The Bruins are finding new ways to lose.
The Bruins squandered a two-goal lead and then a late one-goal lead when they took an offensive zone penalty and the Los Angeles Kings tied it with 1:35 left in regulation. Finally, after failing to cash in on an overtime power play, Brandt Clarke stepped out of the box for a breakaway and he lifted the Kings to a 5-4 OT win at the Garden, the rookie defenseman’s first NHL goal.
Ouch.
“We added to our problems today,” said coach Jim Montgomery. “We had breakdowns that shouldn’t be happening within our structure. And then also, just game management. You’ve got to close out a game. We’re up twice in the third period and we don’t close it out. And in overtime, our power play’s got to put it away.”
The last four minutes of regulation and OT were enough to shatter flat screens all across New England.
First, Pavel Zacha took a bad offensive zone penalty with 3:35 left, a hold on Mike Anderson. The B’s had done a good job of nearly killing that off and, with the Kings skating 6-on-4, the B’s won a key defensive zone faceoff but Derek Forbort’s backhand clear attempt didn’t get out. Viktor Arvidsson stopped it on the half wall, got it back to Drew Doughty at the point and Doughty’s shot was tipped home by Anze Kopitar with 1:35 left in regulation to tie it 4-4.
“To me, you can’t take an offensive zone penalty. Can’t do it. You’re protecting a lead,” said Montgomery. “Then … you’ve got to be able to overcome. You’ve got to get a penalty kill there.”
In overtime, David Pastrnak drew a penalty on Clarke but on the 4-on-3, the B’s couldn’t beat David Rittich. Pastrnak had the best chance on a one-timer. But, as time ran out on the penalty, Pastrnak made an ill-advised cross-ice pass that was picked off by Philip Danault. He simply banked it off the boards for the wide-open Clarke, who collected the loose puck and went backhand-to-forehand to beat Linus Ullmark with the GWG with 27 seconds left in OT.
That dropped the B’s to 1-3-2 on this seven-game homestand out of the All-Star break. They finish it up on Monday in Presidents’ Day matinee against Central Division-leading Dallas.
“Our desperation has not matched our opponents since the break, consistently,” said Montgomery. “We’ve all got to dig deep. We’re all in this together. We’ve got to keep getting better. It’s not good enough right now. Tonight, that’s a game we should win in my opinion. The execution wasn’t where it should be. I give (the Kings) credit. They never stopped competing. That’s what desperate teams do.”
The Kings held a wide territorial and shot advantage (18-8) in the first period, but the B’s were able to come out of it with a 2-1 lead – and it could have been more.
The B’s were sloppy to start, missing simple passes on breakouts that had the crowd grumbling early, but they took the first lead of the game at 8:03.
Montgomery decided to put Trent Frederic, who’d been playing in the top six back, on the third line, explaining that that’s where his most production has come from. And, sure enough, he took the puck to the net, bringing took Kings to him while the rebound dangled in the slot. James van Riemsdyk picked out of a crowd and snapped it over Rittich for the 1-0 goal.
On the next shift, it appeared the B’s took a 2-0 lead but Pastrnak’s goal was wiped off the board upon an LA challenge of goalie interference by Jake DeBrusk.
Then LA tied it up at 11:02 when Trevor Lewis’ shot bounced to Matt Roy and he was able to bank a backhander of Ullmark and in. As the Kings celebrated a little too closely to the crease, the B’s took exception. Frederic eventually dropped the gloves with Andreas Englund, whom he fought in LA. Frederic took a couple of early shots, landed a couple of late ones before Englund landed on top of him.
That seemingly put the Kings back in control of the game and the B’s had to survive a Brad Marchand interference penalty. When Marchand came out of the box, he drew a slashing penalty on Doughty and the B’s capitalized.
Van Riemsdyk, who missed a wide open net in Thursday’s loss to Seattle, was making up for it on Saturday. Charlie McAvoy’s shot was blocked in front and, just as the rebound was about to hit ice, van Riemsdyk chipped it over Rittich at 14:45.
The B’s had chances to extend the lead with two power plays in the first half of the second period but they couldn’t cash in. But they finally got their two-goal lead at 13:04 on a hard-working fourth line goal. Jakub Lauko, back in the lineup after a couple of scratches, battled a couple of Kings behind the net. Jesper Boqvist picked himself upp off the ice from a Quinton Byfield check to get a loose puck and make a beauty of a backhand pass out front to Anthony Richard. Richard picked the shortside upper corner for his first as a Bruin.
But the Kings scratched back to stay in striking distance off a fortunate bounce. Vladislav Gavrikov sent a harmless looking shot from the blue line toward the net, but it hit off Kevin Shattenkirk in front, changed directions and got past a helpless Ullmark at 16:38.
The Kings tied it 5:51 of the third as problems with the B’s third defense pairing of Forbort and Kevin Shattenkirk continued to dog them. With a pileup in front of the net, the Kings had several whacks at the puck in the crease before Alex Laferriere finally pushed it under Ullmark and over the line.
But the B’s regained the lead at 7:11. Frederic followed up a Morgan Geekie shot and slipped the puck through Rittch’s pads for his 15th of the year, completing the Gordie Howe hat trick.
But disaster – and their fourth straight loss – awaited the Bruins.
