Bruins

Boston Bruins star Taylor Hall sucker punched a Leafs defenseman after he was shoved into the boards during a game on Tuesday.

Toronto said in a statement afterward that the 27-year-old was being held out for "precautionary reasons." Bruins' Taylor Hall Sucker Punches Leafs Defenseman ... After Being Shoved Into Boards Bruins' Taylor Hall Sucker Punches Leafs Defenseman After Being Shoved Into Boards

BOSTON (AP) — Auston Matthews scored his league-leading 49th goal and had an assist as the Toronto Maple Leafs ended Boston's four-game winning streak with ...

"I think the eye test was accurate for the most part,” said coach Bruce Cassidy on Tuesday's loss to the Leafs.

But you’ve got to get it by the first layer… The B’s had been outplayed in the first but it looked like they’d get out of it down by just a goal. Because we’ve got to get in the playoffs, but once we get in, you know there’s a war of attrition at times if you expect to achieve what you want to and keep advancing. The B’s added organizational depth to their goaltending by signing Western Michigan goalie Brandon Bussi to a one-year entry level contract worth an NHL cap hit of $825,000. Teams need at least that many to get though what it hopes will be a two-month journey to a Stanley Cup. But you can’t have them sitting for too long. Not that that’s going to be an issue going forward, but if there’s a sudden injury… Lyubushkin left the game with an undisclosed injury and did not return… Reilly and Brown have been practicing together as a pair for several days now and the easiest switch could be for them to go in for Derek Forbort and Connor Clifton. Forbort was not as noticeable as some other D-men – considering his stay-at-home game, that’s not a knock – but Clifton had a particularly rough first period, when he was directly responsible for two goals against. But late in the period, Clifton’s shot was blocked by Alex Kerfoot, who took it the other way for a breakaway goal that changed the complexion of the game. The second and third, if there’s a guy behind that guy, yes, it becomes harder to get it through. We’re got a power-play goal to get us back in it,” said Cassidy. “But after that, no, it was execution with the puck where we gave Toronto some easy opportunities as opposed to making them work for them. I think the eye test was accurate for the most part.”

NEW YORK — The NHL fined Boston Bruins forward Taylor Hall $5000 for roughing Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin during Toronto's 6-4 victory ...

The Canadian Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 30, 2022. Lyubushkin headed to the locker room afterwards.

The NHL hit Taylor Hall with a $5000 fine after the Boston Bruins star punched Ilya Lyubushkin in Tuesday night's matchup.

Immediately afterward, the Bruins forward gets up, punches Lyubushkin in the right ear, and pushes him to the ice. The NHL fined Taylor Hall $5,000 for his sucker punch on Ilya Lyubushkin Tuesday night. The incident occurred with just under five minutes to play in the second quarter.

In this edition of Bruins Weekly, concerns surround the power play, a newcomer is settling in on defense and more.

Rask won a Stanley Cup in 2011 with the Bruins and was the 2014 Vezina Trophy winner. The fact that the Bruins have been banking key points in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference getting very little production from their power play is a little surprising. Reilly, who was acquired from the Ottawa Senators at the 2021 trade deadline, re-signed with the Bruins last summer for three years at $3 million per season and has been inconsistent this season. Captain Patrice Bergeron missed four games during the power play struggles with an arm injury and he returned to the lineup during the 6-3 victory over the Islanders. The Black and Gold had two first-period power plays and they were the two best opportunities that they have had in a while. When the Bruins acquired Lindholm, there was going to be some left-shot defenseman left on the outside looking in during games. It’s still early, but the early returns have been just as good as Sweeney and the Bruins would have hoped. Toronto came into the TD Garden and sent a message to the Bruins that despite their recent success, they were not going to be intimidated on the road and outplayed, outworked, and was the better team for 60 minutes. On their second chance in the final minute of the opening period, Taylor Hall redirected a Charlie McAvoy pass past New York goalie Semyon Varlamov for a goal. The Bruins failed to handle the speed and skill of the Toronto forwards, who scored three goals in each of the first two periods to chase Jeremy Swayman from the game with Linus Ullmark taking over in the third period. The Bruins have scored just four goals in their last 26 opportunities. This was not an encouraging sign for the Bruins should the two teams meet up in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Things are heating up pretty quickly for the Boston Bruins as the calendar is about to turn to April and the final month of the 2021-22 regular season.

