Niemi/By S. Bradley
BOSTON — The Bruins couldn’t solve San Jose goaltender Antti Niemi for all but 29 seconds of tonight’s game, and it cost them.
Benn Ferriero answered the Bruins’ rally from two goals down in the third period with the game-winning goal on a rebound with 11:12 remaining in regulation in a 4-2 Sharks win at TD Garden.
The Bruins have now allowed the first goal six times in eight outings.
Here is my game story for NHL.com.
Ferriero, the Boston native, was just called up from the Worcester (AHL) farm club Thursday. This was his second NHL game of the season and the goal was his first of the year.
Milan Lucic and Tyler Seguin had scored goals 29 seconds apart early in the third to tie the game. Niemi finished with 37 saves.
“Right now, as you know, we’re not burying our opportunities,” said Bruins head coach Claude Julien. “Even if you score two goals, a lot of times, it’s not enough. I think that’s probably one of the biggest issues, and a couple of mental mistakes you see often in games – coverage and stuff like that – that ended up being costly. Defensively, we didn’t give them much, but when we did, there were some mistakes that were made that ended up costing us. At the other end, we had some open nets, we had some great chances, and right now, we’re not burying them, and that’s being ready to do that. It’s a challenge for us right now, and it’s frustrating because if you look at the whole game, it wasn’t a bad game from our part of it. We had lots of chances, and at the end of the night, we didn’t capitalize enough.”
You can re-live all the action from this game with this photo gallery courtesy of Sharon Bradley Photography:
Bojangles
I think your second paragraph answers your question about Paille and the Bruins. He is too effective on the penalty kill for Boston to deal him. I do know he has stone hands around the net somedays. The Bruins have to break out big time here fairly soon. If there going to do anything, I think they will trade for a defensman. A package deal of maybe Pouliot and Kampfer or Corvo for a good blueliner. Last year, at this time, I would have said Boychuk but he seems to be continuing his good play from the playoffs.
@Cormac…I know what you mean about Corvo except I think his offensive upside is going to make CJ a little more patient. However if he keeps making those cross ice passes through traffic that patience might wear thin.
@Bruins16…I totally agree about Horton and Krejci…I think I might have yelled something to that effect at the TV last night. And the move is so easy to do. You take last nights lines and swap Horton for Peverley. So we end up with something like:
Lucic-Kelly-Seguin
Marchand-Bergeron-Peverley
Pouliot-Krejci-Horton
Thornton-Campbell-Paille
Those look like pretty OK lines to me.
@Bojangles…Paille is an enigma. He appears to have all the skills in the world. He has super wheels, seemingly good hockey sense, great back checker, a knack for finding open ice yet give him the puck and he has hands of stone? I coach Novice and the 7 year olds all have the same problem.
So I won’t be surprised at all if we see him dealt. I don’t agree about Campbell though. I think he has real chemistry on the forth line, he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, he seems to bury most of the chances he gets (he just gets fewer on the forth line) and he’s scrappy as hell. He led the team in fights last year didn’t he?
That’s my take anyway.
You watch the highlights and you’ll see the perfect example for why Paille is so frustrating to so many Bs fans. Anyone remember his 2-on-1 with Bergy in the third? Not only does he completely miss the open side on the 2-on-1 feed from Bergeron, but his initial pass to Bergy on the give-n-go was in Bergy’s skates preventing Bergy from having an open side to shoot into himself.
Love Paille on the kill, and he wins lots of pucks, but the Bs are going to need to upgrade him or Campbell at some point this year. Can they get a big winger and move Kelly down to center the 4th line?
Cormac
I thought Kampfer was less effective than Corvo. As well, I thought Chara, Boychuk, and Sidenberg played well. Krejci seems a little ineffective, I think they should re-unite him with Nathan Horton. Bergeron and Marchand play well with anyone, and you can’t break up Seguin, Lucic, and Kelly.
Lots of chances last night for the B’s. The members of the 3rd and 4th lines have had no luck or missed opportunities. Hopefully, that changes, SOON.
Corvo better start adapting and play the B’s ‘zone D’. TT was his usual, terrific self.
Hopefully, all four B’s lines “break out” against the habs Thursday and Saturday.
“Kelly to Seguin to Lucic back to Seguin, SCORE” is becoming pretty familiar…WOOHOO!