Bruins Notes: Bruce Cassidy Sent Strong Message To Team After Second Period

The Bruins were playing a strong game through two periods, but they just couldn’t find the back of the net despite a slew of chances.

Boston answered with a four-goal third period en route to a 5-4 shootout win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night. The team also scored three even-strength goals, something they hadn’t done all season.

Jack Studnicka got the scoring started with his first NHL goal, then Charlie Coyle answered 1:09 later to tie things at 2-2. Brandon Carlo was the third 5-on-5 tally on the night.

The Black and Gold looked like a different team in the third after being down 2-0. So, what was the message to the guys during the second period intermission?

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“What was addressed after the second period? Essentially, we’re too easy to play against offensively,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said after the game. “We’re a hard team to play against defensively, I think we’re willing to play the right way. Offensively, we’re too easy to play against. We discussed a couple of ways we can get better, harder to play against, and maybe in a little forceful manner so the message gets across. But at the end of the day, you have to be willing to get inside, find some pucks around the front of the net.”

That message clearly was heard loud and clear, and the Bruins earned their second win of the season, something they desperately needed after losing two winnable games back-to-back.

Here are some other notes from Thursday’s Bruins-Flyers game:

— This was the first game at TD Garden since March 7, 2020. Cassidy missed the fans, but said his team is accepting that it’s “not very noisy.”

“It would’ve been nice to hear the fans after the third period,” he said.

— Studnicka scored his first goal of his NHL career at a time when Boston needed it most. The tally also marked the first 5-on-5 goal for the Bruins this season.

“It’s obviously a very exciting night for myself,” he said.

Studnicka’s puck collection already consisted of his first junior goal, NHL point and NHL game. Now he adds his first big-league goal.

“This one probably takes the cake,” he said.

— Tuukka Rask was unreal in the overtime period, standing on his head to keep his team in it.

“Tuukka was there for us,” Cassidy said. “… I thought he played obviously great in the overtime, shootout.”

— Boston now has won two games in the shootout, something it struggled mightily with last season.

“Last year, we couldn’t win one to save our lives,” Cassidy said, “and now we’ve won two. … Go figure.”

— Matt Grzelcyk fell awkwardly into the boards in the second period and looked to have tweaked his leg. The defenseman did not play in the overtime period, but Cassidy said it doesn’t look like anything serious.

“He was playing through some discomfort,” he said. “He wasn’t gonna be able to cover the ice he needed to. He’s had a couple of tough nights now. … Hopefully there’s no long-term damage there. Doesn’t sound like it.”

— Carlo potted his first goal of the season in the third period when he gave the Bruins their first lead of the game.

“It shows the resilience of this team,” he said. “It’s fantastic.”

— The B’s remain at TD Garden for a Saturday showdown against the Flyers. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET.