Bruins Wrap: Slow Start Vs. Flames Sends Boston To Loss Column

BOSTON — The Bruins opened up the second half of their campaign following the NHL All-Star break in losing fashion, falling to the Flames, 4-1, to begin a seven-game homestand at TD Garden on Tuesday night.

With the loss, Boston falls to 31-10-9 while Calgary improves to 23-22-5.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Fresh off the NHL All-Star break, and going up against one of the worst teams in the Western Conference, the Bruins struggled throughout regulation to find the back of Calgary’s net.

Boston had its resilience put to the test, kicking off the night with a 2-0 deficit from a Flames team that entered the contest ranking 24th in total points (49), and had only held opponents scoreless once in its last 16 games played.

Undergoing a handful of shoving matches with Calgary, Boston certainly had the physical will to not back down. Yet, only so much came of it.

With plenty of time in the remaining two periods of play, the Bruins couldn’t find the equalizer to apply enough pressure on Calgary. With a 5-on-3 power-play advantage in the final period, Pavel Zacha prevented a shutout by attempting to get a last-period rally started.

Taking notice of a potential pendulum swing in the works by Boston, the Flames responded less than two minutes later as Jonathan Huberdeau returned Calgary’s lead to two. That proved to be enough, even though the Bruins had 13:02 — the majority of the period — left to come up with a push for overtime, at the very least.

STARS OF THE GAME
—- Flames goalie Jacob Markstorm was tremendous for Calgary, holding Boston scoreless through the first two periods while totaling 21 saves.

— Zacha prevented Boston from squandering its favorable 5-on-3 power play in the final period, giving the Bruins their only sign of offensive life.

— Huberdeau sparked a two-goal rally in the third period, finishing with a goal and two assists to ensure Boston’s chances of mustering a comeback wouldn’t come to fruition.

WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds of Zacha scoring at +360. The 26-year-old cleared those odds and rewarded a patient Boston home crowd with some desperately needed offensive production. A $100 wager on Zacha would’ve netted a $460 total payout.

UP NEXT ON NESN
The Bruins will get a day off before returning to the ice Thursday night to host the Vancouver Canucks. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game, plus a full hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.