Bruins Postgame: Sleepy Bruins Lose 3-2 To Flyers

DOGHOUSE: If you visit this site often enough, you’ll realize that I try my hardest not to pile on the officiating. NHL referees are having arguably their worst season in recent memory, with plenty of seemingly missed calls and not enough consistency. Unfortunately, though, people are too quick to react and blast the referees before a.) putting themselves in the skates of a ref and b.) watching the replay more closely to formulate an accurate reaction. That being said, there are just some mistakes that are blatantly obvious right away, and on that note, we give this sequence of events:

Yours truly was texting with a former NHL referee during the second period and even he agreed that this was an egregious missed call. He did not, however, disagree that Marchand deserved a penalty for his emotional “theatrics,” so we agreed to disagree on that front. My take is that you must know you missed that call, and that could’ve seriously injured Marchand, so shouldn’t you suck it up when it comes to Marchand’s reaction. Unless Marchand said something way out of line, let him stew a bit.

BANGER: In what seemed like a sleepy game by the Bruins at times, they still out-hit the Flyers 40-39. Bruins forward Morgan Geekie led all skaters with eight hits.

UNSUNG HERO: Yes, the Flyers’ final two goals could’ve been saved, but if not for Linus Ullmark, they would’ve gotten knocked out of Philadelphia like Clubber Lang in Rocky III.

The Boston Bruins must be counting their lucky stars that goalie Ullmark used his modified no-trade clause and nixed a trade to a Western Conference team that BHN has confirmed with a high-up Los Angeles Kings source was NOT the Kings. Since the March 8 NHL Trade Deadline, Ullmark has basically been lights out for the Bruins and has had to be that way behind a team that can be too lackadaisical lately. On another sleepy afternoon game for the Bruins, Ullmark kept his teammates in the game with a brilliant 26-save performance.

There was this gem on a Scott Laughton breakaway with 25 seconds left in the second period and just 1:20 after Flyers forward Travis Konecy broke a scoreless draw with a powerplay goal at 18:15 of the middle frame.

Ullmark also kept the game tied by stopping a breakaway attempt by Owen Tippett with 2:15 left in regulation. Again, the last two goals he could’ve had, but the Bruins don’t even sniff a point in this game without Ullmark.

NEXT UP: The Bruins head south to ‘Aligator Alley’ to play the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night and then the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday. With a win over the New York Rangers on Saturday night and then a win against the Flyers on Sunday, the Panthers would enter the game with the Bruins on Tuesday, one point ahead of the Bruins in the division, Eastern Conference, and Presidents’ Trophy races.

Boston Bruins Lineup

Forwards

Brad Marchand – Charlie Coyle – Jake DeBrusk

Danton Heinen – Pavel Zacha – David Pastrnak

Jakub Lauko – Morgan Geekie – Trent Frederic

James van Riemsdyk – Jesper Boqvist – Justin Brazeau

Defensemen

Matt Grzelcyk – Charlie McAvoy

Hampus Lindholm – Brandon Carlo

Mason Lohrei – Andrew Peeke

Goalies

Linus Ullmark

Jeremy Swayman