Things haven’t been going the Boston Bruins’ way of late, and that trend continued Saturday night.
Boston dropped its third straight game in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators at TD Garden. The B’s now have lost eight of their last nine.
But this game wasn’t all ugly. It began with a scoreless first period before Boston potted two goals for a 2-1 lead heading into the final stanza. Nashville scored twice — once on a botched play by Jaroslav Halak — less than a minute apart for its first lead. Even though Patrice Bergeron tied it up in the final minute, Boston ultimately fell victim in overtime.
The go-ahead Predators goal came when Halak left his net in an attempt to halt a Roman Josi breakaway chance. But he missed the puck, allowing Josi to score his second of the game.
this guy#Preds | #NSHvsBOS pic.twitter.com/fhdE89XV4S
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) December 22, 2019
After the game, head coach Bruce Cassidy noted that despite some bright spots, the loss was “self-inflicted.”
“You battle back-and-forth. Do you point out the positives? Are you sick of losing?,” he said on NESN’s Bruins postgame coverage. “What can we do better? We missed some empty nets. … Some of it you gotta credit the opposition. Some of it, like I said, is self-inflicted. The third (Predators) goal was a shot-block up top. Maybe you gotta make a better decision with that puck to keep it in the offensive zone as opposed to taking the risk because if it gets blocked it’s going the other way. We gotta put some of this on ourselves for sure to make better decisions, especially when it’s not going your way.”
Here are some other notes from Saturday’s Bruins-Predators game:
— Bergeron has been stellar since returning from a lower-body injury, scoring five goals with an assist.
The top-line center potted two goals in Saturday’s loss.
— Charlie McAvoy has struggled all season with finding the back of the net. The defenseman does have 12 assists, but has yet to score a goal.
“I’m doing my best man,” he said on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I’m just trying to play hockey. Play good, it’s just tough when you get a chance like that … hopefully I break through soon.”
— TD Garden hasn’t been kind to the Bruins, particularly over their last five games.
Boston boasts an 0-1-4 record, scoring just 12 goals while allowing 18 during that stretch.
— David Pastrnak, who was named the Atlantic Division captain for the 2020 NHL All-Star Game, extended his point streak to four games when he picked up an assist on Bergeron’s goal.
