When the Boston Bruins opened the third period with three goals in 2:56, they took a commanding 5-2 lead over the Philadelphia Flyers.
It should have been a comfortable lead, right? Not for these Bruins. The desperate Flyers battled back, scoring three goals of their own, but Boston would escape with the 6-5 victory on Saturday night.
Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery described the game as a typical matchup with a team that is fighting for a playoff spot.
“I thought (the Flyers) were very desperate in the entire game,” Montgomery told reporters, per the team. “I liked the way in the third period that we raised our level overall, we were able to establish a lead, and we gotta learn to close out games. You just can’t think it’s over.
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“The other teams are desperate, and it’s like a playoff game. There’s going to be those momentum and emotional swings and we got to be a little better and a little more mature as a team to be able to close out those games a little bit easier.”
Jake DeBrusk tallied his 17th goal of the season as part of the three-goal third-period outburst. The Bruins are 23-3-1 when DeBrusk registers at least a point and 15-11-14 when the forward is held pointless in matchups. DeBrusk added an assist on Morgan Geekie’s first-period goal for his ninth multi-point game of the season.
The streaking goal-scorer echoed Montgomery’s thoughts on facing teams battling for playoff spots down the stretch.
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“We stuck to our game plan, obviously try to get on the forecheck and play our game,” DeBrusk told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I think over time, you break teams down. … Then, unfortunately, took a seat back and it’s obviously a very desperate team over there in a playoff race. So, kudos to them for giving us a run for our money.”
DeBrusk said he doesn’t feel the third period was problematic for the Bruins despite surrendering three goals to the Flyers.
“We won, right?” DeBrusk said. “Obviously, we don’t want to give up these leads, but we did score six. We won this time, but obviously, you don’t want to give up. I don’t know how many goals it was; I feel like I was on for four straight. It pisses you off, but … these are the types of trials and runs you got to go through throughout a year especially heading into the playoffs but we did get the two points.”
The Bruins own a 40-14-15 overall record and, with 95 points, lead the NHL in the standings.
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“It’s not hard for me to look at the glass half full,” Montgomery said, per the team. “And it’s why you want to learn these lessons and the desperation of the teams. And our schedule is really tough here down the stretch. We’re going to continue to play teams that are fighting for the playoffs or fighting for positions in the playoffs … which is what we like because we want to be prepared for all these things that are going to happen come playoff time.”
More Bruins
Here are more notes from Saturday’s Bruins-Flyers game:
— Charlie Coyle tallied two goals in the contest. With 23 goals on the season, Coyle eclipsed his career-high of 21 he set in in the 2015-16 season with the Minnesota Wild.
— Brad Marchand added two assists in the game. The Bruins captain has 27 goals and 34 assists for 61 points. He is one goal shy of his 400th career goal.
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— Boston improved to 10-10-6 when its opponent scores first, 16-3-6 when tied after the first period, 9-0-4 when tied after two periods and 9-6-2 against Metropolitan opponents.
— The Bruins will play the middle contest of their three-game homestand on Tuesday night when they host the Ottawa Senators. NESN’s full coverage of the game from TD Garden begins at 6 p.m. ET.
Featured image via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
