Despite the fact that the Bruins hadn’t played a game since they posted a 6-2 win on the road versus the Philadelphia Flyers, ten days ago, it came as a complete surprise that they came out extremely flat, to open a 7-game homestand. Also surprising was how easy it was for Calgary to put up two quick goals in the first period, making it a game in which the Bruins had to play catch-up for the remainder of the contest, which resulted in a 4-1 loss for the locals. A spark glowed when Pavel Zacha put Boston on the scoreboard to jump start the third period and cut Calgary’s lead in half, making it 2-1. The Boston spark was quickly snuffed out, as the Flames were able to put up two quick goals just over five minutes later, on goals by Calgary’s Jonathan Huberdeau and Noah Hanafin, to widen the lead to the final score of 4-1.
It was a game that brought back a haunting memory to the 1979 Boston loss to the Canadiens, including a ‘too many men on the ice’ penalty…a result of the power play’s unit change. Jeremy Swayman filled the Boston net, following his return from NHL All-Star play, and while he gave his team a chance to win, while making some tough saves during his 25-save appearance, he was not at his sharpest. Also lacking effort was both the power play and the penalty kill. Best to chalk is up to rust resulting from the All-Star break, and look forward to another tough game tonight (Thursday 7:00pm), as they take on the Vancouver Canucks who now are sitting along at the top of the NHL standings following the Bruins’ loss to Calgary.
Following the Canucks will be a Saturday matinee (3:30pm) as they host the struggling Washington Capitals who are currently riding a five-game losing streak. On Tuesday, things will take a turn, as the Bs opponent will be Atlantic Division rival, Tampa Bay Lightning, who are on a three-game win streak, and sitting in the third spot in the Atlantic. Next up will be the Seattle Kraken on Thursday 7:00pm, as their play has them performing as ‘fish out of water,’ with a 4-5-1 record for their last ten games.
BEANPOT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME The 71st Men’s Beanpot will resume on Monday, February 12th with Northeastern earning their spot in the Finals with a 3-2 victory over Harvard earlier this week (Monday), when Gunnarwolfe Fontaine put the puck in the Harvard net just 33 seconds into overtime. The Northeastern Huskies’ opponent will be Boston University, who got their ticket into the Finals with a tough 4-3 win over Boston College. Boston University, with former Bruins coach Jay Pandolfo at the helm, wasted little time making their mark in the game, when freshman sensation Macklin Celebrini found the back of the Boston College net twice in just over six minutes into the first period, to give the Pandolfo-led Terriers a quick 2-0 lead. Credit to Boston College as they turned on the jets in the second and third periods, cutting the Terriers’ lead to 4-3, but BU was able to hold on and secure the win. The outstanding performance of Celebrini only further proved again, the fact that this 17-year-old teenager, could likely be the #1 pick overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. The schedule for Monday’s Beanpot Finals will have Harvard taking on Boston College at 4:30pm in the consolation game, and Northeastern battling Boston University in the championship game at 7:30pm. This will be the fourth time Northeastern and Boston University have met for the championship, with the Huskies holding the margin for wins, earning victory in three of those four contests.