Bruins fall to Stars, 5-2, in another mistake-filled loss

Steve Conroy, Boston Herald on Oct 24, 2024

Published in Hockey

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BOSTON — The good news for the Bruins is that it’s only October. The bad news is that if they keep playing like this, their season will be over by Thanksgiving.

The B’s continued their self-destructive ways in their 5-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday at TD Garden. They repeatedly turned the puck over. They added to their league-leading penalty total with five more minors. Passing was horrendous. They couldn’t even make the simple plays like getting pucks deep. And they hung goalie Jeremy Swayman out to dry for much of the opening 40 minutes.

Even the previously infallible fourth line gave up a goal.

The Stars, looking like the only Stanley Cup contender on the ice, simply outclassed the B’s all night.

Dallas scored three straight power-play goals in the first 8:59 of the second period, putting the B’s in a hole out of which they could not climb.

The Bruins seemed intent on shooting themselves in the foot much of the first period. They were charged with 12 giveaways in the first period. But it was a bad Dallas cough-up that led to the Bruins taking the first lead of the game.

Brad Marchand was in the box for high-sticking, but 46 seconds into the Stars’ PP, Jamie Benn nullified that with a slashing penalty, which he then compounded with an unsportsmanlike penalty when he banged his stick against the glass.

On the initial 4-on-4, Matt Dumba dropped a pass to no one behind his own net that Matt Poitras snagged. He came out from behind the net and it appeared he was looking to stuff it but saw a wide open David Pastrnak in the slot. Poitras put it on a tee and Pastrnak blasted it past a helpless Casey DeSmith for his fifth of the year at 11:57.

But the B’s could do nothing with the extended power play. In fact, they needed Swayman to come up with a huge stop on Wyatt Johnston’s shorthanded breakaway after Charlie McAvoy’s pass wound up in Pastrnak’s skates and they turned it over to Johnston. The power play remains a going concern for this team.

Swayman saw a lot of point-blank chances in the first and he was up to the challenge, until Matt Duchene beat him upstairs with a wrist shot from the inside of the left circle. The goal happened with the line of Cole Koepke, Mark Kastelic and Johnny Beecher on the ice, the first time that line had been on for a goal-against all season. The unit had been broken up to start the game but, after the special teams play, they found themselves together again.

Dallas held a 13-11 shot advantage in the first.

A lost puck battle off the opening faceoff in the second period led to a Dallas power play and the Stars’ first lead of the night.

Logan Stankoven beat McAvoy for a loose puck along the boards off the drop and then disaster ensued. Hampus Lindholm fell down as he was trying to turn and Roope Hintz was off to the races. He didn’t score, but Pastrnak was called for hooking. Twenty seconds later, Jason Robertson roofed the puck over Swayman for the 2-1 lead 31 seconds into the period.

The comedy of errors continued. Parker Wotherspoon whiffed on a puck just inside the Boston blue line and had to take an interference penalty on Duchene. On the PP, Stankoven fired home an open shot from the top of the crease to make 3-1 at 4:57.

The carnage didn’t stop.

Pastrnak took an offensive zone tripping penalty and the Stars made it 3-for-3, with old friend Tyler Seguin beating Swayman with a wide-open shot from the right circle at 8:59.

The B’s were able to stanch the bleeding when Elias Lindholm drew a hooking penalty on Sam Steel. They finally showed some desperation on the advantage and the second unit got on the board. Morgan Geekie and Trent Frederic won the puck behind the net and Frederic fed Justin Brazeau for his first of the season from the top of the crease at 10:41.

The B’s carried the play in the third period but their finishing touch just wasn’t there. The damage had been done and Hintz’ empty-net goal with 2:02 left removed any doubts, if in fact there were any.