Bruins get on their bulls#!t again, win 2-1 in yet another comeback

First Period:

Absolutely nothing of consequence happened outside of Connor Clifton decided to punch Nicolas Aube-Kubel, who had been a thorn in the team’s side in the previous game. That was fun!

Other than that? Bad penalties, dumb penalty killing, whatever no goals scored. NEXT.

Second Period:

The B’s and Flyers would trade chances, and then mostly spend a good 20 seconds wondering if Tuukka Rask was going to make a save on a Penalty Shot, which by all accounts looked like the only way the Flyers were going to score...

...Which of course he did. Jeez. What did you think was gonna happen?

Anyway, B’s almost left this period without more penalty trouble before Chris Wagner went ahead and threw an errant punch. PK going into the Third Period. Surely they’d get out of this alive, right?

Third Period:

Anyway James Van Reimsdyk scores on the doorstep 20 seconds into the period on the doorstep. 1-0 Flyers.

Really can’t leave him of all people alone like that. They’ll make you pay for it every single time.

And for a good long time, it looked like that would be it for Boston. Another frustrating night of 5v5 play, ultimately dooming the team and-I’m just messin’ with ya it’s that time for the comeback skeleton. Everyone loves the comeback skeleton!

I wish he’d stop screaming in my face that he’s history’s greatest monster or that he would give up all his immortality for one more taste of baja blast, but hey, he gets this team back on the board, so I have to put up with him.

The Comeback Skeleton’s first gift was a net-front scramble, where Brad Marchand went as hard in the paint as possible, and managed to get the puck behind Elliott while being shoved to the ice. 1-1 everybody.

And the Comeback Skeleton’s second great gift came 30 seconds later, with Sean Kuraly taking a shot from the point that...Brian Elliott just kinda...forgot to save?

Hey, they don’t ask how, they just ask how many. 2-1 Bruins!

And then, the Bruins mostly held the line as the Flyers tried their damnedest to get control of this game again, but couldn’t seal the deal. Boston won on their improbable 4th consecutive comeback, and now have a fairly strong lead on first in the East Division! Get crazy!

Game Notes:

• Your TOI leader was, unsurprisingly, Charlie McAvoy, who was all over the dang ice. He played 24 minutes tonight.
• Tuukka Rask played like a man possessed: a .930 SV%, ate Joel Farabee's lunch right in front of him, just a phenomenal performance.
• NESN gave their star of the game to Connor Clifton, who was definitely noticeable, and not just because he decided that Aude-Kubel deserved to meet his fist. He played pretty alright!
• I’m not going to say anything about the officiating you weren’t already thinking. This game was just atrociously reffed or the Flyers ended up getting the mother of all makeup calls in bulk. Whatever. They got the two points out of this.
• Brad Marchand is just impeccable. Can score greasy or pretty, however you need him.
• Sean Kuraly needed that goal, because yeesh, the fourth line was not looking good at all by the third period. Chris Wagner spent most of the game riding pine for his transgressions.
• Bruins spent as much of this game chasing the first goal or down a goal because their puck security just couldn’t match their ambition. Plenty of pucks bouncing, shots flubbed up, passes going nowhere, it’s made for a frustrating experience.
• 4th straight game of comebacks. Simply unreal.
• If you’re not going to play Anton Blidh much (less than 10 minutes), why not just send him down to Providence and get someone young? How bad could they be?

Assuming that the two Sabres games remain postponed, the Bruins get four days off before they face the New York Rangers. That game drops the puck at 7pm EST.

We’ll see you there!