The Bruins headed into the weekend with a rough one already on the books. In St. Louis on Thursday night, they struck first, then watched the game slip away in a hurry, allowing four straight goals in a 4-1 loss.
James Hagens supplied the only Boston goal, but this wasn’t one of those nights where the Bruins could blame everything on the goalie across the ice. Joel Hofer did come up with a couple of big, timely stops, yet the bigger issue was Boston’s overall pace. It was a sluggish showing, plain and simple, and one the Bruins will need to clean up fast with Connor Bedard and Co. set to visit Saturday afternoon.
Chicago isn’t exactly rolling in upbeat energy either. The Blackhawks are coming off a disappointing outing of their own, one their coach called a “step backwards.”
Around the league, Thursday turned into a hat trick showcase. Tage Thompson, Logan Cooley, and old friend Viktor Arvidsson each found the net three times.
Cooley’s third was the standout moment of the night. He scored with one second left in regulation to force overtime, and Utah then finished the job in the extra session.
Elsewhere, the Ducks and Sabres combined for a 13-goal game, while the Kings coughed up a four-goal lead in the third period before still pulling out an overtime win.
And then there was the Dylan Larkin situation, which only got messier. Larkin refused to play, his agent went public with complaints about Detroit’s lack of a trade, and the Red Wings responded by suspending him without pay.
Larkin’s agent, Pat Brisson, summed up the situation this way: he said that Larkin has been “professional and cooperative through this process.”
The line landed with a thud, mostly because it sounded like the opposite of what was happening in real time.
You can see why some people would want the Bruins to chase a player like that, but it’s tough to look past everything swirling around the situation and focus only on the hockey.
In Other News...
James Hagens Is Giving Bruins Fans A Reason To Dream Bigger
James Hagens keeps giving Bruins fans a little more reason to lean in, even on nights when the result goes sideways. Against the St. Louis Blues, the rookie found the net again, and the goal was his fifth of the season, a milestone that puts him in some notable company for a young player trying to carve out a bigger role in Boston.
The Bruins still dropped the game 4-1 despite outshooting St. Louis, a reminder that one bright moment is not enough to cover up a rough finish. Boston allowed four unanswered goals and surrendered two on the power play, but Hagens early scoring touch is becoming hard to ignore as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Top Six Is Putting Marco Sturm In A Tough Spot
Bostons third line has quietly become one of the more encouraging parts of the lineup, giving Marco Sturm a useful problem at a time when the top six still hasnt found a steady rhythm. James Hagens, Elias Lindholm and Casey Mittelstadt have been effective together at 5-on-5, and they have done it without getting a particularly friendly run of offensive-zone starts, which makes their recent success stand out even more.
The challenge for Sturm is that the Bruins are still searching for a combination up front that can generate more dependable offense, especially with Chicago coming next on the schedule. Line shuffling is on the table, and one possibility would be moving David Pastrnak into a different look to try to spark the group, but the coaching staff has not settled on how it wants to attack the problem just yet. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Could Benefit From A Stunning Atlantic Twist
The Atlantic Division has been thrown into a fresh round of speculation after a wave of trade requests began reshaping the conversation around the NHL's top teams. For Boston, the ripple effect matters even without a direct move on the board, because any shakeup involving Tampa Bay can alter the balance of power in a division where every contender is watching the same dominoes.
Boston's interest is less about the rumor itself than the possible chain reaction it could set off if Tampa Bay decides to pivot quickly. The Bruins would be tracking how the Lightning handle the situation, what kind of return they seek, and whether the fallout changes the competitive landscape in a division that already has plenty of tension. For now, it is all still fluid, but the possibility of a major Atlantic twist is enough to keep the Bruins' corner of the league paying close attention. [Read more 🡒]