Here’s What We Learned about the Bruins 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night.
1. Perhaps Peter Cehlarik is the answer that the Bruins have been looking for on David Krejci’s wing. It was only one game so, there’s no reason to get super carried away with it all, but the 23-year-old Cehlarik did everything the Bruins could have wanted in that first look this season. Cehlarik scored Boston’s second goal in the first period when he snapped home a cross-ice pass from Jake DeBrusk to stake the Bruins to a two-goal lead, and then Cehlarik scored again late in the third period with the goalie pulled as they were trying to stage a comeback. In between, Cehlarik scored two goals and a plus-2 rating in 17:40 of ice time, generated five shot attempts and played a big, strong game that befits his power forward size and skill set. Maybe it’s a good look at him as the potential answer on Krejci’s right wing and maybe it’s a showcase for scouts as part of a trade package for a veteran winger destined for that spot. Either way things were off to a very good start for Cehlarik and it makes you wonder why it took so long for the B’s to bring him up this season. Now he needs to work on his consistency and staying healthy, something that’s eluded him in his other two NHL stints with the Bruins.
2. It looks like the spaced out appearances and the natural ebb and flow to a season he started red-hot have caught up to Jaroslav Halak, who struggled with four goals allowed on 18 shots in Wednesday night’s loss to the Flyers. Halak has now allowed four goals in three of his last four games and is sporting an .861 save percentage over that time span. He's really come crashing back down to Earth after his great start to the season for the Bruins and tonight’s loss to the Flyers was another example. The final goal allowed to Sean Couturier on a wrist shot from the face-off circle was the backbreaker that made it a two-goal game. It was a simple, clean shot from the left face-off circle that somehow got by the B’s goaltender and gave Philly plenty of breathing room in the third period. Halak had a couple of pretty good saves mixed in as well, but he looked like he was fighting the puck for most of the night while picking his third loss in the last four games and getting outplayed by rookie netminder Carter Hart.
3. Perhaps the Bruins fourth line penalty killers need to play a little more conservatively. Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner went on a shorthanded odd-man rush in the second period, got caught behind the Flyers net after Carter Hart easily turned away their shot and then watched Sean Couturier, Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds turn into power play offense at the other end of the ice. Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand can get away with getting greedy when it comes to PK offense, but it’s probably wiser for Kuraly and Wagner to play it a little safer when they’re out there against elite offensive players that can counter-strike at a moment’s notice. That swing in momentum really changed things in the game and opened the door for the Flyers to pull a reserve on the B’s in a truly disappointing loss for the Black and Gold. Bad goaltending and spotty special teams play is going to spell doom for the Bruins this season given how shaky they are when it comes to even strength scoring, and that was the case on Wednesday night.
Plus
*Peter Cehlarik scored a pair of goals in his first game with the Bruins this season, was a plus-2 and finished with five shot attempts in exactly the kind of game Boston could have hoped for out of the 23-year-old winger.
*David Pastrnak scored the first goal of the game and now has the most goals (121) before his 23rd birthday of anybody in Bruins history, and finished with six shot attempts in 21:46 of ice time for the Black and Gold.
Boston Bruins
*Normally this space is reserved for Bruins positives, but you really can’t deny the hat trick pulled off by Sean Couturier as the best player on the ice for either team. Couturier is a true 200-foot player and had it all going on Wednesday night.
Minus
*The Bruins got a power play goal early, but they squandered a number of PP chances later on including a five minute power play after Jori Lehtera drilled Ryan Donato from behind into the side boards. That was where the game was lost for a team that’s almost completely reliant on their power play for timely offense.
*As mentioned previously, Donato was run by Lehtera toward the end of the second period and left the ice bloodied after his face was smashed into the dasher and glass. JFK was right next to the play and barely grabbed Lehtera for a few brief seconds while Zdeno Chara started arguing with the refs for a call before skating in to defend his fallen teammate. The Bruins really need to start reacting in protective fashion when these things happen rather than standing around waiting for somebody else to do it. Once again a Bruins player was run without the offending player having to pay a price in much of any fashion, aside from whatever he gets for supplemental discipline.
*The Bruins fourth line wasn’t terrible on Wednesday night, but Sean Kuraly, Noel Acciari and Chris Wagner all finished a minus-2, and that’s entirely too many pucks going in their net when they’re on the ice.
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.