Hall received a two-minute penalty for roughing on the play, while Lyubushkin left the game and did not return for what the Maple Leafs called precautionary ...

Hall reacted to hit by Lyubushkin by getting up and punching the Leafs defenceman in the side of the head. Boston Bruins winger Taylor Hall has been fined $5,000 for roughing Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin. The incident occurred in the second period of the Maple Leafs' 6-4 win over the Bruins on Tuesday night. Hall reacted to hit by Lyubushkin by getting up and punching the Leafs defenceman in the side of the head.

The Bruins and Maple Leafs are likely to be battling for playoff positioning for the remainder of the season, the two tied in points entering Tuesday's ...

Those are things that, to me, is a bit of a lack of focus, knowing where to go with the puck before you get it.” Some of these, we had a turnover early and they get a quick play to the net, deflection, stoppable puck, but shouldn't have been turned over and then you have a blocked shot,” Cassidy said. A tough team to chase the game against.” That’s our job as coaches to get them ready to play and players have to be ready, know the magnitude of the game,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said. Against this team, you have to take care of the puck. “We clearly needed to be better and have been.

Is Boston Bruins winger Taylor Hall in danger of supplemental discipline after a gloved punch that knocked a Leafs D-man out of the game?

It’s a tough call all around, but it doesn’t help Hall’s case that Lyubushkin never returned to the game. An incensed Hall got up, saw there was no boarding call from the refs after they’d whistled David Pastrnak for a borderline boarding call in the first period and then smacked Lyubushkin in the side of the head with a gloved punch. It was a contentious Atlantic Division rivalry game between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night, and both sides have the bruises to show for it. If that’s their standard then that’s their standard, and it’s entirely up to them. We were told nobody likes to receive a hit like that and we got the same hit [on Hall],” said Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy. “They’re communicating to us, and they have to back up their standard. Lyubushkin immediately went down to the ice and was helped back to the Maple Leafs dressing where he never returned to the win for the Maple Leafs. Hall was called for a roughing minor penalty as a result of the incident.

Auston Matthews scored his league-leading 49th goal and had an assist as the Toronto Maple Leafs ended Boston's four-game winning streak with a 6-4 victory ...

... Blackwell was playing in his fourth game since the Leafs acquired him and D Mark Giordano from the expansion Kraken in exchange for three draft picks. Kerfoot picked up an assist on the goal and was leveled by Connor Clifton well after the play as he skated to celebrate with his teammates. Now just one away from reaching the 50-goal milestone, Keefe said he expects Matthews to remain low key and not be distracted by the scoring race as the playoffs approach. The game was close early as Blackwell and Pastrnak scored less than a minute apart. John Tavares added two assists and Erik Kallgren had 23 saves after entering in the first period, replacing Petr Mrazek, who left with a groin injury. Colin Blackwell scored his first goal since joining Toronto in a trade at the deadline.

I don't want to blow things too far out of proportion, but I think it's fair to say that last night's Bruins vs. Maple Leafs game could have gone better for the ...

There will surely be talk of how this will be a confidence-building win for Toronto, which is fair in some ways — after all, if you beat a team that has taken a point in nearly all of its last 15 games (and in their own barn, no less), you should fill good. (As a brief aside, while I thought it was the correct call, I was shocked that the refs overturned their own call and awarded Taylor Hall the Bruins’ fourth goal.) Things had been going pretty well for the Bruins of late, so the rational take may be that the Bruins were overdue for a stumble, and that some nights, more of those hit posts turn into goals.

A Boston Bruins fan had a hilarious reaction after Taylor Hall had a goal overturned during a game against the Maple Leafs.

— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends)March 30, 2022 — Tim and Friends (@timandfriends)March 30, 2022 However, that didn’t turn out to be the case.

Lineup changes are likely coming. Toronto's Auston Matthews scores past Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman, with Derek Forbert looking on. Jim Davis/The Boston Globe.

