Talking Points: Boston Bruins Fall Apart In Third Vs. Rangers

BOSTON – Here are the Talking Points from the Boston Bruins 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers at TD Garden in the Black Friday matinee televised nationally on ABC.

GOLD STAR: Artemi Panarin did more than simply toss the glove at Brad Marchand in the third period. He also set up New York’s first goal with a slick backhanded pass to Ryan Strome in the slot, and then he scored later in the third period to help cinch the victory for the Blueshirts. In between Panarin played a feisty game with a goal, two points and a plus-3 rating along with two shots on net, two takeaways and a blocked shot in 17 plus minutes of ice time. Credit where it’s due, the Rangers came to play on Friday and it showed in the third period as New York separated from the Black and Gold when it mattered most.

BLACK EYE: Erik Haula has been a disappointment for the Boston Bruins since an excellent training camp and that continued with a rough Friday afternoon. Haula was at the center of defensive zone breakdowns in each of the first two goals allowed and looks to this humble hockey writer like he just isn’t really a center defensively in this B’s system. Haula finished a minus-2 with just one shot on net and won just 2-of-5 face-offs after being dropped to the fourth line center for the matinee. Haula either needs to get it into gear or the Bruins need to move him over to wing and give a youngster like Jack Studnicka an extended look as the third line center instead. The bottom line is that plays this one where Haula just drifts away from the slot area in the D-zone just isn’t going to cut it.

The Bruins should have seen enough of Erik Haula at center at this point. Completely drifts away from the middle of the ice in D-zone leaving Hunt wide open for rebound. Haula a minus-2 today pic.twitter.com/vx8lXn4W5F

— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) November 26, 2021

TURNING POINT: It was quite simply the same third period that’s been an issue against good teams all season. The Bruins had a reprieve when instant replay corrected a bad call on the ice when Chris Kreider attempted “The Michigan” wraparound lacrosse goal, but the puck bounced off the crossbar and away from danger. So instead of a 3-2 Rangers lead it was still a 2-2 game, but that didn’t serve as a wakeup call for the Black and Gold. Instead Panarin scored the game-winner and then the Rangers executed a 2-on-1 rush with Alex Lafreniere burying the insurance score under the bar. That was a wrap for the Boston Bruins, who didn’t have enough in the tank to come back from the two-goal deficit in the final period.

HONORABLE MENTION: Craig Smith scored the first goal of the game cutting into a high traffic area for a loose puck on a Jacob Trouba giveaway, and once again played very well since coming back from time off to heal up his nagging upper body injury. Smith finished with the goal, four shots on net, eight shot attempts overall, three hits and one takeaway in 15:40 of ice time. Smith now has two goals and four points along with a plus-1 in four games since coming back into the lineup and is giving the B’s exactly what they were expecting from him at the start of the season. On a day when there weren’t a ton of bright spots for the B’s, the play of Smith has to be considered one of the positives to build on.

BY THE NUMBERS: 1 – the number of gloves Artemi Panarin tossed from the New York Rangers bench at Brad Marchand on the Boston Bruins bench, resulting in 10-minute misconducts for each of the players at the end of the third period.

Punk move by Panarin. He should hear from the league on that one pic.twitter.com/aJVCYbdhvJ

— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) November 26, 2021

QUOTE TO NOTE: “We just pissed it away.” –Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy on the B’s blowing a 2-2 game in the third period with three unanswered goals allowed.