Here are Joe Haggerty's Talking Points from the Bruins' 4-3 OT win over the Flyers in their preseason home opener.
GOLD STAR: Bruins left winger Jake DeBrusk certainly feel great about the way his season ended last year, but he started things off with a bang this year in the preseason. DeBrusk potted the overtime game-winner when he crashed the front of the net and pushed in a rebound of a Brad Marchand shot during a 4-on-3 power play for the Bruins in overtime. DeBrusk was strong throughout the game with five shots on net to go along with the goal in 16 plus minutes of ice time, and even more so when you considered that his regular center man, David Krejci, was knocked out just two shifts into the game for the Black and Gold.
BLACK EYE: It was a rough one for David Krejci, who exited the game after two shifts in the first period after a collision with Shayne Gostisbehere where it looked like his right knee buckled after a bit of a hip check. Krejci wasn’t on the bench to start the second period and certainly didn’t want to start his preseason out this way. The good news is that Bruce Cassidy said postgame that it was more precautionary than anything else, but it’s never good to see any of the aging core group dinged up during the largely meaningless preseason.
TURNING POINT: It looked like the Bruins were going to go quietly into that good night trailing 3-2 late in the third period, but instead the fourth line stepped up and allowed the Bruins to win it in overtime. Sean Kuraly made the play feeding to a wide-open Chris Wagner in transition, and Wagner did the rest dangling the puck through Brian Elliott’s five-hole for the game-tying score late in the third period. It shows once again the kind of possibilities that the Bruins will have this season if they can figure out the second and third line mix because the top line and the fourth line are already good to go for the Black and Gold.
HONORABLE MENTION: Jakub Lauko only played nine minutes in the game, but he was dynamite for the Bruins while scoring the first goal of the game. Lauko threw a puck to himself off the boards while blowing by Flyers defenseman Mark Friedman, and then he sniped a wrist shot from a bad angle under the bar past a stunned Elliott. It was Lauko’s only shot on net in the game, but it was a memorable one as it spoke to the dazzling skills that the youngsters bring to the table each time he’s on the ice. The lack of ice time for him tonight, though, speaks to the very slim chances he has of making the team given the older, experienced players around him.
BY THE NUMBERS: 2 – the number of assists for David Backes in a solid night for him as the 35-year-old continues to fight for a job with the Bruins amidst some stiff competition at the forward position.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “I don’t think it’s serious. [We] felt it was better to not push through it. We’ll know more [on Tuesday].” –Bruce Cassidy speaking about the lower-body injury to David Krejci, which sounded precautionary more than anything else.
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