The Bruins’ fast start wasn’t enough to save them Thursday night, as Boston coughed up four straight goals and fell 4-1 to the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center.
Boston is now 9-4-1 and has lost back-to-back games. St. Louis improved to 6-6-1.
James Hagens scored the Bruins’ lone goal, while Jeremy Swayman stopped 14 of 18 shots in the defeat.
For the fifth consecutive game, Boston struck first. At 5:28 of the opening period, Blues goalie Joel Hofer played the puck up the boards, Casey Mittelstadt collected it, and sent a shot toward the net. Hagens got a piece of it between his legs and deflected it past Hofer for his fifth goal of the season.
The lead disappeared almost immediately after Charlie McAvoy took the night’s first penalty. On the power play, Robert Thomas won the draw back to Philip Broberg, who moved it quickly to Jimmy Snuggerud. Three seconds into the man advantage, Snuggerud beat Swayman from the left circle to tie it 1-1.
St. Louis kept rolling in the second period. Five minutes in, Connor McMichael worked the puck from behind the net to a wide-open Broberg, and Broberg snapped a wrist shot from the slot past Swayman for a 2-1 lead.
Seven minutes later, Thomas stretched that advantage. He carried the puck into the zone with Jake Neighbours and Snuggerud on either side, but kept it himself and scored from 30 feet out to make it 3-1.
Marco Sturm changed up the Bruins’ top-six to start the third period, with David Pastrnak opening the frame alongside Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov. Pastrnak then took a two-minute interference penalty, and once Boston got back to 5-on-5, JJ Peterka, Pavel Zacha, and Morgan Geekie were skating together.
Geekie was sent to the box for tripping with 7:24 left, and St. Louis made the Bruins pay again. Just six seconds later, the Blues converted off a faceoff win from Thomas to Broberg, with Jake Neighbours blocking Broberg’s shot before finishing the play with a backhand to make it 4-1.
Boston heads back home after the game and will practice Friday morning in Brighton. The Bruins open a two-game homestand with a Halloween matinee against the Chicago Blackhawks (4-9-0).
In Other News...
Bruins Could Benefit From A Stunning Atlantic Twist
The ripple effects of the latest trade chatter around the Atlantic Division could wind up reaching Boston in a big way. With Connor Hellebuyck and Dylan Larkin already part of the conversation, the possibility of another major name changing course has turned what once looked like a stable division picture into something far more unsettled, and the Bruins have reason to watch closely as the market shifts around them.
For Boston, any upheaval involving Tampa Bay matters because it can alter the balance of power in the division and reshape the kind of moves rival clubs can make next. The situation is still fluid, and there is no confirmed deal on the table, but the mere possibility of a blockbuster twist has already made this one of the more intriguing storylines in the East. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Keep Limiting Matthew Poitras And Fans Have Every Right To Wonder
Matthew Poitras keeps finding ways to chip in for the Bruins even as his role stays frustratingly small. Boston sits atop the Atlantic Division with a strong record and goal differential, and Poitras has been part of the early-season depth picture on offense, producing seven points in 10 games while seeing limited ice time.
The latest flashpoint came in overtime against the Dallas Stars, when Marco Sturm chose to keep Poitras on the bench in a game that was still very much there to be won. The coach framed it as a strategic call in a tough road environment, but the broader question remains the same for Bruins fans: if Poitras is helping, why is he still being used so sparingly? [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Suddenly Have No Margin For Error In The Atlantic
The Bruins reached the final weekend of October still sitting atop the Atlantic Division, but the cushion around them has already started to disappear. A 9-4-1 start looked sturdy enough a few days ago, yet back-to-back losses have tightened the race and left Boston needing a quick response as it gets set to host the Blackhawks, a matchup that offers a chance to steady things before the standings get any more crowded.
Bostons margin is shrinking at the same time David Pastrnak is closing in on another franchise marker, adding a little extra edge to a game the Bruins would like to treat as a reset. The opponent has been scuffling, which makes this one feel less like a routine home date and more like an early test of how well Boston can handle a division that is already starting to squeeze back. [Read more 🡒]