Bruins Ultimately Tame Wild in Shootout

Tonight's game was one the Bruins had no business winning.

The B's came out hard against the Wild in the 1st period, and then played with less and less steam as the game progressed. They got into penalty trouble in the 2nd, had their offense dry up through the latter 2/3rds of the game, and were forced to rely more and more on their goalie as they limped toward the shootout.

If not for the goaltending heroics of Tuukka Rask, this game would have been out of the Bruins' reach by the midway point of the 2nd period. Despite being outplayed in the opening period, the Wild came out in the 2nd and 3rd periods far more energized than the B's, and as the Wild's offense increased, the Bruins' diminished.

The Bruins stopped shooting the puck, and somehow thought they could still beat All-Star goalie, Nick Backstom, with only 16 shots on net (including overtime). It was very frustrating to watch an endless stream of Bruins forwards try to stick-handle through a maze of defensively-sound Wild players, without letting any shots go.

However, the Bruins were able to hold the Wild to a 1-1 tie, and pushed the game to a shootout, which David Krejci won for the Black, White and Gold. I'm not convinced the Bruins deserved to win this game, but there it is: they did.

Despite my negativity, there were some good things to take away from the Bruins' game tonight. Their passing was crisp, their physical play was (for the most part) up to par, and, as mentioned, their goaltending was outstanding.

But, the game really held more bad than good for the Bruins, even with the win. Most notably, with about 4 minutes left, Milan Lucic was slew-footed at the offensive blue line and collapsed awkwardly, twisting his knee as he fell. He left the game, went to the dressing room (with assistance), and did not return. Other negatives, the Bruins powerplay is still an abomination, and the penalty trouble and low-shot-count were devastating to the B's chances of controlling the game.

Having said all that, the Bruins' 4-game road-trip ends with 4 wins, and they return to Boston with a respectable record (12-8-4) to prepare for their matinee game against the Devils on Friday afternoon.

Let's see which Bruins team turns up against the Devils - the one that dominated the Blues on Monday, or the one that limped to a win against the Wild, tonight.