The Bruins didn’t play to their identity until they showed some life in the third period. “We need that for a full 60, so let’s get back in the saddle on Thursday and put together a solid 60.” “You’re going to have to take more chances, maybe not right away, but somewhere in the second period to get back into the game. That’s our job as coaches to get them ready to play, and the players have got to be ready to know the magnitude of the game.” They have nine more scheduled matchups against postseason-bound squads, including their regular-season finale with the Leafs on Apr. 30. But they often put Swayman in a vulnerable position against the skilled Leafs. “He deserves a chance to go and get a big save for us because we’re going to need one, right?” Cassidy said. With Swayman hung out to dry amid a struggling performance, Cassidy made the switch and provided Ullmark with a little extra work ahead of his next scheduled start against the Devils. Kerfoot sprung in alone on a breakaway, promptly beating Jeremy Swayman for his 11th goal of the season with 1:16 left in the first period. Swayman struggled to track the puck for one of the rare times this year. At one point, the Leafs had another 4-1 lead to work with on Garden ice. Yet, their speed and top-tier skillset can make up for those liabilities at certain junctures of the season.

The most baggage-laden match-up on the card, however, was the Toronto Maple Leafs taking on the Bruins in Boston, where they picked up a satisfying 6-4 victory ...

Nothing would be more stressful for Leafs fans than having to exorcise the Boston demons in these playoffs, and unless and until they get to the Final themselves, nothing could be more satisfying than finally beating their tormentors. They’ve done all right for themselves so far this season, winning 5-2 in November and then getting the two points on Tuesday. But in the playoffs it’s only going to get more vicious and exhausting, and heartbreaking for someone. As it stands right now in the Atlantic, the Panthers have the inside track on the top seed, but the Lightning, Leafs, and Bruins are all separated by just three points below them, each with the same 66 games played. In each of those, including back-to-back years in ’18 and ’19, the Leafs have lost Game 7 in Boston, making the Bruins key contributors to their 16-season playoff series win drought, and by extension their league-high 53-season run without lifting the Cup. The most baggage-laden match-up on the card, however, was the Toronto Maple Leafs taking on the Bruins in Boston, where they picked up a satisfying 6-4 victory over their streaking rivals. But more notable than the scoring was the chippiness befitting a couple of longtime division rivals.

Bruins forward Taylor Hall has been disciplined by the NHL Department of Player Safety for punching the Leafs' Iyla Lyubushkin.

They get back to action on Thursday night against the New Jersey Devils at TD Garden. End of the day, the whole thing isn’t that big of a deal, as much as crazy Leafs fans may want it to be. At the same time, it was a little surprising that Lyubushkin got nothing for what’s typically a dangerous way to hit somebody.

Bruce Cassidy hinted at some potential lineup changes for the Bruins after their ugly 6-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.

Cassidy doesn’t want to tinker too much with the lineup but he’s cognizant of needing to get everyone reps should someone get injured en route to a Stanley Cup. “Obviously, the first two (games) went better than (Toronto), and now it’s 16 games I believe in 30 days. “We’ll make some changes (Thursday). Let’s get here in the morning, see if there’s any surprises.

The Boston Bruins announced the signing of Western Michigan goaltender Brandon Bussi to a one-year, entry-level contract.

The 23-year-old netminder will spend the remainder of this season with AHL Providence on an amateur tryout agreement (ATO). Svedeback was the first goalie Boston had drafted since current starter Jeremy Swayman (fourth round, 111th overall) in 2017. Like Bussi, neither Grosenick nor Keyser were selected in their respective entry drafts.

The Boston Bruins and the Grand Rapids Griffins have both signed players from Western Michigan University.

Goaltender Brandon Bussi signed a one-year contract with the Boston Bruins and initially will report to the Providence Bruins.

Bussi’s deal for the 2022-23 season carries an NHL cap hit of $825,000. Bussi will report to the Providence Bruins for the rest of the 2021-22 season on an amateur tryout agreement. The Sound Beach, NY native played one season in the USHL for the Muskegon Lumberjacks, posting a 33-12-4 record with a 2.44 goals against average and .915 save percentage.

The Bruins might potentially have their franchise netminder of the future in Jeremy Swayman, but the club is still bolstering their pipeline of netminders ...

Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy has hinted as some lineup changes following the loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Here are two options.

Lindholm has been as advertised since arriving in Boston. His play in Tuesday’s loss was one of the bright spots in a rather tough night. At his best, Reilly can be a good, offensively-gifted defenseman who fills his role well on the defensive end. Clifton didn’t play his best hockey against Toronto as the defenseman finished with a minus-2 on the night.

Coach Bruce Cassidy is contemplating lineup changes after the 6-4 loss to Toronto. By Steve ConroyBoston Herald.

