Breaking Apart the Bruins Overtime Loss to the Flames

CALGARY, AB – The Bruins (20-18-2) have now lost six straight games (0-4-2), and the sixth came at the hands of the Calgary Flames (17-18-4). The Bruins’ penalty kill was called on and stepped up, but ultimately the Flames pounced on a power play opportunity in overtime to pick up the two points.

The Bruins activated Jonathan Aspirot and returned him to the lineup on Monday. He had missed seven games due to an upper-body injury he sustained on December 11.

“A little rusted at the start,” said Aspirot, when asked how it felt getting back on the ice. “The more the game was going, the better it felt.”

The Bruins started this game looking for a shot on net; it took them just under eight minutes. Boston would finish the first period with eight shots and finish the game with 25.

Andrew Peeke got the goal scoring started with 1:58 remaining in the first period, which would ultimately be the only Bruins goal on Monday. Peeke brought the puck from the circle to the net front and buried it through Dustin Wolf’s pad. Calgary would challenge the play for goaltender interference, but failed and was penalized.

“I didn’t think it was goalie interference,” Peeke said about his fourth goal of the season. “We had a challenge a week ago against Montreal… I thought that one was worse.”

The Bruins did not capitalize on that power play, nor did they on any power play attempt on Monday. Boston had three, with two of them coming in the first period. The last man-advantage came while the game was tied in the third.

Blake Coleman would tie the game in the second period. He would use Charlie McAvoy as a screen and get the puck by Swayman.

The third period started, and penalties, all caused with the stick, began to haunt the most-penalized team in the league.

“There’s always going to be penalties in a game, there’s no doubt about that,” said Andrew Peeke. “A lot of the stick ones, we just got to use our legs and be physical and use our body instead of, you know, sticks in a lot of instances.”

Mark Kastelic took a hooking minor four minutes into the third period, and the penalty kill stepped up to prevent any Flames shots from landing on frame. The penalty kill would do it again, this time with seven minutes to go. Hampus Lindholm committed the second hooking minor of the period, and the Bruins’ penalty kill did not allow a shot on frame.

“The penalty kill was good, it limited chances,” Sean Kuraly said postgame. “Let’s build off it. We killed some good penalties. Let’s not grip our stick too tight and rethink everything that we’re doing, especially on the PK. 99% of it’s good. We’ll just clean up the last little bit.”

Calgary managed only one shot on Jeremy Swayman in the final 20 minutes.

However, the last seconds of regulation would haunt the Bruins, and it would be another stick infraction. Jonathan Aspirot caught Jonathan Huberdeau high and was then assessed a minor penalty with 0:00 on the clock.

“I just can’t get caught like that, my stick up off the ice,” Aspirot said about the penalty. “I can’t get a high stick there, and it’s on me.”

The Bruins and Flames were even after 60 minutes, but the Flames took a two-minute minor with them into overtime.

“It’s a tough one. There’s nothing left on the clock, and then you take a penalty like that,” Sturm said. “We did a pretty good job, but again, we just got to know what time it is. You got to control your stick a little bit.”

Jeremy Swayman stepped up to make a big save on the four-on-three penalty kill, one of 18 stops on the night. The Bruins even had a chance to win the game while shorthanded – Pavel Zacha sprung out to a breakaway, and Nikita Zadorov was tailing him. Wolf stopped Zacha’s shot and did the same on Zadorov’s rebound attempt.

“Unfortunately, that’s how it goes, right?” Marco Sturm said. “When you’re pressing to get that win and a point, that’s usually what comes out of it. Two really good chances, and we just couldn’t bury it.”

The Flames would go the other way, still on the power play, and Yegor Sharangovich would throw it towards the frame. The puck bounced in front of Swayman’s net, and Connor Zary got his stick on it and pushed it through Swayman’s pads, to give the Flames a 2-1 overtime victory over the Bruins.

“It’s a point. A point is a point. We take that anytime on the road,” said Sturm. “Do we want two? Yes. But again, I feel good about that point. These guys (Calgary) have been pretty good at home; they’ve been pretty good the last 10 games as well. So, we want to build on that; we have to. It’s a tough league, like I’ve always said. You have to sometimes start with the little things.”

The next opportunity for Boston to snap their six-game losing streak comes on Wednesday night in Edmonton. The Bruins have seen the Oilers (20-14-6) once this season; it was in Boston, and it was the first game of the current skid. The Bruins will practice on Tuesday ahead of their game against the Oilers.