After a get-right game for both teams over the weekend, the Boston Bruins continue their five-game Western Conference trip with a Tuesday night contest against the Calgary Flames.
The Bruins shook off losses in Winnipeg and Seattle to begin the road swing with a major victory on Saturday, defeating the Vancouver Canucks 5-1 for only their fifth game this season scoring more than four goals.
Interim coach Joe Sacco’s team is hoping that it was a breakout game for star winger David Pastrnak, who netted a third-period goal after assisting on three of Boston’s first four. He had scored a goal in only two of the previous 13 contests.
“Yeah, I’m a goal scorer, but so far I haven’t been this year,” Pastrnak said. “And we were struggling on the power play. It’s been coming (over) the last three or four games. It’s for sure going to be better.”
Though Pastrnak’s goal was not one, the Bruins have scored on the power play in four of their last six games following a four-game drought. The man-up goal came from captain Brad Marchand, who is on a six-game point streak.
Following a confidence-boosting outing, the Boston lineup has also gained a new weapon. Oliver Wahlstrom, a 24-year-old Maine native and former first-round draft pick, joined the team for Monday’s practice in Calgary after being claimed off waivers from the New York Islanders.
Wahlstrom, who scored a career-high 13 goals in 2021-22, has played no more than 27 games in the last three NHL seasons. The Bruins believe his game, including a rocket of a shot, can be a benefit to the team.
“(His shot is) lethal,” said Bruins forward Marc McLaughlin, who played with Wahlstrom at Boston College. “Everyone knows that. … The more he can get that off and play his game that way, I think he’s going to be great.”
Sacco believes that Wahlstrom is excited to show what he can do with a new organization.
“I think he’s looking at it like a new opportunity, just like most players would,” Sacco said.
Calgary has won two of its last three games following a stretch of six losses in seven (1-4-2), including a 3-0 shutout of the Florida Panthers on Saturday. The victory came two nights after an 8-3 defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning to begin a five-game homestand.
“It was the response we wanted and needed,” Flames captain Mikael Backlund said.
Backlund scored his first goal in 15 games and added an assist while Nazem Kadri scored for a third straight game, all supporting 23-year-old Dustin Wolf (32 saves) in the second shutout of his season and career.
The Flames are 11-4-1 at home, winning four of those games via shutout.
“When we play that way it shows on the ice what we can do,” forward Connor Zary said of the Flames’ last performance. “It doesn’t matter who we’re playing and what the other team is doing as long as we’re playing to our structure.”
Sharing the net with former Bruin Dan Vladar, Wolf entered Saturday on a personal three-game skid, making at least 22 saves but allowing four or more goals in each.
In the eyes of coach Ryan Huska, those results were more a product of the team’s play lacking more than the goaltender’s.
“For us, everybody goes through a stretch or two like that, it’s just sticking with it and making sure he knows we continue to believe in him,” Huska said. “Even the games where we got beat and he gave up some goals, I didn’t think he was poor. I just didn’t think the game was as good in front of him.”
–Field Level Media
