Caps cut off Bruins at the rusty overpass

The Bruins slowly discovered their rhythm within the ultimate 20-plus minutes. But, they developed a behavior of passing up high quality scoring probabilities, as a substitute opting to make the right play.

Regardless of producing high quality possession time within the attacking finish, the Bruins couldn’t ship one other triumphant third-period second. Right here’s what we realized from Boston’s 2-1 setback on Saturday afternoon in opposition to the equally rusty Caps.

Boston’s overpassing pattern continued.

The Bruins have offered their fair proportion of highlight-reel markers all through their torrid run by early February. From thrilling game-winning tallies to dazzling dekes and all the pieces in between, Jim Montgomery’s squad stormed to the highest of the league standings behind a well-rounded offensive machine and an equally spectacular defensive system.

However they’ve hit a little bit of a wall during the last 5 video games. Saturday marked Boston’s fourth loss over the stretch.

The Bruins stopped that behavior in opposition to the Leafs throughout their 5-2 win on Feb. 2, their final recreation earlier than the All-Star break. However, following a 10-day layover, the overpassing behavior on Saturday.

“I simply assume basically — not even tonight, however these days — we’ve to have that playoff mentality the place [we’re getting] pucks to the online and our bodies to the online, and creating havoc on the market,” ahead Brad Marchand mentioned. “You normally don’t rating these highlight-reel objectives come playoff time, and also you don’t need to cross up the chance.”

It’s not just like the Bruins at all times opted for the right play. They developed a good north-south attacking technique, making less complicated performs by the impartial zone as a substitute of choosing prolonged stretch passes in transition.

Heck, their solely purpose from Saturday got here from Foligno’s gritty doorstep marker. However as a substitute of constructing off that blue-collar work ethic, the Bruins continued to cross up alternatives.

Trent Frederic and Taylor Corridor had been two of the primary responsible culprits after passing up respective one-timer and slot bids. Come their final 6-on-4 energy play try within the closing moments in regulation, David Pastrnak handed on firing his patented one-timer and as a substitute regarded for one of many Bruins in entrance of Darcy Kuemper’s crease for a tip-in bid.

Maybe the Bruins will set up simpler offensive habits throughout their upcoming two-game journey to Dallas and Nashville. But, they’ll solely face stiffer and extra determined competitors shifting ahead.

The Bruins couldn’t match Washington’s desperation.

The Capitals entered Saturday with a slim one-point lead over the Islanders and a two-point benefit over the Panthers for the ultimate wild-card place. They’ll doubtless proceed combating for his or her playoff lives by the remainder of the 2022-23 season.

Of Boston’s ultimate 30 video games, 14 will contain a fellow group presently sitting in one of many 16 playoff spots. They’ll even have six video games in opposition to groups presently inside 4 factors of a wild-card berth.

“The factor we’re beginning to see now’s that groups are combating for his or her lives, and there’s a number of desperation. And I feel it’s solely going to get amplified,” Montgomery mentioned. “We’re going to have to begin matching that. And that’s the factor that considerations me about this recreation and a bit of little bit of what we noticed earlier than the All-Star break.”

Granted, their fourth loss in 5 video games got here after a 10-day layover. And whereas the Bruins ultimately discovered their skating legs, they couldn’t match Washington’s desperation.

With such a major goal following an otherworldly run, Patrice Bergeron and the battle-hardened Bruins anticipate difficulties. And with the Hurricanes now sizzling on their heels within the league standings, they embrace the exhausting highway forward.

“For us, we need to maintain getting higher. There’s extra of a much bigger image down the highway, and we all know that groups are ready for us and need to give us our greatest. And I feel that’s an excellent problem,” Bergeron mentioned. “We will’t let our guards down, and maintain getting higher as a group and be taught from the experiences which are going to be thrown our manner.”

Marchand sounded off on “chintzy” calls.

Officiating any sport stays a thankless job. On their finest nights, referees obtain little to no reward from any given fanbase. And each off evening is met with its refrain of boos and scorn all through a venue.

Each officiating mistake is barely magnified with the arrival of social media. On Saturday, the four-person crew that includes referees Chris Lee and Jon McIassac and linesmen Devin Berg and Shandor Alphonso delivered a handful of borderline calls.

Marchand visibly showcased his frustration on the males in stripes, starting within the first interval after he skated to the penalty field for a slash throughout a first-period scrum in entrance of Kuemper. Throughout that sequence, the veteran winger and 2006 third-round choice felt the brunt of an Evgeny Kuznetsov cross-check.

The officers despatched Kuznetsov and Marchand to the field. The Bruins then had their energy play negated 4 seconds later following a hooking name on Charlie Coyle.

Inside a 28-second timespan, the Bruins went from having a possible two-man benefit to a two-man drawback after Hampus Lindholm went to the field for interference a mere 24 seconds after Coyle’s hook.

Washington capitalized on the first-period alternative, with Backstrom changing on the 5-on-3 for his second purpose of the season. And an irked Marchand shared a reasonably distinctive time period as he shared his ideas on the officiating.

“Both you name all the pieces chintzy like they did on C.C. [Coyle] and Linder [Lindholm], or they let all of it go,” Marchand mentioned. “It might’t be half and half by the sport. Guys don’t know what they will and may’t do, and that’s a part of it.”

This wasn’t an remoted incident. Saturday continued the pattern of one other tough yr all through the officiating ranks.

The inconsistent method led to extra head-scratching calls on each ends of the ice. And one can argue the Bruins benefitted from a few of the questionable officiating selections throughout their 82-game slate.

Given the layover and the continuing energy play considerations, the Bruins might have confronted an analogous end result on Saturday in the event that they discovered themselves on the opposite aspect of the officiating pendulum. And whereas Marchand wouldn’t ever stoop to laying the blame solely on any officiating crew, he couldn’t assist however acknowledge the newest irritating spherical of calls.

“They referred to as a extremely suspect name on Coyle early within the recreation. Should you’re going to name it like that, then you may’t name a few of the stuff that they let go. And that’s simply a part of the issue. The entire yr has been actually inconsistent.