The penalty issues have become overwhelming for the Bruins.
And they once again proved to be their undoing Monday night in Calgary, as the Bruins surrendered the overtime winner on the penalty kill in a 2-1 loss to the Flames. The loss was Boston’s sixth straight winless outing, with the club 0-4-2 over that span.
The penalty that proved to do the Bruins in on this night came at the end of regulation, too, as Jonathan Aspirot clipped the Flames’ Blake Coleman in the face with a blatant and outright careless high-sticking penalty as time expired in the period. It was Boston’s third and most harmful penalty of a third period effort that actually showed off the Bruins’ defensive chops, with Calgary held to just one shot in the frame.
But ultimately, the Aspirot penalty continued what’s been a highly-damaging barrage of stick infractions for the Bruins over the life of this six-game slide.
Beyond the penalty trouble, however, this was hardly the Black and Gold’s best offensive showing. In fact, Boston’s lone goal of this game came in the first period, and off the stick of a defenseman behind Andrew Peeke’s fourth goal of the year.
All four of Peeke’s goals this season have come in the last 11 games for the Bruins, and after Peeke scored just one goal (an empty-net goal) in his first 120 games in town.
In goal, the Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman finished with 19 saves in the losing effort. Swayman faced friendly fire on the game-winning goal against, too, as it was Hampus Lindholm who helped put Connor Zary’s shot through Swayman for the Calgary goal.
Across the sheet, the Flames’ Dustin Wolf stopped 24-of-25 in the win.
The Bruins will get back in action Wednesday night when they play Edmonton.