The Boston Bruins played as if it was Game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs not a preseason matchup against the Philadephia Flyers at TD Garden on Friday night.
The were seven goals scored between the bitter Eastern Conference rivals, after the whistle scrums, a full-fledged dropping-of-the-gloves fight and spectacular saves on both sides of the ice.
Unfortunately, the hard-fought game by both teams ended in a 4-3 shootout loss for the Black and Gold.
Bruins superstar David Pastrnak looked a little out of sorts early in the game but scored his first two goals of the preseason, proving that he hasn’t lost a step during the offseason.
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Pastrnak’s second goal was a takeaway at the blue line, followed by him skating in uncontested and beating Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson top shelf above the outstretched glove.
It was the first game for Pastrnak and even with his two goals, he said he’s still finding his game rhythm.
“Physically was good. Mentally and position-wise you feel a little lost,” Pastrnak said on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I’m trying to get the brain and legs going at the same time skating up and down the ice. The first game is always like that.”
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Here are more notes from Friday’s Bruins-Flyers game:
— Danton Heinen played in his second preseason game and notched his first goal in the second period from Kevin Shattenkirk and Georgii Merkulov. Heinen is battling for a spot on the roster after signing a professional tryout deal with the Bruins on Sept. 5.
“You put pressure on yourself because you wanna be part of it so badly,” Heinen said postgame, per 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Ty Anderson. “I’ve put this jersey on before. I know how special it is.”
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— Jakub Lauko dropped the gloves with Flyers defenseman Louie Belpedio in the second period earning the standing ovation from the Bruins faithful at the Garden.
— Linus Ullmark, in his preseason debut, played the full 60 minutes along with the overtime and shootout stopping 33 of the 36 shots he faced for a .917 save percentage.
— The Bruins will travel to Philadephia for a rematch with the Flyers on Monday. Puck drop from Wells Fargo Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. You can catch all the action on NESN, followed by a half-hour of postgame coverage.
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Featured image via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
