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A frantic final five minutes came with everything but the game-tying goal in a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders for the Boston Bruins, dropping the Black and Gold back under .500 by way of a 4-5-0 record.
But this is one of those games where the box score is a liar. This was not as close as the final score indicated. Not even for a little bit. For almost 55 minutes, the Bruins were run out of the building by a hungrier, faster Islander squad that got up for the challenge. This was New York making a statement that they’re for real this year (as if wins against the New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, and now Bruins would tell you otherwise).
However, the frustrating 3-2 final, which came in spite of an absolutely furious late-game rush by the Bruins to no avail, wasn’t even close to the biggest loss of the night for the Bruins. Zdeno Chara, the club’s captain and perennial Norris finalist, went down with a knee injury and did not return.
In fact, it doesn’t sound like he will anytime soon, with late night reports indicating that the 37-year-old will be out for at least four-to-six weeks before the B’s reevaluate to see if their captain will need surgery.
That is literally the last thing the Bruins want to hear.
“You see your captain go down, and probably your most important player go down. It’s definitely not a great sight to see,… B’s winger Milan Lucic said after the game. “He’s irreplaceable – but as a unit, everyone can do a little extra to fill in for what he does. Maybe it was wearing on us a little bit mentally in the second period there. But you saw in the third, when we decide to play, we can still play.…
Offensively, sure, the Bruins hung with the deeper-than-most-probably-expected Islanders, with goals from Lucic (his first of the season) and Chris Kelly (his second of the year), but the Bruins were an absolute nightmare in their own end once No. 33 went down the tunnel for the night.
At times, the Isles toyed with Boston’s defense. It was an agonizing preview of life without Chara. It was too easy for teams to move the puck around, even easier for them to keep possession, and criminally easy to park in front of the net and in the slot for high percentage chances. Kyke Okposo’s goal was a prime example of that, as Matt Bartkowski and Adam McQuaid simply failed to move him.
“I’ll deal with that internally,… Julien said of the net-front breakdowns. “It’s obviously an issue.…
The problem, though, is that there’s no internal solution to the loss of the 6-foot-9 Chara.
Since the towering defender signed with the Bruins in 2006, Chara’s been a remarkable model of durability. In fact, Chara’s played at least 77 games in every season as a Bruin (and he played in all 48 games during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season). His only brush with a significant injury came in 2008, when he suffered a torn labrum that put him out of commission for five games. That’s a welcomed sight compared to this.
Chara’s such a part of this team’s identity, and the face of this defense, and this injury is beyond huge.
“I think he calms the game down for us and plays a lot, obviously the leadership and everything like that. It’s a big part of our team,… B’s third-year pro Dougie Hamilton said of Chara’s importance to the team. “I thought we did OK without him, I think everyone kind of stepped up and started skating in the second period. Maybe we didn’t do that great, but we’re aware that he’s hurt and we’re gonna have to step up.…
Fitting, in an odd way anyhow, that this injury happens in a game where the Black and Gold got their first look at former Bruin Johnny Boychuk in Islander colors. Boychuk, a cap casualty traded out of town just days before the start of the season, is currently skating as the Isles’ No. 1 defenseman with a fair deal of success, and will be sorely missed (even more than he already is) as the sans Chara defense takes shape.
“You can’t be worrying about that,… Boychuk said when asked about the irony of Chara getting injured after he was traded. “I just hope that it’s not serious with him, because he is a great player and leader, and you don’t want to see anything bad happen to him. Even if I wasn’t his friend, I’d still wish that he didn’t get hurt.…
(Blogger's note: The draft picks the Bruins acquired in the Boychuk trade cannot suit up.)
With Kevan Miller also out of commission, the Bruins will have to look to the farm for immediate help. Joe Morrow, Zach Trotman, or David Warsofsky are the likely go-to calls.
On a positive note-- another strong start for Svedberg, who stopped 35-of-38 shots, in the loss.
Up next
The Bruins will head to Toronto for a Saturday night matchup with the Maple Leafs. With Svedberg getting the nod on Thursday night, you can bet your savings account that the Bruins will give the nod to former Maple Leaf draft pick and noted Toronto killer, Tuukka Rask, in net. But with a deeper offense, the Leafs won’t be the usual pushovers for Boston. The B’s and Leafs split their season series last year.
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