Penalties are adding up against the Bruins.
Penalties, turnovers and no 5v5 offense handed the Boston Bruins a 5-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday at the TD Garden.
After an OK start, the Bruins dug themselves in a hole early in the second period, allowing the Stars to score three power-play goals.
“When your attitude is on results, you tend to take too many penalties because you get frustrated quickly and you tend to turn over the puck a lot because you don’t want to work for the offense,” Jim Montgomery said. “You want results right away and that attitude…is causing some troubles right now.”
Here are the game’s highlights:
First period:
On 4-on-4, Matt Poitras found David Pastrnak in the slot for a one-timer past Casey DeSmith at 11:57 of the first period. 1-0 Bruins.
Entering the zone, Thomas Harley hit Tyler Seguin with a pass who then hit Matt Duchene with a short feed in the high slot. Duchene carried the puck to the left-wing circle where he let a wrist shot fly past Swayman at 16:20 of the first period. 1-1 game.
Second period:
David Pastrnak took a penalty just 11 seconds into the second. Then 20 seconds into the Stars’ power play, Robertson beat Swayman’s blocker in the slot 31 seconds into second period. 2-1 Stars.
Just over three minutes later, Parker Wotherspoon got called for interference which led to Logan Stankoven roofing a shot past Swayman from the slot on the next power play at 4:57 of the second period. 3-1 Stars.
Pastrnak headed back to the box on his second penalty on the period. Mason Marchment sent a pass to Seguin inside the right-wing circle where he lifted a wrist shot right under the cross bar at 8:59 of the second period with the Stars’ third power-play goal of the night. 4-1 Stars.
The Bruins capitalized on their next power play, getting one back as out front, Justin Brazeau found the rebound from Trent Frederic’s wrap-around at 10:41 of the second period. 4-2 game.
Third period:
Roope Hintz added an empty-net goal at 17:58 of the third period. Final score: 5-2 Stars.
Game notes
- There’s not much more to tonight other than the Bruins have to stop taking so many penalties each game. You can’t have three power play goals scored on you, especially in the second period. “It’s the hardest period to get changes on the penalty kill,” Montgomery said postgame.
- Montgomery attributed mounting penalties it to a team “attitude” right now looking for results over focusing on habits and details. He said because of this, it’s leading to penalties and turnovers as the lineup isn’t willing to work.
- The Bruins took five penalties tonight, which is around the majority of how many they’ve been taking almost every game. A lot of them are unnecessary stick infractions from undisciplined play.
- David Pastrnak postgame acknowledged his two penalties and how it was more uncharacteristic for him to get two in a game — and two so quickly — and also already be up to 14 penalty minutes in only eight games (which is already a third of what he ended with in 82 games last year). He said he needed to mind his stick better so he doesn’t put the Bruins in so many shorthanded situations because of his actions.
- But Pastrnak also added it’s a team-wide issue to start the season. Postgame, he said guys are having a hard time staying on top of their own game. “Everybody’s struggling,” he said. “It’s early but we know we have to get much better. I think that’s why you can see a little frustration too in the team because we expect a high standard in this wearing the Spoke B.”
- Montgomery shuffled up the lines again, but it really didn’t make much of a difference. The Bruins are still struggling at even strength to generate offense. The Bruins’ two goals came on 4-on-4 play and the power play.
- If there was a silver lining, Brazeau looked good after being a healthy scratch for two of the three road games. He had a net-front presence and it paid off on the power play. He could have easily have had another one too because he kept crashing the net.
- The Bruins continue their homestand on Saturday, Oct. 26, when they welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs for an Original Six match-up at 7 p.m.