But you’ve got to get it by the first layer… Because we’ve got to get in the playoffs, but once we get in, you know there’s a war of attrition at times if you expect to achieve what you want to and keep advancing. THE BRUINS added organizational depth to their goaltending by signing Western Michigan goalie Brandon Bussi to a one-year entry level contract worth an NHL cap hit of $825,000. Teams need at least that many to get though what it hopes will be a two-month journey to a Stanley Cup. But you can’t have them sitting for too long. Not that that’s going to be an issue going forward, but if there’s a sudden injury… TheBruins had been outplayed in the first but it looked like they’d get out of it down by just a goal. Lyubushkin left the game with an undisclosed injury and did not return. Reilly and Brown have been practicing together as a pair for several days now and the easiest switch could be for them to go in for Derek Forbort and Connor Clifton. Forbort was not as noticeable as some other D-men – considering his stay-at-home game, that’s not a knock – but Clifton had a particularly rough first period, when he was directly responsible for two goals against. But late in the period, Clifton’s shot was blocked by Alex Kerfoot, who took it the other way for a breakaway goal that changed the complexion of the game. We got a power-play goal to get us back in it,” said Cassidy. “But after that, no, it was execution with the puck where we gave Toronto some easy opportunities as opposed to making them work for them. The second and third, if there’s a guy behind that guy, yes, it becomes harder to get it through. I think the eye test was accurate for the most part.”

Longmeadow's Sean Baker, Chicopee's Andrew Pieczarka and Belchertown's Andrew Fijal were named recipients of the 2022 Boston Bruins-MIAA Sportsmanship Award ...

The Toronto Maple Leafs picked up an impressive 6-2 victory over the Boston Bruins and gained an important advantage in the Atlantic Division race.

He also isn’t leaving his team in a situation where they are already shorthanded and now have to go with four defencemen for the rest of the game. On top of that Petr Mrazek was forced to leave the game after re-injuring his groin in the first period. This was a game where you definitely have to credit the Leafs for remaining composed because they definitely could have taken a lot of undisciplined penalties.

Newly acquired Josh Brown could make his Bruins debut Thursday after Tuesday's lopsided loss to the Maple Leafs.

the Devils. Rask, 35, finally called it quits in February, after a lengthy offseason rehab in the wake of hip surgery … Following Saturday night’s visit by the Blue Jackets, the Bruins will venture out on their final long road trip this season, with stops in Columbus, Detroit, Tampa, and D.C. … The Bruins added another Long Islander to their prospect pool, signing 6-foot-5-inch netminder Brandon Bussi as a free agent out of Western Michigan. Bussi, 23, just wrapped up his junior season at WMU, where he went 26-12-1. His deal, with an $825,000 NHL cap hit, kicks in next season, but he’ll report to AHL Providence and play out the season on an amateur tryout deal. If your head’s up, you’ve got time, you’ve got to get it by him.” As of Wednesday morning, Pastrnak was second only to Alex Ovechkin for shots on net (293-292). Worse, it turned into a gimme goal for the Leafs. So if he just gets it on the ice, by [Kerfoot], David’s got a chance in front for a tip. The second and third, if there’s a guy behind [Kerfoot], then, yes, sometimes it becomes harder to get it through. “We’ve been preaching these in-the-shinpads shots for a long time around here. The botched play, in fact, fit a broader, more concerning narrative regarding the continued struggle to wring more offense from the backline. There was a good offensive play for Clifton to make there, noted Cassidy, and it wasn’t to launch a rocket that Kerfoot caught. Standing at the point, Clifton one-timed a pass shuttled his way from Taylor Hall on the near half-wall. “Maybe the first 7-8 minutes of the game … I’ve always felt at home you want to try to push the pace early, try to put teams on their heels,” noted Cassidy. “I’m not saying we did that, but it was more of an even game than I had thought.

It was a tough Tuesday night for Jeremy Swayman but the Bruins didn't do a whole lot to help him in their 6-4 loss to the Maple Leafs.

But Tuesday night was an uncharacteristic one for Swayman, who had issues tracking the puck and couldn’t make the big save or two the Bruins so desprately needed. But it seemed like we broke down in front of him, and (the puck) was just going by him tonight.” It was a tough Tuesday night for Jeremy Swayman, but the Bruins didn’t do a whole lot to help him.