Bruins eliminated by Flyers, 2-0

The Philadelphia Flyers arrived at the Garden on Tuesday having allowed 4.44 goals per game through their first nine games and were in last place in the Metropolitan Division at 2-6-1. Easy choice for the Bruins?

Yes, right. In 2024-25, scoring is easy for the B’s.

The B’s went 0-for-4 on the power play, including a lengthy 5-on-3, and battled the puck all night en route to their second shutout loss of the young season, this one a 2-0 loss to the visitors from Philadelphia.

Tyson Foerster scored in the second period and thanks to the Flyers’ 28 blocked shots, that held until Joel Farabee scored an empty-netter.

Despite trailing entering the third period, the B’s managed just three shots on net in the third period and on the power plays had just two shots off Sam Ersson, who made 24 saves.

Right now, the B’s aren’t playing instinctively in the offensive zone.

“If you move the puck fast enough and you think you’re going to shoot first, they’re not going to get into the shot lanes. They are one less player, especially at 5-on-3 when there are two fewer players,” said coach Jim Montgomery, who lamented the power play woes. “We don’t take action, we don’t do enough to create great opportunities for danger. Whether that’s the will to go to those areas or not the right game plan, we’re all guilty of not coming out with a win tonight.”

The defeat meant that a good performance by Joonas Korpisalo (17 saves) was lost.

“He gave us a chance to win,” Montgomery said. “He didn’t face many shots, but there were some high quality shots. I was finally able to make three great saves that gave us the chance before it became 1-0.”

As questions about this team and its ability to score regularly mount, one has to wonder if there is a cure. Veteran spark plug Tyler Johnson is still with the team and is expected to sign at some point, but this doesn’t feel like a one-man solution.

Elias Lindholm, paired with one of the world’s best goalscorers in David Pastrnak, is pointless in seven games and hasn’t shown much chemistry with the superstar. Considering management invested seven years and $54.25 million to be Pastrnak’s dishwasher man for their entire lives, that’s a problem.

Meanwhile, Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic and Pavel Zacha all have one goal. All these players will have to step up soon or they will get away with this season.

“In every team, the star players have to carry the weight, the burden, offensively. Those are the players who are looking for power play and right now the offense is not happening for us,” Montgomery said.

Going into the game, it felt like the B’s would have a chance to string some wins together after an emotional win over Toronto on Saturday. No.

“Sometimes you are a bit overconfident. You have to respect every team, every night,” Marchand said. “We had chances tonight, especially in the first two periods. After the second it could easily have been a draw. But we let things slide a bit and you have to keep building on the good things. In the third inning we escaped playing hard at the net and they did a very good job of collapsing. They protected their net front very well, but we had to be better in that area.”

The first period was scoreless, thanks to some excellent saves from both netminders. Young defenseman Mason Lohrei suffered brutal puck glitches early on that would eventually lead to him being benched for a few shifts later in the first.

But when he and partner Charlie McAvoy couldn’t clear the puck early, Korpisalo saved them. On a poor early Bruin shift, Bobby Brink had half the net to shoot at, but Korpisalo, playing his first game since Oct. 16, made a great toe save.

The B’s had a great chance to take the lead when Marchand was cross-checked and Pastrnak was hooked 23 seconds later, giving the B’s a 5-on-3 for 1:37. But the B’s got bupkus out of it when the Flyers somehow managed to take away their shooting lanes for the extended two-man advantage. They also needed Korpisalo to come up with a big stop on the Flyers’ shorthanded bid after the first penalty, moving left to thwart Garnet Hathaway on a 2-on-1.

The B’s, who had an 11-7 lead, had their best chance when Andrew Peeke took the puck deep and fed Elias Lindholm for what looked like a tap-in, but Ersson somehow managed all the way to thwart centeman. Peeke also hit a post later in the period.

The Flyers got all the offense they needed at 5:32 of the second. The B’s were losing puck battles on both blue lines and eventually Emil Andrae fed Tyson Foerster in the high slot and he was able to beat Korpisalo under the pads with a hard wrister for the 1-0 Flyer lead.

The B’s then promptly gave the Flyers a power play, but they were able to shut it down.

Morgan Geekie, who also struggled offensively (only one assist), gave the B’s another power play opportunity when he buried a Flyer in the offensive zone and Morgan Frost retaliated with a high stick. But the B’s, playing tentatively on the perimeter, didn’t get the puck in the net until Justin Brazeau’s tip was gobbled up by Ersson as the PP came to an end.

The Flyers had 17 blocked shots in the first 20 minutes, plus even more thwarted passes that frustrated the Bruins. The B’s had a 10-6 lead in the second, but entered the third period trailing.

The difficulties getting pucks to the net would only get worse in the third and the B’s, unable to battle through the Flyers, got the result they deserved. Now that their record sits at 4-5-1, they have to go back to the drawing board. After ten games it is already far too familiar a position for them to be in.

Originally published: October 29, 2024 at 9:44 PM EDT