The Bruins embarked on a 12-day, five-game road trip that began with two ugly losses to the Winnipeg Jets and the Seattle Kraken. Boston turned things around and gutted out two wins — including a comeback overtime victory over the Calgary Flames.
It looked as if the Bruins were going to make it three straight wins. But they squandered a two-goal lead and allowed the Edmonton Oilers to score three unanswered goals to get the 3-2 win in overtime on Thursday night.
The Bruins earned five of a possible 10 points. And while Boston turned it around over the last three games, Brad Marchand knows every point is important.
- BETTING: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.
“We finished better than we started, for sure,” the captain told reporters after the game. “But we can’t afford to be giving away points like that right now. We needed to be more prepared to start the road trip than we were, and it should have been better than what it was but at the end of the day it’s good to get five. It could have been a lot worse but it should be better.”
While things could have gone much worse for the Bruins over the course of the road trip, interim coach Joe Sacco was satisfied with the effort his team put forth over the last three games — especially after getting outscored 13-2 in the first two games.
“I liked it the way that we show some urgency and some desperation in our game. I thought that was key,” Sacco told NESN’s Andy Brickley after the game. “There were key moments during each game and those last three that I really thought that we played the style of hockey that was conducive for our group. It’s not always going to be a perfect game. We know that over the course of 60 (minutes), but I was always proud. … To get this road trip back to .500, it’s respectable. Like I said, we’re disappointed that we didn’t come away with the extra point here.”
The loss dropped the Bruins in the playoff standings to the first Wild Card spot. A lot can happen between now and April, but with how Boston started the season, getting two points and holding onto leads is important.
