Boston Bruins
Haggerty: Bruins lagging offensively with 'best players' struggling
It’s getting to the time of year when the best players for the Boston Bruins need to step it up if they’re going to crash the Stanley Cup playoff party. The B’s could only scratch for a pair of goals in the third period in a 4-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night where they outshot the Sharks, but couldn’t finish off enough plays against a San Jose goalie in Alex Nedeljkovic that admittedly played very well while making 39 saves for the Sharks. “We were just looking for that one goal, and it just didn’t happen for maybe too long,” said Marco Sturm. “We know once we get one going, we get the crowd going and we can change the game. But for some reason it was a little off today and we weren’t sharp. We had early chances and couldn’t score, and that was the hockey game.”
NHL Notes: Bruins finding their road game just in time
It was Boston’s first road win since January, arriving against a quality Capitals team also hungry for points, and it was exactly the start they needed on a key three-game road trip through Washington, New Jersey, and Montreal that could and should make a major imprint on their postseason hopes.
Haggerty: Repeated flaws come back to bite B's in road defeat
The Boston Bruins set out on this current, pivotal three game road swing hoping to bank at least three points out of an available six points while fighting to hold onto their current wild card playoff spot in the East. The Black and Gold accomplished that reasonable goal while ultimately falling in a 4-3 overtime decision to the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on Monday night after blowing a 2-0 lead after the first period of play. Truthfully, David Pastrnak turned in a superstar performance to earn the B’s a point by scoring a pair of goals, including a toe drag beauty weaving through Devils defenders before beating Jakob Markstrom five hole with a backhanded bid.
Haggerty: B's finding moral victories at end of the road
One of the characters from one of the greatest sports movies of all time, “White Men Can’t Jump”, has a signature, purposely somewhat nonsensical philosophy about winning and losing in sports. “Sometimes when you win, you really lose, and sometimes when you lose, you really win, and sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie, and sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose. Winning or losing is all one organic mechanism, from which one extracts what one needs.” The Boston Bruins lost Tuesday night’s road trip finale, 3-2, to the Habs in overtime at the Bell Centre in Montreal and actually lost two of the three games on the road swing through Washington, New Jersey and Montreal. But in many ways, they took wins out of pushing Tuesday’s game in Montreal to the overtime, and of taking four out of a possible six points in three challenging spots while playing three games in four days on the road.
BSJ Live Q & A: Haggerty on solid Bruins road trip, return home -- 11 a.m. Friday 03.20.26
The Bruins have returned from a three game road trip where they took four out of six points and held strong in a wild card playoff spot. Haggs is here to answer your questions about the B's place in the standings, their playoff chances, some emerging concerns and what to look for in the stretch run.
Haggerty: B's second line continues to bring bit of everything
The Bruins scored their third goal of Thursday night’s game in the closing minutes of the second period on a scramble by the second line with each of the three forwards crashing the net and attacking the puck. It was very unclear after the puck popped up in the air and bounced off a Winnipeg defender’s glove as to which player actually scored the goal. It was eventually credited to Viktor Arvidsson, but Arvidsson, Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt all stood there in comic bewilderment not sure as to which player should lead the fist bump honors as the goal scorer. “Yeah, it took a long time for us to figure it out…we still haven’t figured it out,” said a smiling Arvidsson. “It’s fine. It went in and that’s the most important thing.” The three forwards had a good laugh about it after the game while helping power the Bruins to a 6-1 thrashing of the Winnipeg Jets at TD Garden on Thursday night. The victory keeps the Bruins implanted in the No. 1 wild card playoff spot, but it is going to be a wild finish with three playoff spots essentially for four teams in Boston, Detroit, Columbus and the New York Islanders that have just a single point separating them in the Eastern Conference standings.
NHL Notes: Swayman hitting high notes at the right time for B's
When the Boston Bruins signed Jeremy Swayman to an eight-year, big money contract they envisioned the exact goaltender that they received in a dominating, clutch performance during a huge weekend road tilt against the Red Wings in Detroit. With massive points for a playoff push on the line, Swayman was dynamite making 41 saves in a 4-2 win for the Black and Gold over the Red Wings where the Bruins had a very clear advantage in net as Detroit’s John Gibson faltered badly in the third period. Swayman has been solid for the balance of the regular season, but he’s been excellent since the Olympic break coming off a gold medal experience and giving his B’s teammates all kinds of confidence when he’s between the pipes right now.
Haggerty: Sending Hagens to the AHL is right B's move
The Boston Bruins announced in the wee hours of Monday evening that James Hagens has signed an ATO (amateur tryout agreement) with the Providence Bruins and will start his pro career in Providence this week. There has, of course, been the usual second-guessing from the corners of the internet and social media that don’t really have a clue about hockey player development. But this was the plan that B’s management wanted to follow through with when it comes to the 19-year-old Hagens joining a loaded Providence roster full of good, veteran pros that presumably have a long Calder Cup playoff run in front of them.
BSJ Live Q & A: Haggerty after Toronto stinker, Buffalo road game -- 11 a.m. Friday 03.27.26
After an "embarrassing" loss to the Maple Leafs on home ice and a big road game in Buffalo, Haggs is here to answer your Bruins questions about the NHL roster or about the B's decision to start 19-year-old James Hagens down in Providence.
