by Sean T. McGuire 13 hours ago
The Bruins put on a valiant display in the third period, and while head coach Jim Montgomery didn’t lose his trademark resilience, the fact that Boston conceded four unanswered goals early in Sunday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings didn’t go over too well.
After the Bruins lost the second home-and-home game 5-3, Montgomery shared this with NESN’s Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley Boston’s lack of lust Winning 1v1 fights and being first to the puck was remarkable and disappointing.
“I think we were very lackluster with our performance in the first two periods,” said Montgomery. “It was nice to see we had a good push even at 4-1 and made a game out of it, but it was too little too late.”
The Red Wings took a 4-0 lead at 3:08 p.m. of the second period and led by three goals in the final 20 minutes. Detroit finished the game with two power play goals and scored one on his penalty shootout, marking the second straight game the Red Wings scored against Black and Gold while outnumbered.
“We just have to be honest with ourselves and we’re not putting in the effort that we expect of ourselves,” Montgomery said. “And this isn’t the first game here, the Calgary game was a little bit similar and we were tired that day but there’s no excuse for being tired because Detroit had the same schedule as us.”
Boston shared the duel with Detroit after a 3-2 win on Saturday night.
Here are more Bruins-Red Wings takeaways:
— The feeling of frustration at the launch but optimism given the resilience was also seen in the dressing room. Bruins defender Matt Grzelcyk, who scored and added an assist, was among those who thought so.
“I thought they played really well too,” Grzelcyk said when asked if Detroit beat Boston 3-1 in the second period, as seen on NESN. “They were all over us. You checked really well. I think we just weren’t ready to put pucks behind them and then spin a couple of pucks that just gave them even if they didn’t score they got possession and made it difficult for the next guys to come across. It’s all our fault. Like I said, I think that’s something we can correct.”
— Tyler Bertuzzi made his first return to Little Caesars Arena as a member of the opposing team. The veteran winger, who Boston acquired before the NHL trade deadline, admitted it was an odd experience being in the opposition locker room.
“It was definitely different, emotional,” Bertuzzi said, as seen on NESN. “It was good to be back. Like I said, it was very kind of you to do this for me. I was grateful for my time here.
“Once the game is on you kind of forget everything,” he added. “So I just tried to get involved and play hockey.”
— Despite Sunday’s sluggish performance, it’s clearly not the time to sound the alarm with the NHL-leading Bruins. Boston is now 7-3 on the second night of a back-to-back this season, a testament to their depth nonetheless.
— There were a few situations where it seemed like injuries could further hamper the Bruins.
Early in the competition, Brandon Carlo bounced off the boards when he slipped trying to stop a Detroit breakaway. Carlo apparently tripped over goalkeeper Jeremy Swayman’s pad as he tried to get back to his feet and hit the boards hard. Carlo stayed in the game and played 17:03.
Patrice Bergeron also took a stick up to his throat in the first third. Boston’s captain also stayed in the game and played 17:19.
— The Bruins will continue their five-game road trip Tuesday night when they visit the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center. Puck Drop is scheduled for 8:30pm ET and you can catch it live on NESN after an hour of pregame coverage.
