A quick look at the lineup for the Boston Bruins’ preseason opener against the Washington Capitals today at TD Garden (5 pm, NESN-plus and 102.5 FM) suggests some obvious things about management’s objectives for tonight’s game.
The “Kid Line” of Fraser Minten between Marat Khusnutdinov and James Hagens will get a look, and while any offense will pop, the more-enduring questions will be how it will play out for Head Coach Marco Sturm to deploy two of his three best defensive forwards on the same line. Will they provide the support that Hagens needs entering his first full season as a professional? Will another line need Minten or Khusnutdinov more?
Sturm told a press gathering this afternoon that he only wants the kids to go out and have fun, play the game, use their speed and skill, and enjoy themselves. The last thing he wants is those guys thinking too much out there.
Meantime, Michael DiPietro gets the start and is being slotted in for the entire 60. DiPietro is wearing No. 30 and being backed up by Jiri Patera (31).
Defense has Charlie McAvoy with new training-camp defense partner Frederic Brunet, and at least five other defensemen who are vying for two spots in the opening-night lineup (Sept. 29 vs. NYR at TD Garden).
Lots of bubblicious Bruins getting a game in today against the Caps.
FIRST PERIOD
Poitras thought he had Hagens behind the Caps defense, but Matt Roy took away his little feed that would have sprung Hagens.
Jordan Harris gets caught with his stick into a Capitals forward circling the Boston net with the puck – arm goes up – and then on the delayed penalty, Joey Abate takes a second tripping penalty at center ice.
5on3: DiPietro stones Tom Wilson from point-blank range at the left post, but one second after the expiration Jonny Brodzinski buried a one-timer from the right circle. 1-0 Capitals.
Brunet isn’t right. He took a regroup pass from Lohrei awkwardly and went to the bench wincing. There was no player contact so, based on reaction, it’s possible the puck reception jammed his wrist.
Bruins PP with Lynden Lakovic in the box: Alex Steeves takes two crushing hits on the powerplay. Lohrei snaps his stick on a point shot.
Jordan Harris deflects Brodzinski’s wrister from the right circle over the tall netting and into the luxury suites behind DiPietro.
WRINKLE: Minten is charging straight forward with headman passes. It may just be a Washington thing giving him the middle, but he’s taking the puck like there are four seconds left in the period. Every time.
Wilson getting himself warmed up for the season: Harris wrapped up the big, bad winger, taking him down in front of the Boston net. When the puck went to the point, Wilson quietly got himself into signature position between Harris and DiPietro and proceeded to deliver two enthusiastic crosschecks to Harris’ back. The Boston defenseman did not fall, and no penalty was called.
Lukas Reichel is playing the off wing (RW) with Poitras at center and 23-year-old Swiss winger Attilio Biasca on the opposite (left) side.
Wilson wraps up a Boston forward, and Kastelic steps in. The scrum is halted, and the Bruins go to the powerplay with 13.6 seconds left in the first period. Vincent Desharnais is in the penalty box as the period ends.
Shots on goal: 7-7.
The Capitals have sustained better O-zone pressure with a more-veteran top six including Wilson (age 32), Pierre-Luc Dubois (28), Anthony Beauvillier (29), and newcomers Tuch (30) and Boone Jenner (33). Did you know Brodzinski is 33?
It’s almost certain that Sturm will suit up David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm and Morgan Geekie as an all-righties line for Tuesday’s home game vs. Philadelphia. The Bruins play their other two preseason games on the road: Thursday at Philly and Friday at Washington (anyone else see a pattern here?).
SECOND PERIOD
The Kid Line was augmented by McAvoy and Steeves, who took two hard hits to maintain possession in the attacking zone. When Steeves has been around the puck, he has made good decisions, but nothing is going his way, including a quick release from the slot that was quietly blocked and cleared out to center.
Poitras and Lohrei were on the second unit, and Poitras made three excellent plays as the PP was winding down and transitioning into what Jack Edwards likes to call “the vulnerable minute.” Poitras got the puck to the net, sidestepped an interference-hip from Jakob Chychrun and curled the puck back to the point, made the same basic play a second time, and on his way to the bench supported the puck at 5v5 to keep it in the Washington zone. And excellent, all-around shift for Poitras, who desperately needs a statement camp in his two-game window.
Wilson tried on the forecheck Brunet and get a call when he wound up on his backside at the Boston net – no dice.
Wilson tried to run Hagens as the rookie posted up at the defensive half wall to get the puck out. The puck got out and Wilson missed Hagens.
Poitras continues to get the puck to open teammates for shots or at least shot attempts. Biasca makes a nice set-up as well, but the Bruins have yet to dent the twine.
Bruins to the powerplay – Brodzinski in the box with 6:28 left in the second period.
Henri Jokiharju got Dylan McIlrath in the hand with a one-timer from the left point.
Khusnutdinov scores with one second left on the powerplay. Brunet with the primary pass from behind the net, and it’s 1-1 with 4:28 remaining in the second period. Sturm gave the second unit half the penalty this time.
