The Boston Bruins made their way to First Niagara Center a frustrated bunch.
With just two wins in their first six games of the year, the Black and Gold were struggling in almost every aspect of the game (with the exception of their third line, and maybe the Bergeron line). Matched up against Jhonas Enroth, a goaltender they’ve destroyed throughout his career, a no-show in Buffalo against the Sabres would have been the ultimate panic moment. Trade Rask, trade Chara, bring Chris Bourque back, riot. All bets would be off.
But fortunately for the streets of Boston, the B’s played like a team going up against a 5-foot-11 goaltender that entered the night with one victory and an .892 save percentage in eight career games against Boston.
And it all began with their defensemen.
Dougie Hamilton opened up the game’s scoring with his first goal of the season while pairing partner Zdeno Chara made it 2-0 shortly thereafter. Moments after absolutely hammering Buffalo in their own end, Torey Krug was rewarded with a strike, and it was Carl Soderberg in front of the net that made it 4-0. That was more than enough for the club, as Niklas Svedberg stopped all 32 shots thrown his way in a strong start headlined by a surprising 16-save first period.
The victory didn’t come without some blows or concerns to a B’s squad inching closer to .500.
In the first period, Boston lost defenseman Kevan Miller to an upper-body injury following his fight with Nicolas Deslauriers. Forced to finish the night with five defensemen, the Bruins once again had moments where they looked stuck in the mud in their own end. This has become a huge problem. It’s great to block shots, sure, but you’re also giving the opposition more offensive looks, and that's dangerous no matter the goaltender.
I think one of the biggest needs for this team right now is a stronger pairing partner for Dennis Seidenberg, or one that can just help facilitate his puck movement out of the zone a bit more than Adam McQuaid can. This brings us back to the Matt Bartkowski debate and whether or not he’s the guy for that job. I still don’t know, and I honestly don’t think anybody will until you see more than a 20-minute sample of that duo together.
It’s going to take the 33-year-old Seidenberg a few more games to get back into game shape (maybe even longer), you’d think, but he’s been a major issue on that second pairing, and has already taken five minor penalties in just seven games this season. As one of the club’s go-to penalty-killers, that’s a definite no-no.
On the first line, Simon Gagne was really, well, invisible.
The newest member to audition with David Krejci and Milan Lucic, Gagne finished the night with zero shots (though he had two attempts blocked) and a plus-1 in over 12 minutes of time on ice. At 34 and after a year away from the game, Gagne’s best suited as a complementary piece for the Bruins and not a top-liner, but that first line is just dying for an answer at this point. Long term, it’s not a fit.
(Completely, totally related: 18-year-old David Pastrnak, a righty shot and the club’s first-round pick down in Philadelphia this year, had a goal and three points last night for the Providence Bruins.)
At the end of the day, the Bruins did what good teams are supposed to do and took it to the Sabres. And my goodness, is it going to a long season in Buffalo.
This team is just … just a total, bleepin’ nightmare.
I suppose that’s what you expect when you sign Andrej Meszaros to a one-year, $4 million contract, though. Still, there are things you like as a Sabres fan. I think Zemgus Girgensons is a talented player that’s truly taking advantage of big minutes at a young age, Tyler Ennis is a player that I think will only get better with this additional offensive responsibility, and Brian Gionta (who drew three penalties on the Bruins in last night’s losing effort) is the perfect captain for this group given his work ethic. Plus, their pick pool will only get deeper with expected deadline castoffs like Drew Stafford, Chris Stewart, or even Tyler Myers (though that’s a player I’d continue to hang on to).
But that Enroth and Michal Neuvirth tandem is enough to cover your eyes for the full 82.
Then again, if there’s a year to suck, I suppose this is the one, right?
After returning back home to Boston last night, the Bruins sent forwards Seth Griffith and Ryan Spooner down to Providence. The Bruins’ healthy scratches last night, the duo will report to the American Hockey League, where they’ll be able to skate top-line minutes. In the now, that’ll certainly serve them better than not playing (or playing four minutes a night on the fourth line) up in Boston.
Up next
The Bruins will get their first two-day breather of the year before coming home to the TD Garden for a Tuesday night showdown with the San Jose Sharks. The Bruins took both games against San Jose last season, and will welcome Joe Thornton and company to Boston for an October game for the second-straight season. Top-liner David Krejci scored the game-winner at the 19:59 mark of the third period in an absolutely thrilling contest the last time the Sharks were in town.