The Bruins expressed disappointment regarding their power play during Saturday night’s matchup against the New York Rangers, where they suffered a 5-2 defeat, which included two shorthanded goals allowed.
Coupled with a disappointing 7.9 percent success rate on power plays—the second-lowest in the league—after the first 11 games, the Black & Gold left TD Garden feeling discontented.
Following a day off to regroup, the Bruins returned to the ice on Monday morning for a pregame skate, where coach Claude Julien emphasized the importance of improving special teams.
This additional practice evidently paid off, as Boston dominated the Buffalo Sabres with a 4-0 victory on Monday night, scoring three power-play goals during the game.
“Just worked on it this morning and gave them the due responsibility as some of the best players on our team that they had to step up.
They did that tonight,” noted Julien, who achieved his 400th win with the Bruins. He emphasized the importance of taking pride in their performance and being difference-makers instead of suffering another loss.
Power-play goals came from Brad Marchand, David Krejci, and Jake DeBrusk in the second and third periods, with Krejci netting his first goal of the season.
Goaltender Tuukka Rask recorded 32 saves for his second shutout, leading the Bruins to their fourth victory in five games.
Krejci attributed the power play’s improvement to reviewing past successful plays. “We looked at some clips when we were doing fine, when we were moving the puck well and moving our feet.
I thought that’s what we did today. We didn’t really just stand in one spot. We were moving all over the ice and creating some good scoring chances and got three goals,” he remarked. He expressed hope for continued success in future games.
Doubling their season output on the power play, the Bruins improved from just 3 for 38 entering the game, alleviating some pressure that had built throughout the early part of the season.
“You know, it’s always about time, but it can’t work every night,” commented David Pastrnak, who led the team with eight goals. “Last game it didn’t go well and today it went well.
Just going to try to keep doing the same thing like we did today on the next power play and hopefully it’s going to be good for us.”
Beleskey Breaks Out
Returning to the lineup on Saturday after being scratched during the Bruins’ previous win over Tampa Bay, Matt Beleskey made a famous impact. Coach Julien praised the winger’s energy and effort despite the team’s loss.
On Monday night, he stepped up even further, assisting Marchand’s opening goal for his first point of the season and engaging in a fight with Derek Grant in the third period. Although he was initially credited with a goal, it was later awarded to Nash after a review.
“He was definitely in the right place tonight,” Julien stated. “He seemed like a more determined player, and sometimes, you know, you need to sit out and miss the game a little bit or whatever to really spark things.
And that’s why we do those things. I said it right from the get-go, I’m not punishing him; I’m trying to get him going. And whether it’s that or something else, at the end of the day, he’s a better player lately.”
Beleskey’s aggressive forecheck enabled Nash to retrieve the puck in the corner, leading to a shot that deflected off a Sabres defenseman. “Skey had an awesome game tonight.
He was one of our best players, so if he got it or I got it, it didn’t really matter,” Nash said. “I think he’s just been back to his old self.
He’s a hard-nosed player who shoots the puck, and when he’s in on the forecheck, he creates a lot of turnovers. He’s easy to play with, and I really enjoy playing in the middle with him; it makes my game a lot easier.”
While Beleskey refrained from claiming that being scratched was beneficial, he acknowledged that it offered him an opportunity to reflect on his game. “I don’t want to say it helped me; I don’t want to get scratched again,” he chuckled.
“That’s not what you want, but like I said [in Tampa], it’s a reset—a time to think about the game, look at it, and come back with an open mind.
I think the coaches have been helping me work through it, and that’s all you can do: work hard and hopefully get some bounces like I did tonight.”
Krejci on the Board
Krejci found the back of the net with a powerful one-timer from the left point during a power play, giving the Bruins a 2-0 lead in the second period.
He felt relieved to finally score after a few games without finding the net. “After a few games when you don’t score, you start squeezing your stick, and every time you have a good scoring chance and you don’t put it in the net, you get a little frustrated,” Krejci explained.
“It was nice to get the first one, and hopefully I can build a little more confidence and help the team with offense.”
Rask Gets the Shutout
Achieving his 32nd career shutout, Rask moved into third place on the Bruins’ all-time list. With this victory, he improved his season record to 7-1-0.
“Obviously, it’s a very long history with this organization, so it’s good to have your name in the record books,” Rask stated.
