Skidding Bruins open Western Canada swing vs. surging Flames

The Boston Bruins make the primary of three Western Canadian stops on their season-long, five-game highway journey, visiting the Calgary Flames for a Monday night time matchup of groups trending in reverse instructions as they struggle in crowded playoff races.

It will likely be the groups’ first assembly of the season and the second sport because the NHL’s three-day vacation break for each after resuming play on Saturday. The Flames beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 for his or her seventh win in 10 video games, whereas the Bruins’ 4-1 loss on the Buffalo Sabres marked their fifth in a row (0-4-1).

David Pastrnak scored the opening aim in Boston’s newest sport, however a three-goal second interval and 4 unanswered objectives total flipped the sport in favor of Buffalo, which is the NHL’s hottest crew with eight straight wins.

“We got here out, performed nicely — more energizing heads, more energizing legs (following the break),” Boston ahead Sean Kuraly mentioned. “It was actually only a couple minutes that we weren’t sharp. That is irritating. We’re all part of it. You take a look at your self first and simply want you could possibly have a few moments again.”

Pastrnak is on a three-game level streak and now has 110 regular-season factors within the 2025 calendar yr, making him the third participant in Bruins historical past to achieve that mark a number of instances. He leads the crew with 41 factors this season.

In the meantime, linemate Morgan Geekie (25 objectives) stays the NHL’s second-leading aim scorer regardless of a three-game goalless streak.

Saturday marked Boston’s fourth time within the final 5 video games scoring two or fewer objectives.

“We now have to maneuver ahead as a result of it is not going to get simpler,” Bruins coach Marco Sturm mentioned. “It is extra on us simply to get again to our basis and again to our sport.”

Calgary returned from the break for its divisional rivalry sport, securing a bounce-back win towards the Oilers after a 5-1 loss to them final Tuesday. The Flames have now received six of their seven December residence video games.

On Saturday, Ryan Lomberg’s third aim in a five-game span broke a 1-1 tie within the second interval earlier than Blake Coleman added the eventual game-winner within the third.

Coleman’s aim was his eleventh of the season, matching Matt Coronato for the crew lead.

Yegor Sharangovich additionally scored, whereas Dustin Wolf (29 saves) received for the sixth time in eight begins whereas taking part in his one hundredth profession sport.

“We would have liked our prime gamers to be our prime gamers (in that sport), and I felt like they most positively had been,” Flames coach Adam Huska mentioned.

Calgary’s effort to beat its archrival was vital, particularly holding NHL-leading scorer Connor McDavid — who assisted on all 5 objectives and led a 3-for-6 efficiency on the facility play towards the Flames on Tuesday — scoreless till the ultimate 5 minutes, making the achievement much more spectacular.

“There was a giant sense of urgency to return out and play the way in which we need to play each night time,” Lomberg mentioned. “Clearly, we weren’t proud of how we left issues off earlier than the break. We had a handful of days to consider it. We kinda righted the ship. It is massive on us to maneuver ahead and keep that means.”

Boston was a 4-3 time beyond regulation winner in each ends of final season’s head-to-head sequence, with a Pastrnak aim deciding the latter sport on Dec. 17, 2024, in Calgary. 4 of the final 5 conferences have gone past regulation.

The groups will even conflict on Jan. 8 in Boston’s first sport following its present highway journey.

–Subject Stage Media