BRIGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JULY 23: General manager Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins prepares for the first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft at Warrior Ice Arena on July 23, 2021 in Brighton, Massachusetts. (Photo by Mike Penhollow/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Bruins couldn’t get anything going in the offensive zone, which led to a 4-1 loss in their penultimate preseason game against the Los Angeles Kings at Videotron Centre in Quebec City.
The Kings held the Bruins to just two shots in the opening 20 minutes of the game, and things didn’t get much better for the Black and Gold, who mustered only 14 shots through 60 minutes and gave up even-strength, power-play and shorthanded goals in the loss.
“I just thought that their tracking and their (defensive) gaps were really good,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters after the loss, per team-provided video. “And, we refused to put pucks in behind them and go in and check on the forecheck.”
The fact that opening night is just five days away could have contributed to the Bruins’ disinterest at times during the game.
“I do think guys are starting to look forward to Tuesday night,” Montgomery added. “A couple of last practices before, and for a lot of guys this was their last exhibition game. It’s more about timing for veterans and for the guys that are trying to make the team, it’s more about impressing.”
Last season, the Bruins had an issue with not starting games on time, and that bad habit appeared to rear its head in this matchup.
