For much of Thursday’s game, it looked like the Boston Bruins would do just enough to beat the Anaheim Ducks. Instead, they suffered a bitter 3-2 OT loss, now their sixth straight defeat.
Simply put, the Ducks’ big guns ultimately made the difference. Corey Perry scored the game-tying goal with about 40 seconds remaining in the third period while Ryan Getzlaf nabbed the OT clincher.
(The Ducks noted that Getzlaf’s seven OT-winners stand as a club record.)
Bruins head coach Claude Julien has his beefs about Perry’s 2-2 tally, yet one wonders if the Bruins simply didn’t give themselves enough of a margin for error. The (rather stunning) numbers reveal that the Ducks finish out games with astounding proficiency:
NOTE: The #NHLDucks lead the @NHL w/ 18 wins when trailing at any point in the third period. Also lead the league in one-goal games (30-1-7)
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) March 27, 2015
David Krejci looked understandably tentative in his return to action, but he also made some nice plays, including picking up an assist. It wasn’t enough, yet he could be a key component down the stretch.
Some close calls may turn the knife a little deeper for the Bruins during this six-game skid. Counting tonight’s OT defeat, three of these setbacks could have been wins (two were in shootouts).
Could those three points end up being the difference? We’ll see. The only good news for Boston is that tonight was probably even rougher for the Ottawa Senators.
Boston fell just short tonight, and if the Bruins aren’t careful, that may just be the story of their 2014-15 season.