Abate runs at Wilson, misses and hits the boards all noisy. Wilson gives Abate a little stick tug.
Sean Kuraly is off for hooking with 3:46 left in the period. Caps to the powerplay:
Roy and Kuraly engaged in front of the Caps’ net and wound up in a tussle that landed both in the box for roughing. The 4v4 did not yield a goal, but 48 seconds of the 4v4 will carry into the third period.
The Bruins had a big second period with the Khusnutdinov goal but also with a 13-5 shots-on-goal advantage (20-12 through two periods). 1-1.
THIRD PERIOD
Sturm is taking a long look at this Kid Line.
Minten got a chance right off the hop, but got the puck poked off his stick when he tried to pull it to his forehand. [Johnny Pierson says that’s a great lesson for you kids at home … if Pierson was watching from the TV38 booth tonight, he’d talk about Sidney Crosby’s backhand.]
Aspirot got clipped with the high stick along the boards – it got missed (hey, it’s the preseason for the stripes, too).
Brodzinski can’t shake McAvoy so he dives. McAvoy is going to the box. DiPietro with a left-post stop on Brodzinski (it IS the preseason for them, too).
Caps PP: Kastelic with a strong play to collect and clear. Two more big saves by DiPietro; the Caps have all three shots of the third period and we’re over five minutes in.
Jordan Harris has NHL athleticism, there is no doubt about that, but he needs to shake off a lot of rust from his time missed with injuries. The AHL will be a great place for him for the fall season.
Ivan Mirosnichenko runs into DiPietro, puck scrum ensues, Caps score, but the Bruins are considering but not challenging for goaltender interference with 14:26 left in regulation. Caps 2-1.
Kastelic draws a hooking penalty at the Washington blue line on Justin Holl, and the Bruins now get a powerplay at 6:58 of the third down 2-1 with a chance to once again tie the game.
McAvoy with a nice keep-in at the left point, and Jenner, who was trying to steal a breakaway, reaches back to trip McAvoy so it’s 5-on-3 for 51 seconds overlap of the Washington penalties.
Hagens finally gets away that one-timer that tortured the Buffalo prospects last weekend, but Logan Thompson got his pads in front of the shot. Poitras with a turn-around wrister from the high slot, save Thompson.
Good powerplay for the Bruins but not a lot of 5v5 offense in this period.
Chychrun blasted Reichel in front of the net, then a rebounding Reichel got a whack at the puck. The Bruins finally got some in-zone danger going midway through the third period. (Rink Rap: I guess this is what coaches are talking about when they want momentum from their powerplay.)
Khusnutdinov draws a hooking penalty on McIlrath with 6:36 left in the game.
Bruins PP: Poitras’ line with Biasca and Reicher gets the start. No recoveries. Kid Line generates a chance, but Dubois goes down on McAvoy interference. McAvoy has words for Dubois, but it’s 44 seconds of 4v4 with 5:20 remaining.
Harris nice poke to get the puck up to Hagens, and Minten sends a screen shot that Thompson lost, but it did not find the net.
Bruins get the abbreviated kill, and Kastelic rushes off wing old school, cutting backhand to the front – denied.
McAvoy springs out of the box and has open ice into the left circle, but he passes to a covered trailer. No shot.
2:42 left, and DiPietro to the bench for a sixth attacker…
Bruins offside, Khusnutdinov can’t believe it.
The bull gang makes its final regulation-time pass of the night with 2:07 remaining.
Broken play springs Khusnutdinov, but Thompson shuts him down.
McAvoy ties the game 2-2 with a one-timer from the center point with 1:43 left in regulation. Maybe the bull gang isn’t finished for the night after all.
Caps wanted delay on Aspirot and they get it for puck over the glass with 1:12 remaining. Maybe the bull gang is finished for the night after all.
DiPietro takes a one-timer from the point off the mask and shakes it off.
Wilson in the slot, blocked away, time expires.
The bull gang is back for the clean-up before the 5:00 sudden-death overtime.
OT
The Caps still have 48 seconds of Aspirot’s delay-of-game PIM.
The Bruins get one kill, but Cole Hutson skates into Poitras’ stick, wraps himself around it and gets the call on Poitras – oof. Caps to the powerplay with 3:16 left in overtime.
Not a second of this OT has been played at the prescribed 3v3, with the post-penalty flow at 4v4. Now we go back to 4v3.
This kid Justin Sourdif that just signed the big contract, he’s a solid forward, passes the puck hard and with dangerous ideas, has a formidable fake that opens space to his right (right-hand shot).
Bruins under siege, and when Minten finally gets the puck there are 2 seconds left. He flings the puck into Thompson’s mitt.
Well, there’s one thing you don’t see very often: a 5-minute, NHL overtime without one second of 3v3.
SHOOTOUT
Tuch: save
Hagens: Goal
Dubois: post
Reichel: misses backhand (could have clinched)
Beauvillier: save DiPietro, and TD Garden roars its approval as the Bruins pull this one out, 3-2, in the shootout.
Drive safely.
