While the Bruins have gotten out to a good start this season, Boston has not been void of flaws in the early goings.
Boston has left some to be desired during five-on-five play and has failed to get the kind of secondary scoring they need to support the top line.
So while Boston came up one goal short in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, it did take steps forward in those aforementioned areas.
Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen, perhaps Boston’s two most-important secondary scoring options, each potted goals in the loss. For DeBrusk it was his first of the season and came on one of a half dozen opportunities the forward had to get on the board in the loss, something head coach Bruce Cassidy spoke on during his postgame comments.
“Better,” Cassidy said on NESN’s postgame coverage of the secondary offense. “It was good to see Jake (DeBrusk) get rewarded. He was around the front of the net tonight. It looked he could have had more than one to be honest with you. Couple on the power play there in tight didn’t go his way.
“I thought (Karson) Kuhlman had energy. Danton (Heinen), big goal by him, good shot. Ritchie made good play there. Even the D were up a little more and active with their shot selection as the game went on. So, in that part of it, we’re pleased. We needed one more but that was a step in the right direction for sure.”
NESN
Boston managed to put 45 shots on net in the loss, and outshot the Leafs 15-3 in the second period. Had it not been for a monumental effort from Frederik Anderson, the Bruins likely would have left Scotiabank Arena with two points.
Here are some other notes from Saturday’s Bruins-Maple Leafs game:
— DeBrusk’s goal got him off the schneid after he had a goal stripped from him in Colorado earlier in the season.
“Obviously it felt good to get on the board but we didn’t get the result we wanted today and you always want to produce when your team is winning. But definitely a monkey off my back,” DeBrusk told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage.
— David Pastrnak continues to bring the sauce.
Pastrnak tied things up in the final five minutes of regulation, notching his ninth goal of the season. Over his last six games, Pastrnak has nine goals, tied for tops in the NHL, and six assists.
— Perhaps a bit surprising consider they played in Toronto, but the Bruins did not play shorthanded once on Saturday while going on the power play three times. Heinen got the lone man advantage marker.
— Nothing to do with this one, but Saturday marked the the 43rd anniversary of Bobby Orr’s debut in the Black and Gold.
