The Bruins are finding new and painful ways to lose hockey games.
The B’s dropped their sixth in a row in a 2-1 overtime decision to the Calgary Flames at the Saddledome, losing what was a very winnable game.
With the final second ticking off the clock, Jonathan Aspirot took a minor high-sticking penalty when his stick rode up to clip Blake Coleman, putting the Flames on the power play to start the overtime.
The B’s had two good chances to win it on the shorthand, first on a breakaway by Pavel Zacha that Dustin Wolf stopped. Nikita Zadorov then had a follow-up that somehow stayed out.
Then, after the B’s had done a tremendous job on the kill, the Flames got a good bounce off a chop of Hampus Lindholm’s stick that bounced past Jeremy Swayman for the winner. Connor Zary was awarded the goal.
It was a brutal way to lose. The B’s had played an excellent defensive third period, allowing just one shot on net despite needing to kill two penalties.
The loss matches their season-long at half a dozen and they’ll have to beat the Edmonton Oilers if they don’t want to set a new season mark.
After five straight losses, the B’s went into the game with a different look. Aspirot, out since Dec. 11 with an upper body injury, returned to play on a pairing with Lindholm while Andrew Peeke dropped to the third pairing with Mason Lohrei. The top line was also broken up, with David Pastrnak being moved to a line with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov, while Morgan Geekie and Elias Linholm picked up Alex Steeves for another line.
For the second consecutive game, the B’s took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
After both teams had unsuccessful power plays earlier in the first period, Peeke picked up his fourth goal of the year with 1:54 left in the period on an ugly one. Lohrei made a nice play to keep the puck inside the zone along the blue line and dished it over to Peeke on the left side. With all sorts of room, Peeke took the puck deep and lost the puck but it bounced off his skate and through goalie Duston Wolf’s pads.
There was minimal contact from Peeke on Wolf, but Calgary coach Ryan Huska challenged for goalie interference. The goal was upheld and the B’s went on the power play.
They could not do anything with it, thanks in part to the officials missing an obvious too-many-men penalty. Not only did the B’s not get a 5-on-3 but the extra man on the play helped thwart a promising Bruin rush.
As was the case in Buffalo on Saturday, the B’s could not hold the lead in the second.
It was a disjointed period with both teams having difficulty in controlling the puck, but Calgary had the better of the chances, especially early. Swayman kept the Flames off the board early in the period when stoned Morgan Frost on a Grade A wrister from the mid-slot.
But Calgary did finally tie it up at 13:30 when Blake Coleman’s shot went through Charlie McAvoy and broke through Swayman to even the game.
That finally woke up the B’s and they flurried a bit, but they couldn’t cash in. Steeves had a great chance down low but could not get the puck over Wolf’s pad and then the Calgary netminder made a great backdoor save on Pastrnak.
The teams went into the third tied 1-1 while Calgary held a 17-15 shot advantage.
