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Bruins postgame takeaway: Boston shutout Seattle


Bruins postgame takeaway: Boston shutout Seattle

BOSTON – Charlie Coyle scored some style points Sunday at TD Garden.

The Bruins forward scored a game-winning goal in a dominant first period as Boston (6-6-1) defeated the Seattle Kraken 2-0.

After a 3-0 win over Philadelphia the night before, Boston showed no signs of tiring, impressing Seattle with a series of shots in the first period. The Bruins held Seattle without shots for the first 16:45 minutes and outscored them 15-1 in that span.

“I liked our first period, but not the second,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “It was very similar to the Flyer game. I love the effort of blocking shots. I love it when we stick together. (Trent Frederic) defends (Matt) Potrias tonight. Last night we stuck together. You can see us coming together. We protect the slot. We sacrifice for each other, that’s a start.”

Since both teams entered the game with an identical record of 5-6-1, they had a lot to offer. But it was Boston that seemed to have that special sense of urgency that led to their ultimate success.

The Bruins wasted little time cracking the Kraken defense. Justin Brazeau got the offense going by redirecting a point shot from Nikita Zadorov past Joey Daccord at 3:23 of the first period. The 1.80 meter tall, 100 kilogram right winger channeled his inner Charlie Simmer and positioned himself in front of the net for the goal, which Charlie McAvoy set up from the far right.

“Charlie protected the puck really well, it went from the bottom to the top,” Brazeau said. “And every time our D-men get it, I just try to get to the net. Z did a good job finding my stick.”

Read: Bruins Postgame Takeaways: Korpisalo Flummoxes Flyers

And when Coyle stuffed a nifty shot on goal by Brad Marchand at 10:02, the Bruins maintained the 2-0 lead. The goal was Coyle's second point of the season and first goal in seven games.

The East Weymouth resident showed great poise and precision with the puck, cutting past Daccord in the right corner before sliding the puck past his stick side.

“It was a great performance from (Brad Marchand),” Coyle said. “Him and Pasta kind of switched, and when he's in the middle, he's going to bring a lot of people with him. I don't think they weren't too worried about me. Marshy found me and it just opened up. I messed up a little bit so I just tried to hang in there and then your instincts just take over.”

Coyle praised teammate David Pastrnak for helping deflect attention away from him.

“Pasta probably doesn’t get a point there, but he takes two to three people with him because they’re all focused on him,” Coyle said. “He was a big part of this piece.”

The Kraken, who had suffered a 3-0 defeat against Ottawa the night before, were unable to gain much momentum as the game progressed.

The momentum was due not so much to Boston's outstanding defense, but rather to the constant attacking pressure on the Bruins' side. Boston had a commanding 15-3 lead after the first half, while Seattle stayed ahead 15-5 in the second half.

That was all Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman needed on offense as he made 23 saves for the shutout.

“Our execution still needs to grow,” Montgomery said. “Our level of maturity in game management still needs to grow. If you don't give up any goals and your goalkeepers play as well as they do, that's a good move. We are on the right track. November was much better than October.”

McAvoy is making progress

Coyle wasn't the only Charlie completing the attack rounds.

Charlie McAvoy also made a name for himself by recovering from a similarly pointless drought and setting up Brazeau's goal.

After scoring three points in his first two games, the Bruins' alternate captain went scoreless in the last ten games and created just four shots in the last five. On Sunday he took up the offensive attack and had a season-high seven shots on goal and two blocks.

Read: Bruins postgame takeaways: Carolina disaster

Freddy fights furiously

Trent Frederic clashed with Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson after the veteran defenseman placed Matt Poitras behind the Seattle net in the third period.

It was Frederic's first fight major of the season and a clear decision.

The Bruins made two adjustments to their lineup after Saturday's win at Philadelphia.

Defenseman Andrew Peeke replaced Mason Lohrei, while goalkeeper Jeremy Swayman started in net.

Parker Wotherspoon played his second straight game for the first time this season after a solid performance in Philly.

Bruins honor Jack Edwards

For a brief moment, Jack Edwards was speechless at TD Garden on Sunday.

The Boston Bruins and NESN honored the former longtime play-by-play announcer, who retired at the end of last season. The team commemorated Edwards' storied career and lasting influence by unveiling a mural in the NESN broadcast booth featuring his signature slogan, “High Above the Ice,” during a special pregame presentation.

“I am very grateful to the players, the organization and the fans who have kept a roof over my head for 19 years,” said Edwards. “It’s truly an honor to have my family’s name on the (broadcast) booth wall. I made my living in a world-class arena.

Edwards announced his retirement in April 2024. Since 2005, he has been the voice of the Boston Bruins on NESN. A play-by-play announcer who was never short of words, Edward's was plagued in recent years by speech problems that forced him to retire.

“First, let’s get this whole thing over with,” Edwards said. “Doctors still haven’t figured out what’s going on between my brain and my mouth. Despite the insistence of Toronto fans, there is nothing wrong with my brain.”

He began his career with various reporter and anchor roles in New Hampshire and Providence before moving to Boston, where he worked as an anchor and reporter at WCVB and WHDH. In 1991, he joined ESPN as an anchor and reporter for SportsCenter. His extensive broadcast and play-by-play experience also included coverage of the Olympics, the 2002 World Cup Finals and the Little League World Series.

Milestones within reach

Pavel Zacha is two points short of his 300th NHL point of his career.

Trent Frederic is just three points away from his 100th career NHL point.

Bruins lines

Brad Marchand – Elias Lindholm – David Pastrnak

Pavel Zacha – Charlie Coyle – Justin Brazeau

Trent Frederic – Matt Poitras – Morgan Geekie

Johnny Beecher – Mark Kastelic – Cole Kopeke

Nikita Zadorov-Charlie McAvoy

Hampus Lindholm – Brandon Carlo

Parker Wotherspoon – Andrew Peeke

Jeremy Swayman

What's next?

The Bruins travel to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, November 5th. They return home to play Calgary on Thursday, November 7th and Ottawa on Saturday, November 9th

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