Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli mentioned last Monday that picking up two defenseman at the trade deadline was huge because "defensemen tend to drop like flies."
However, there was no way he would have thought Saturday could have ended the way it did.
The Bruins fell to the New York Islanders--a team they had previously outscored 12-2 in their last two meetings--3-2 in Boston.
But they lost more than just the game.
Bruins did lose a defenseman, Andrew Ference to a lower body, and he will not be traveling with the team as they enter into a two-game road trip to visit the Rangers today and the Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
That's okay. Chiarelli accounted for that.
What he couldn't have predicted was that goaltender Tuukka Rask would go down to the ice in a heap after what looked like a routine save attempt. After starting into his usual butterfly save, he twitched slightly and immediately called trainers over, throwing his glove off in the process. He was helped off the ice, but has no time table for his return, leaving with a "left leg injury."
That's not good news for the team that plays their remaining 19 games in 34 days.
One of those games happens to be this afternoon against the New York Rangers--the top team in the Conference, holding a ten point lead over the Bruins.
"We’re fine, we’re definitely fine," Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk said after last night's game. "Once we get those goals, nobody will be saying anything about how you are going to get two wins in a row – it’s [you’re] a contender again and we are. I feel everybody is confident in this room that we can do it again."
The puck drops at 12:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on NBC, TSN2, and RDSIand aired on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
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