It’s five game without a point, it’s a five-game losing streak in any era’s sense of the phrase, and it’s bleeding. The Bruins need a tourniquet. It’s urgent. The three wins that inspired musing as to the trajectory of this team has been replaced by the emerging recognition of multiple factors that need fixing.
The 3-2-1 Anaheim Ducks, meanwhile, have not come out like a house afire, but this team is nonetheless set on moving into the Western Conference’s playoff eight this season. They see this as a should-win game. The Bruins have their work cut out.
Big-picture stuff: Defenseman Hampus Lindholm remains sidelined with an undisclosed injury initially specific as not relating to the broken kneecap that cut way short his 2024-25 season. Lindholm took morning skate.
Meantime, Jeffrey Viel is getting a shot opposite Tanner Jeannot on Fraser Minten’s line, a line that was held way down in ice time last game Tuesday night vs. Florida. Minten is starting this one. He barely got over seven minutes against the Panthers, and his linemates (Jeannot and Mikey Eyssimont) got a little over nine minutes.
The Ducks used to have good uniforms; now they look like peanut candy. This season’s shade of orange might be slightly burnt.
FIRST PERIOD
Casey Mittelstadt is back on the board with the game’s first goal at 2:10, cleaning up on the rebound of Pavel Zacha’s shot off a cross-ice feed from Viktor Arvidsson. Petr Mrazek has seen 6 Boston shots over the opening 5:42.
Viel had a shot at adding to the lead right after, but two defenders disrupted his attempt.
Anaheim ties it at 8:07 after the Bruins fail to contain in any zone. The Ducks’ Drew Helleson had no positional advantage and still gained the red line unmolested and fashioned a nifty pass up the left boards to the Boston blue line for an easy entry. After that, Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei couldn’t contain his man with the puck, Anaheim cycled it to the right point, set up a quality shot, and it deflected off Charlie McAvoy and in behind Joonas Korpisalo. 1-1.
Korpisalo gloves 21-year-old defenseman Pavel Mintyukov’s slap shot from the left circle.
Elias Lindholm gets the game’s first penalty for interference, and he got it along the left halfwall in the Ducks’ zone. The Bruins had some O-zone time and had Anaheim running around, but it’s the visitors on the powerplay at 14:29.
Nikita Zadorov with the long pass, and Sean Kuraly fends off a Duck for a partial breakaway chance, but it doesn’t go. Big chance for Kuraly.
McAvoy got a little banged up in the final minute, blocking a shot, but still made a hard box-out in the slot before the Bruins got the puck out and McAvoy was able to safely skate to the Boston bench.
Shots after one: 15-12 Bruins.
SECOND PERIOD
Morgan Geekie puts Boston ahead, 2-1, at 8:49 of the second, taking a feed into the slot and ripped the wrister inside the post. Geekie had already been disrupting Anaheim with his wielding stick on the forecheck. Big shift for the top line, aided by Henri Jokiharju’s snagging of an Anaheim pass in the neutral zone and quick turnaround.
The Bruins are doing a better job tonight with quick ups on pucks recovered by the defense at the Boston blue line. They’re turning there pucks quickly to the opponent’s blue line where the winger is stationed at those boards.
Minten big chance on the rebound of Viel’s bad-angle shot from the left boards. Puck hits the post.
Cutter “Get me outta Philly” Gauthier gets the puck high slot, and his wrister breaks through Korpisalo’s 5-hole to tie the game at 11:29 – 2-2. Korpisalo hasn’t wanted too many back, but we bet he wants that one back.
Jeannot and Ross Johnston drop the glove and throw haymakers at 12:14. The crowd give Jeannot a big cheer for his decision, but he definitely took some to give some.
Old friend Jacob Trouba puts the Ducks on top 3-2 in the final five minutes of the second period. Once again, the Bruins got cycled silly, and Trouba got the puck with proximity low in the right circle.
Zadorov lost a skateblade and took an awkward splat with Zacha in the defensive corner. The trainer went on the ice, and Zadorov needed a minute, but was up and off the ice on his own juice.
Mintyukov got the stick up on Elias Lindholm and went to the box with 3:04 left in the second period. The puck was up in the air, and Mintyukov tried to knock it out of the air and got Lindholm in the face instead.
Big PPG for the Bruins 14 second later as Lohrei one-times the puck past Mrazek, and it’s 3-3. Eyssimont set the screen, and he did get a secondary assist on the play. Eyssimont has been a frustrated player, so nice to see him make a play that results in a goal.
Chances at both ends before the siren, Anaheim’s generated largely by former Bruin Frank Vatrano. Minten had a chance for Boston. Jeannot almost got the Bruins in trouble, trying to make a finesse move with the puck against an onrushing Duck with no one between himself and Korpisalo. McAvoy fortunately swooped in and took the puck out of harm’s way.
Shots through two: 32-18 Bruins
THIRD PERIOD
Chance for Mittelstadt on the second-effort pass from Zacha, but he has to turn back. Arvidsson misfires, reaches and goes out for tripping Gauthier.
Troy Terry pulls the puck around Mark Kastelic and centers, second chance for Mikael Granlund, whose PPG puts Anaheim back on top, 4-3.
Eyssimont blocked a Terry shot off the skate… pain.
Kastelic knocks down a Duck after the whistle, scrum. McAvoy to the penalty box for interference at 5:18. Big PK for Boston…
Big breakup at the blue line by Lindholm, and Jeannot clears (and avoids a Vatrano missle hit – not sure Vatrano wanted to connect on that one).
Minten breakaway, bothered just enough to mess up his play.
Bruins get the kill.
Crazy bounce and Sam Colangelo pounce, and it’s 5-3 with 12:11 left.
Korpisalo stops Leo Carlsson point-blank with 8:20 remaining, and Arvidsson thinks he’s got one at the other end but it’s immediately waved off on contact with the puck above the height of the crossbar. The replay indicates that Arvidsson punched the puck with his glove (wrapped around his hockey stick), so that would also make the shot illegal.
Anyway, no goal, still 5-3 Ducks with 7:50 left in regulation.
Bruins sustain pressure, Ducks go for a wholesale change. Bruins turn it around quickly with Kastelic going hard down the middle. Anaheim breaks him up but Gauthier drills the puck over the side glass for a penalty. So Bruins to the powerplay with 5:36 left down 2 goals.
No timeouts with the TV timeout.
Pastrnak takes the relay and shoots from the right point – goal – 5-4 with 5:28 left. Zacha tip? No, Pasta gets the goal.
Zadorov powers through the neutral zone, crosses the puck to Geekie – tie game. Two Boston goals in 33 seconds. Now Joel Quenneville takes his one and only. Zadorov absolutely blew by Jackson Lacombe.
Terry answers for Anaheim with 4:33 left, 6-5 Ducks.
The culprit: A seam in the Zamboni gate in the northeast corner of the rink. It would have been a containable play, but the bounce trapped McAvoy along the boards, and Nikita Nesterenko sent the puck across to Terry.
2:27 left. Korpisalo should go first window at 2:00.
Marco Sturm takes his timeout.
Granlund hits the empty net with 2:08, and that triggers a mass exodus of fans.
We will also sign off at this point.
Drive safely.
Rink Rap with Mick Colageo 