Jones: Resting, Ailing Bruins Squander Late Game Lead In Wild Win
BOSTON (CBS) - The Bruins were able to pick up a point in the standings, but were once again stifled in the shootout on the road against Minnesota in a 4-3 loss to the Wild.
Jarome Iginla and Kevan Miller were not in action due to injury, however coach Claude Julien said Monday that the injuries are minor and that both players would be playing if it were the postseason -- so that's good news if you're a Bruins fan. David Krejci was scratched as well.
The B's have lost three games in overtime in their last 10 contests, and perhaps this can be attributed to the resting of players prior to the playoffs. As it stands, the Bruins have clinched the no. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and hold a three-point lead over the Blues for best overall record in the NHL.
Adam Jones was on the air following the loss to analyze the game with Dave Goucher and Bob Beers of the Bruins Radio Network, specifically their inability to close out the game.
The B's held a 3-2 lead for virtually all of the third period until Ryan Suter evened it up on the 6-on-5 at the 18:55 mark after the Wild pulled goalie Ilya Bryzgalov.
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This isn't the first time this has happened, but despite the number of occurrences Dave Goucher isn't too worried.
"I don't know that I'm all too worried to be honest with you. They've had some breakdowns here over the last few games where they've given up goals, some of it's been bad breaks, some of it's been turnovers. This one tonight was a good play by Ryan Suter to jump on a loose puck in the slot and beat [Tuukka] Rask. I don't know at the end of the day if it's something they'll focus on."
It's certainly not a doomsday scenario, but Bob Beers disagrees that this lackluster play to close games won't be a point of emphasis.
"I agree that it's not something to get overboard about, but they will talk about it. They'll address it, let's put it that way. How can we be better with the goaltender pulled? They beat the Flyers in a shootout but Philadelphia scored with their goalie pulled in the last minute," said Beers. "It'll be brought to their attention to make sure they know and maybe they can find some different ways."
Listen below for the full postgame recap:
Following his chat with Dave and Bob, Adam Jones provided his three highlights and lowlights from the game in a segment we call "Plus/Minus."
Plus
1. Reilly Smith finally got back on the scoring sheet Tuesday night and nabbed his first regulation goal since mid-March. With the goal, he became the fifth Bruins on the year to reach the 20-goal threshold.
2. Patrice Bergeron pounced on a loose puck in the middle of the first period and hammered home the rebound goal. That's now 12 straight games where the alternate captain has scored a point, including 10 goals and 6 assists in that stretch.
3. Loui Eriksson continued his hot ways and grabbed his ninth goal of the season on a re-direct from Zdeno Chara.
Minus
1. Milan Lucic was called for a tripping penalty just 41 seconds into the game, which led to a Wild power play goal by Jason Pominville just 24 seconds later.
2. Bruins defenseman Corey Potter was victimized badly and beaten to the punch by Matt Moulson, who assisted on Pominville's second goal of the night. Bergeron losing the defensive zone faceoff didn't help either.
3. The B's continue to struggle to close out the end of periods and games. Ryan Suter forced overtime and tied the game at three apiece after the Wild pulled their goalie. After a scoreless OT period the Bruins were beaten in the shutout by the final score of 4-3.
Listen below:
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