
Kane’s four-point effort (he also added an assist) upped his NHL-leading season point total to an even 100, making him the first American-born player to reach the 100-point plateau since Doug Weight did so in 1995-96.
— Patrice Bergeron powered Boston’s offense, which did not come alive until after Chicago had built an insurmountable 6-0 lead. The veteran center scored two goals, added an assist and recorded seven shots on goal in the loss.
Bergeron has tallied 32 goals this season, a new career high and the second-most among all Bruins players behind linemate Brad Marchand. Marchand also scored a goal Sunday, his 36th.
— Goals have been tremendously hard to come by this season for Bruins defenseman Torey Krug, who notched two assists and 10 shots on goal in the loss but could not find the back of the net. That shot-on-goal total was the highest by a Bruins player this season and a career high for Krug, who has just three goals this season and none since Dec. 5.
— Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask was yanked after surrendering four goals in 22 minutes, but head coach Claude Julien told reporters after the game that the switch was an indictment on how his teammates were playing in front of him, not on the netminder himself.
Julien on Rask: "I don't think my No. 1 goaltender needed to be exposed any more than that, the way we were playing in front of him"
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 3, 2016
Julien on Rask: "it was an opportunity for me to pull him out, and maybe try and change the momentum, but certainly not because of his play"
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 3, 2016
Rask faced 22 shots in his abbreviated outing, including 19 in the first period.
— Injured defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, who has missed Boston’s last two games, skated Sunday morning, Julien told reporters before the game. The Bruins were forced to make do without Seidenberg and fellow blueliner Kevan Miller in Chicago, as both are recovering from lower body injuries.
— The 11 goals the Bruins have allowed over their last two games are the most they’ve surrendered over any two-game stretch this season.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
