Holy shit it’s been a minute! How the hell are ya? Good to see you. Me? I’m good, up here in Maine on vacation and still giving you filthy animals the straight dope on the Black and Gold. Pull up a chair and breathe it all in, it’ll be all right, I got you. All right, let’s get into it.
Your Boston Bruins traveled to the City of Brotherly Love for a tilt against the Flyers tonight after a 5 day layoff. Picking right up where they left off, the B’s took care of business and now have their first 3 game win streak of the year. Paced offensively by (checks notes) Derek Forbort, and a timely fight by (checks notes again) Charlie McAvoy, the Bruins head home 3 points out of a playoff spot, but with 3 games in hand on those fucking scumbags the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Linus Ullmark got the start in net vs. Martin Jones in the PHI cage. Up front the top 6 remained static while the bottom six had a few tweaks. Erik Huala was between Craig Smith and Jake DeBrusk while Curtis Lazar and Anton Blidh bracketed Tomas Nosek at the pivot. On the back end, Mike Reilly and Jakob Zboril were the 3rd pair with Connor Clifton getting the night off.
Hal’s favorite Bruin, Tomas Nosek got the good guys on the board first when he made a pretty finish off a Blidh feed from behind the net. Lazar came with a heavy forecheck and freed up the puck for Blidh to slide it to Nosek out in front of the Philly net. Nosek kicked the puck to his backhand and went top shelf over Jones’ left shoulder and the boys were off and running.
Originally tweeted by Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) on November 21, 2021.
The Bruins carried the play for the first period (SOG 21-8) but only had the one tally to show for their efforts. Ullmark however, earned his game check in the first with the save of the game. Claude Giroux came out of the box and skated into an errant pass in the neutral zone. Giroux came down the RW and drove the net, but Ullmark held his line and kept the Flyers off the board. Big save at an early (but crucial) part of the game.
In the opening shift of the 2nd period, Forbort got his first of the night (that’s right, multi goal game for F-ORR-bort tonight) when his clapper from the point deflected (I think out high first and then) off Justin Braun’s blade and into the Flyer net. We’ll call it clapper from the point over the blocker; who cares about the journey, it’s all about the end result baby!
Originally tweeted by Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) on November 21, 2021.
A pair of Derick Brassard goals in the 2nd got the game tied back up, but the nasty was percolating all throughout the middle stanza. Longtime scumbag agitator rat Rasmus Ristolainen dared to check Mr. Patrice Bergeron after the whistle and this got all parties involved behind the Flyers net. Good thing too, since the Bruins were starting to sleepwalk a little bit at this point of the game. Nothing like some good hate to get everyone dialed back in. Minutes after the meeting of the clans behind the net, Chuckie Bright Lights decided to chuck some knucks when he squared off with fellow BU alum Joel Farabee after a lengthy back and forth down the LW wall. McAvoy got the W by landing 3 solid shots to Farabee’s misses; and as Razor pointed out between periods, the most important part of the fight is landing the first throw: let’s give it up for noted pugilist Andrew Raycroft ladies and gents.
Forbort got the GWG later in the period when the Bruins were having a little trouble staying out of their own way in the neutral zone. DeBrusk had the puck tangled up in his skates in front of the Bruins bench when Smith pulled the puck out of the scrum and fed Forbort as he skated inside the Flyers zone. Forbort skated down the slot and let it fly with a drag snap that beat Jones up over the shoulder as Smitty drove the net. 3-2 and the boys will take that into the room.
Originally tweeted by Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) on November 21, 2021.
Welcome back Smitty with his first goal of the season in the 3rd as he carried the puck over the blue line and drove the right wing. As he came over the RW dot he let go with a wrister that broke off Jones’ shoulder and went high short side to put the Bruins back up by 2 goals.
Originally tweeted by Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) on November 21, 2021.
But they weren’t done yet! David Pastrnak got a cookie during 4 on 4 play when he batted down a waist high feed from Coyle in the Flyers zone and then found Zboril at the RW dot. Zboril corralled the puck with his skate and fed it back to Pasta who just……….waited……….out………. Jones and put it under the bar far side for the 5 spot.
Originally tweeted by Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) on November 21, 2021.
The Bruins are back at home tomorrow night to take on the white hot Calgary Flames.
Plus/Minus:
Plus
- Derek Forbort – named after Derek Sanderson and looking like Bobby Orr. Not only was tonight the first multi goal game in his NHL career. In his previous 331 GP, Forbort has 8 goals. In his 14 games with the Bruins, Forbort has 4 goals. Must be the water.
- Secondary scoring all over the place. I’m even counting David Pastrnak’s goal as secondary scoring as he was out there in the 4 on 4 with Charlie Coyle. Count it!
- Linus Ullmark hopped back in net and played solid. Challenging shooters and making timely saves. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jeremy Swayman tomorrow night, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ullmark back in there either. I’ve been drinking all game, I’m on vacation!
Minus
- Jake DeBrusk – you floating motherfucker. Just give a consistent effort
- I thought the Bruins had a bit of fumblefuckery with the puck tonight, but I guess that’s to be expected with an almost week without game play
Game Notes:
- The Bruins are tied with the NY Islanders for fewest games played in the NHL. The Islanders opened the season on an extended road trip while their new rink was being finished (The Isles opened UBS Arena tonight with a 5-2 loss to Calgary)
- The Sonk Daddy Keith Yandle is now 25 games away from tying the NHL Ironman streak
- In more “Piss Off Hal” notes: Tonight was the first time this season that an opposing power play got on the board with Tomas Nosek on the ice. Nosek has been a consistent defensive player for the Bruins since they signed him. If the offense can start coming, look out Hal!
The Morning Skate 