The Los Angeles Kings and the Boston Bruins would have been an epic Stanley Cup final 10 years ago, but the Presidents Trophy-winning Bruins didn’t hold up their end of the bargain, and what’s worse is the distinction these teams share is they both missed the playoffs the following year. Unless it’s happened since – I don’t think so and puck’s about to drop on this 12:30 pm ET matinee – it’s the only time the defending Cup champ and last season’s Prez team missed the playoffs.
The Bruins’ bounce-back came more quickly than that of the Kings, the Bruins’ Western Conference alter-ego for heavy-game hockey. Despite a massive slump for the Kings, they seemed to have at least partially recovered their mojo, which is only fitting for the Bruins, who can’t seem to find an easy tilt this side of the Equator.
A-I image by Daryl Vautour
FIRST PERIOD
Most of this early action is being played in the Boston (east) end of the TD Garden rink, and Linus Ullmark has had a couple of tricky saves.
Brad Marchand was isolated uncovered at the right post in the seventh minute, but he couldn’t get the puck over David Rittich”s glove.
But James van Riemsdyk dug out the rebound of a Trent Frederic curl-out-stuff play and roofed it for a 1-0 Boston lead.
Not long after, David Pastrnak made Jaromir Jagr proud with an extraordinary shake-off of Phillip Danault and whipped a wrister past Rittich at 8:30, but a lengthy review for goalie interference on Jake DeBrusk – he brushed Rittich – was waived off for goalie interference. Still 1-0.
The Kings do a great job upsetting the Bruins on the forecheck/cycle and get the tying goal banked in by Matt Roy from the goal line left of the net with Ullmark down and chaos in front. A scrum ensued, and eventually Derek Engelland got his rematch with Trent Frederic and established the better grip in the clench and earned the decision with three solid rights. Time of everything: 11:02.
Marchand got an interference penalty at the blue line. He held position but didn’t appear to move into it to meet his opponent away from the puck. LA to the PP…
Marchand scoots out of the penalty box to take a pass and goes 1-on-1 with the great Drew Doughty. Marchand goes down trying in vain to draw a call, but on the reload Doughty whacks at Marchand’s hand to prevent a goal and now Doughty will go to the sinbin and the Bruins to the powerplay with 5:22 remaining in the first period.
Seven seconds into the PIM, JVR whacks a backhand swat rebound behind Rittich for a 2-1 Boston lead.
In a three-touch cycle play, Geekie hard down the RW boards, cut off LW halfwall out the other side by Pastrnak, who stops, calms the puck and then tees up Jake DeBrusk, whose slapper went low right and tested Rittich.
The the Kings had two big chance in the final minute. Matt Grzelcyk pinched down the left side and McAvoy got caught, giving Viktor Arvidsson a clean breakway that Ullmark forced wide left. Before time expired on the first period, Adrian Kempe, probably the Kings’ best find since their 2012 and ’14 Cup rosters, had two close-range shots that Ullmark stopped.
LA outshot Boston 18-8 in the opening 20 minutes.
SECOND PERIOD
LA defenseman Brandt Clarke shot the puck over the glass, putting the Bruins on the powerplay. Nothing they’d like more than to get JVR a hat trick that bears a goalie three times.
Pavel Zacha with the keep-in of the year at the left point, but Pasta missed McAvoy at the point and the puck went out anyway.
Kings get the kill.
Big Vladislav Gavrikov crunches Jesper Boqvist behind the LA net – no call – but a minute later Pastrnak makes a pivot at the boards and Doughty winds up in the box with a boarding minor.
This game is in danger of degenerating into something wholly alien to the hockey that will matter in the spring.
Kings get the kill.
We’re almost 9 minutes into the second period, and the the Bruins have the only 3 shots of the period. Make that almost 11 minutes.
Huge swing, as Kempe passes up a shot from the slot for a perfect play to Anze Kopitar that wasn’t perfect enough. Next shift, Anthony Richard is left alone in front, but Boqvist and Jakub Lauko win the puck, and Richard lifts it over Rittich with 6:56 left in the second period. 3-1 Bruins.
Gavrikov’s point shot through a screen finds the net behind Ullmark, and it’s 3-2 Bruins with 3:24 left in the second period. LA’s third shot on goal of the second period.
Tricky line change for LA, as Arvidsson and Trevor Moore both got caught chest to chest with their on-the-fly replacements and at the same time were dodging pucks.
Shots in the second: 8-4 Bruins (22-17 LA for the game).
THIRD PERIOD
Frederic and Pierre Luc Dubois share words on their way back to their benches.
Great play by Moore to fend off Brandon Carlo and get a backhand onto Ullmark.
LA grinds out the tying goal, as Alex Laferriere jams it home 5:51 into the third period (3-3).
Bruins rebound …
Morgan Geekie with a shot, save, but Frederic buries the rebound at 7:11 to restore Boston’s lead (4-3).
TV timeout with 12:49 remaining in regulation, and the Kings’ top-five offensive unit meets to discuss the O-zone draw to the left of Ullmark. Danton Heinen skates the puck out of the zone, and that’s that.
Marchand cuts across through the blue, but the puck won’t go (as retired pxp legend Mike “Doc” Emrick loved to say).
Second game in a row that DeBrusk passes up a shot from the slot to pass to a poor target. In this case, the puck was too far out from of his intended target, Tragic waste of a puck steal from Gavrikov at the penalty boxes.
Scrum behind the Boston net. Dubois for LA and Carlo for Boston get the minors for roughing with 8:13 remaining in regs.
4v4 in front of the goalies.
Coyle beats Kopitar on the draw and the Bruins get on the possession.
Bruins ice it after Pastrnak calls for a McAvoy launch and cheats the blue line.
Zacha called for a penalty after going to boards and Anderson gets the worst of it with 3:35 remaining. Anderson engaged Zacha for positioning, and Zacha battled back. Anderson twisted down in a heap and crunched head-first into the board. Nothing official yet on the call. HOLDING
Kings getting a powerplay with 3:35 left in the third, down 4-3.
Kempe wrist shot off the right post. More chances for LA, but Moore misses from in front.
Bruins get the puck but fail to clear. Doughty puts it quickly to the net, and Kopitar tips it past Ullmark to tie the game with 1:35 left in regulation. They call it a PPG, and if it weren’t officially, it would be in reality as one of many like that have recently been scored before the PK team had reset.
Third period ends 4-4.
Shots through regulation: 34-27 LA.
OVERTIME
No doubt, Kings will start with Kempe, and it looks like Danault and Gavrikov. Bruins counter with Coyle, Zacha and McAvoy.
Here goes …
DeBrusk gets the first shot, save Rittich.
Pastrnak dekes Clarke, draws a PIM, probably for hooking.
Bruins get a 4v3 PP with 2:36 left in the OT.
<Timeout called by Jim Montgomery>
16 seconds left on the penalty when Marchand shoots into Rittich’s glove for the breath of air.
Clarke out of the penalty box scores with 26.9 seconds left, and the Bruins leave the ice 5-4 OTL’s and now 1-3-2 with only Monday’s Dallas matinee remaining on the seven-game homestand from hell.
Rink Rap with Mick Colageo 