The Boston Bruins wrapped up their West Coast swing with a point in Dallas, but the finish wasn’t nearly as clean as the overall trip.
Boston fell 3-2 in overtime to the Stars on Tuesday night at American Airlines Center, ending a four-game road trip with a 3-0-1 record and seven of eight possible points. Matt Poitras scored his fourth goal and James Hagens added his third, but Mikko Rantanen took over the night with a hat trick, including the overtime winner on the power play.
Even in defeat, the Bruins showed some grit against a Dallas team described as dangerous offensively. The problem came late. Boston’s attack dried up, the players who had scored were stuck on the bench, and the power play went silent, finishing 0-for-4.
There was at least one bright spot beyond the scoreline: the Bruins are reportedly nearing a new deal with Marat Khusnutdinov. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported that the team is “closing in on a multi-year extension” with the forward. Boston has not announced any contract details yet, but the move suggests Khusnutdinov is part of the club’s long-term picture.
The Bruins now get a day off before heading home from Texas. Their next on-ice work comes Thursday at TD Garden, where they’re scheduled for a 10:30 AM morning skate.
Boston also put out a Causeway University promotion on social media, with fans able to submit an application by Friday, October 23, at 5:00 PM ET for a shot at an “exclusive Orientation event on Tuesday, November 3.” The brown color scheme lined up with reports that the Bruins’ hometown remix sweater is “very collegiate in style” and has a Beanpot connection.
Around the league, Dylan Larkin’s trade list grew once more. According to Helene St.
James of the Detroit Free Press, the former Red Wings captain is now up to 10 teams, and the Bruins are not among them. Neither are the Montreal Canadiens, despite the public push from their fans.
Larkin is reportedly willing to play for Florida, Minnesota, Vegas, Dallas, Washington, Carolina, Utah, Tampa Bay, New Jersey, and Colorado.
Kirill Marchenko also made headlines in Columbus, where he returned to his old home ice and scored in the first period. His former teammate Mathieu Olivier wasn’t exactly sentimental, saying, “If he doesn’t want to be here, he doesn’t want to be here … That’s fine.
Just go. We don’t want you.”
Brady Tkachuk is in a similar spot tonight, with his return to Ottawa set for later in the evening. He said he has “no expectations” for how Senators fans will react.
Tkachuk played his first eight seasons in Ottawa, piling up 463 points (213-250-463) in 572 games, before requesting and receiving a trade this summer. If jerseys come raining down, he said he plans to donate them to the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa.
There was also a serious situation involving Penguins forward Ben Kindel. Shortly after Pittsburgh’s plane departed Salt Lake City, it turned around after Kindel experienced a medical episode. The Penguins said he was taken to the University of Utah Hospital and is “conscious, alert, and in stable condition.”
Elsewhere, Connor McDavid kept rewriting the record book. He became the first player in NHL history to record 20 assists in nine games, finishing with three helpers in Edmonton’s 4-3 overtime win over the Minnesota Wild.
In Philadelphia, the Flyers may already have a blue-line answer in the organization. Oliver Bonk began the season in Lehigh Valley after training camp, but he’s making a case to remain on the Flyers’ top pair once the lineup is whole again.
And in San Jose, Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s long run with the Sharks has come to an unceremonious end after 19 seasons and 1,323 regular-season games. The veteran defenseman was bought out, said he thought the Sharks may have lied to him about the last year of his deal, and is now embracing fatherhood after a career spent on the ice.
In Other News...
Bruins Waste Big Opportunity In Loss That Leaves One Clear Concern
The Bruins left Dallas with a point but not the result they wanted, falling 3-2 in overtime at American Airlines Center in a game that felt like a missed chance for a team sitting atop the Atlantic Division and tied for first in the Eastern Conference. Boston had enough strong stretches to make the trip feel winnable, with Jeremy Swayman, Matthew Poitras and Nikita Zadorov among the players who helped keep the game on track.
Still, the details of how the loss unfolded will linger. Boston could not cash in on a key advantage when it needed to separate itself, and by the time overtime arrived, the margin for error had already disappeared. Against a Dallas team led by Mikko Rantanens big night, the Bruins were left with a reminder that even a solid overall performance can turn into an expensive lesson when one area of the game goes missing at the wrong time. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Suddenly Have A Real Chance In A Surprising Trade Watch
A quiet contract standoff in Detroit has suddenly put the Bruins in the middle of an interesting trade watch. Simon Edvinsson and his agent recently met with interim GM Shawn Horcoff as the Red Wings continue to work toward an extension, and Boston is among the teams keeping tabs on the situation as the 6-foot-6 defensemans future hangs in the balance.
Edvinsson has not formally asked out, but the longer talks drag on, the more likely a move starts to look if no deal comes together. Detroit still says it wants to keep him, yet there is clearly enough outside interest to make this one worth monitoring, with the Bruins one of the clubs that could benefit if the Red Wings decide to revisit the market. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Showed One Late Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Boston wrapped up its four-game road trip with seven of eight points after a 3-2 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars, a result that still left plenty to like and a little to worry about. Matt Poitras and James Hagens scored for the Bruins, Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves, and the club continued to look competitive away from home even as the night ended with a familiar sense that a few key details might have cost them.
The Bruins also came up empty on the power play, going 0-for-4 against a Dallas team that had enough firepower to punish mistakes and make every late shift matter. For a group that has built this trip on resilience, the final stretch of the game carried the kind of frustration fans can spot right away, especially when the margin stays tight and the offense stops generating the one extra look that can change everything. [Read more 🡒]