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This morning’s game was at a weird time, so you get a weirdly-timed recap! Hey, it’s preseason.
The Bruins beat the Calgary Flames in Beijing this morning, heading home from China with a 3-1 win. The B’s were led by Jake DeBrusk, who scored twice.
DeBrusk started things off by taking a sneaky, patient pass from Ryan Donato and beating Mike Smith.
.@JDebrusk gets us going. #NHLChinaGames pic.twitter.com/9ZBOpEPqIX
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 19, 2018
DeBrusk gave the Bruins the lead in the third off of a bit of a wonky bounce, but to quote Jack Edwards: “THEY DON’T ASK HOW, THEY JUST ASK HOW MANY?”
Take ✌️️for @JDeBrusk. #NHLChinaGames pic.twitter.com/ST5zaq1Pzo
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 19, 2018
Not to be outdone by Sean Kuraly from last night, Kevan Miller iced it FROM DOWNTOWN:
Millsy puts a bow on our trip to China.#NHLChinaGames pic.twitter.com/7gLencjuTN
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 19, 2018
That’s it! The B’s beat the Flames for the second game in a row, and are headed home from China feeling pretty good about themselves.
Some quick notes:
- To a man, the Bruins spoke of how this trip was a bonding experience, great for chemistry, etc. While it’s a little awkward for those teammates who were left out, it’s an encouraging sign for the coming season. The Bruins opened overseas in 2010-2011, giving them some time to experience new cultures as a team. Remember what happened that year?
- Tuukka Rask made 28 saves for the win. He looked pretty comfortable in net, rarely scrambling around. The Flames didn’t do a great job getting traffic in front of him, but Rask made the saves when called upon.
- Jake DeBrusk had both a good game and a...not so good evening, as he missed time with what Bruce Cassidy called “the runs.” Yikes.
- Jakub Zboril left the ice a bit shaken up after taking a heavy hit up high from Garnet Hathaway, who was running around for much of the evening. In fact, the Flames were taking a quite a few shots at the B’s; clearly, they were trying to get the B’s off their games with physicality, but it didn’t work.
- The Bruins’ power play didn’t look good at all, but hey, it’s preseason. Having Patrice Bergeron in the mix will help, as will using a regular rotation of guys.
The B’s will be back at it on Saturday night in Detroit to face the Red Wings.