FINAL SCORE: Flyers 4, Bruins 3
BRUINS RECORD: 26-16-5
FROM JOE HAGGERTY:
1. I know JFK is a young player just figuring it out, but you really shouldn't need somebody to tell you to have the back of your linemate when he gets drilled from behind into the boards. He was literally right next to the play & didn't do anything besides put his arm around him for about a half-second. The play was Jori Lehtera drilling Ryan Donato from behind into the side boards and dasher while bloodying him. Donato left the ice and went back to the dressing room for repairs and Lehtera was slapped with a five minute major for boarding, and once again the Bruins didn’t do much of anything to an opponent taking liberty with them.
2. The Bruins also coughed up a one-goal lead in that second period by giving up a pair of goals. The more egregious of the two was a power play goal where Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner got caught deep in the offensive zone after going on a two-man shorthanded rush that got knocked away into the corner. The Flyers quickly transitioned the other way and the play ended with a Sean Couturier goal right in front. Perhaps a little more conservative PK work from the fourth line duo of Kuraly and Wagner might be called for the next time around.
3. A great start for Peter Cehlarik scoring in the first period of his first game with the Bruins this season. It was a pretty perfect setup from Jake DeBrusk cross-ice to Cehlarik, who buried the shot into the vacant portion of the net with Flyers goaltender Carter Hart going side-to-side with the moving puck. Cehlarik also has a boarding penalty on his first shift of the game, but at least he’s trying to get involved physically as well. Cehlarik couldn’t get off another shot on net through the rest of the two periods and had a giveaway to go along with a takeaway and a blocked shot. He certainly did his job with the first-period goal and wasn’t a liability at all for the Bruins, so Cehlarik certainly merits a longer look on the David Krejci line after his debut.
4. It looks like the spaced out appearances and the natural ebb and flow to the season have caught up to Jaroslav Halak, who struggled with four goals allowed on 18 shots in Wednesday night’s loss. Halak has now allowed four goals in three of his last four games and is sporting a .861 save percentage over that time span. He's really come crashing back down to Earth after his great start to the season for the Bruins and tonight’s loss to the Flyers was another example. The final goal allowed to Sean Couturier on a wrist shot from the face-off circle was the backbreaker that made it a two-goal game.
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HIGHLIGHTS
KRUG TO PASTA
CEHLARIK'S 2ND CAREER GOAL
FLYERS GET ON THE BOARD
TIED GAME
FLYERS STEAL THE LEAD
LEHTARA GETS 5 MINUTES FOR BOARDING DONATO
FLYERS TACK ON THEIR FOURTH
CEHLARIK SCORES HIS SECOND OF THE GAME
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THURSDAY: vs Blues, 7:00 p.m. (NESN)
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