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In spite of a surprisingly 2-0 lead behind first-period goals from Patrice Bergeron (the 200th of his NHL career) and Loui Eriksson (his 13th of the season), it was undoubtedly expected that Tuukka Rask and the Bruins would commit themselves to the full meltdown following Jonathan Toews’ power-play goal with just 1.7 to go in the first period.
Rask did, anyhow. Mere seconds after taking a delay of game penalty for playing the puck outside the trapezoid, Rask surrendered a last-second goal, and in a fit of rage, swung his stick at the goalpost to his right, clipping Kris Versteeg and earning another penalty, a two-minute slashing call.
But Rask and the Bruins survived the penalty, and resumed their assault on the Chicago net, pushing another four into the back of the cage, defeating the Blackhawks by a 6-2 final at United Center.
The floodgates openly shortly after Milan Lucic’s first goal in seven games, which came 6:18 into the second, with David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner picking up the assists.
The Blackhawks attempted to stop the B’s momentum by way of a Dan Carcillo scrap with Boston defenseman Adam McQuaid, but even that couldn’t stop the Bruins on this Sunday affair, as Gregory Campbell sniped home his first goal since Jan. 20.
The Bruins’ fourth strike, with assists to Brian Ferlin and Dennis Seidenberg, put an end to Corey Crawford’s day after just 14 shots against in 32:19 in net.
Chicago backup Antti Raanta failed to escape the second period unscathed, though, as Dougie Hamilton (with help from an uncalled Spooner pick) put a power-play goal home, while Reilly Smith scored his 12th goal of the season with just four seconds left in the period.
The ‘Hawks made it a four-goal loss by way of Bryan Bickell’s tip-in with 5:42 left in the third, as the 27-year-old Rask finished the game with a win and 26 stops on 28 shots thrown his way.
Boston’s six-goal effort, led by contributions across the board (every Bruin with the exception of Chris Kelly and Carl Soderberg were on the ice for at least one goal for), was their first six-goal game of the season, and put an end to their six-game losing streak.
Random thoughts and notes
- So, here we are again. The Boston Bruins, written off by just about everybody (and rightfully so), rebounded from a sloppy finish to their first period, and absolutely pummeled Chicago for the final 40 minutes of play. If we’re going to crucify this team for their shortcomings against bad teams (which we all have), you have give credit when they show up and respond to a legitimate powerhouse, and the Black and Gold just did that at the United Center today. It’s testament to this team’s character, and shows that even though they’ve been a mess of a club for an entire month now (you could probably make the case that everything besides January has been a struggle for the Bruins in 2014-15), they still have the ability to compete with some of the league’s best. They’re an enigma, really.
But it’s imperative for general manager Peter Chiarelli to avoid falling in love with one game.
For 24 hours, you can take comfort in the positives that came with this victory. Brian Ferlin, in just his second NHL game, looks like a legitimate contributor to that oft-criticized fourth line capable of using his size and underrated quickness around the net to his advantage. But this is still a Bruins team that still needs to make a tweak or two up front, and could benefit from another defenseman (a middle-pairing righty, like Oilers blue-liner Jeff Petry or New Jersey’s Marek Zidlicky).
The truth can be found between the St. Louis blowout against and the Chicago blowout for.
- It was extremely strong return to the NHL for Ryan Spooner.
The 23-year-old centered a line with Milan Lucic and David Pastrnak on the wings, and finished his first NHL game since Oct. 15 with an assist, four shots, and two hits in 15:53 of time on ice. Spooner also skated on Boston’s top power play unit, and was on the ice for both of their power-play goals for.
One of the best things you saw from Spooner, too? His willingness to play his game. He made two horrific turnovers to start his game, but Claude Julien stuck with him, and it paid off.
That’s what Julien and the organization has wanted from the 5-foot-10 center, too. They know that he can contribute more (he did down in Providence en route to the call up), and it’s finding a way to embrace the challenge of NHL competition -- both internally and against the guys on the opposite bunch -- in a positive manner that’s been a must from Julien when it comes to handling Spooner. In essence, they’ve wanted No. 51 to play with just a bit more determination in all three zones. Today, he did.
This is a huge step for Spooner’s growth, and the next step, of course, involves consistency.
- You know, for a guy that was a healthy scratch for 17 straight games before jumping back into the mix last Monday, Matt Bartkowski is playing a pretty solid game on Boston’s second pairing. You’re noticing him less out there, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to a d-man.
I still don’t think that the Black and Gold are willing to commit to No. 43 as their No. 4 defenseman come playoff time, but it’s nice to see that he’s not completely rusted over.
- Here’s a weird stat for you: The Bruins have not lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in regulation on the road since Mar. 9, 2003. Steve Sullivan and Eric Daze each had hat tricks that night, while B’s netminder Steve Shields was in net for all eight goals against.
- "What the hell does this blog title mean?" you're probably asking. It's one of my favorite tracks by Chicago's own The Lawrence Arms, and I found it applicable here. There's your answer.
Up next
The Bruins finally make their way back to a Boston, and will return to the ice on Tuesday night when they play host to the Vancouver Canucks at TD Garden. The Bruins dropped their previous head-to-head with the Canucks by a 5-2 final back on Feb. 13, but return to the Hub with a 17-9-4 mark at home.
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com