NASHVILLE – It could have been a nearly perfect four game road trip if the Bruins could have finished strongly in Nashville, but it was pretty clear early on that it perhaps wasn’t meant to be.
The game certainly got off to a rough start for the Black and Gold when Tuukka Rask was forced out of the contest after catching a Roman Josi shot in the head/neck area in the first period. The Bruins rebounded well enough from losing their No. 1 goaltender early in the action, but simply didn’t have enough to edge past the Predators in a 2-1 loss at Bridgestone Arena.
MORE:
- Highlights: Nashville Predators 2, Boston Bruins 1
- Tuukka Rask says he's 'going to be okay' after throat shot
- Will Anton Blidh be suspended for hit on Roman Josi?
- Bruins 'sick of moral victories' after tight loss to Predators
- Talking Points: Forsberg wins key battle vs. Carlo
All the action took place in the middle 20 minutes with the Bruins unable to sustain offensive pressure in the third where a goal could have at least afforded them a measly loser point. The B’s managed to hold it scoreless in the first after Rask exited the stage, but Nashville finally broke things open in the middle period.
Austin Watson stole a puck from Torey Krug in front of the Bruins net, and sniped home a chance past Zane McIntyre from point blank range after the giveaway. The Black and Gold got that goal back about seven minutes later when Krug made up for his misdeed by hammering a puck on its edge past Juuse Saros for B’s power play strike. It was the second straight game with a goal for Krug after managing just one goal in his first 43 games of the season.
The tie game was short-lived, however, as a nice individual play by Filip Forsberg put the Predators in control when the Nashville forward won a 1-on-1 battle with Brandon Carlo for a loose puck, kicked it to his stick and then quickly fired past McIntyre. Clearly Thursday night marked a missed opportunity for points for the Black and Gold, but the much bigger concern is the health of Rask after taking a nasty shot to his head/neck area early in the game.