One Big Takeaway As Special Teams, Old Friend Sink Bruins Vs. Canucks
BOSTON — The Bruins welcomed the Vancouver Canucks to TD Garden for another rematch of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. The matchup produced a 2-0 victory for the Canucks on Tuesday night.
The more pressing headline entering Tuesday came with the return of a pair of former Bruins in Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen. Both players spent at least five years in a Bruins uniform and basked in the ovation upon their first-period tributes.
The night also featured the chance for DeBrusk to do more than just wave to his former fan base.
The Bruins peppered Vancouver goaltender Kevin Lankinen with 21 shots through two periods but could not find a way to put one through. On the other side, DeBrusk made an opportunistic play against his former team.
Brad Marchand went to the box on a minor penalty to put the Canucks on the power play. Quinn Hughes fired a shot toward the net that ricocheted off the hand of Conor Garland. The puck landed right in front of DeBrusk outside the crease and he beat Jeremy Swayman to his left 5:53 into the second period.
DeBrusk netted his sixth goal of the season, all of which have come on the road. Boston’s special teams couldn’t cash in on the night as the league’s 19th-ranked unit in penalty kill percentage allowed the decisive goal. That’s a frustrating note on an otherwise efficient night for Joe Sacco’s defensive unit.
The Bruins did not take advantage of three power-play opportunities on the night either despite a number of grade-A chances on the man-advantage, particularly in the third period.
The Bruins are right back in action Wednesday night at UBS Arena against the New York Islanders. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. You can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.