Despite playing 40 minutes of much stronger hockey following a disastrous first period, the Boston Bruins fell to the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on Friday night at MTS Centre.
Winnipeg received goals from Evander Kane and Dustin Byfuglien. Bruins defenseman Torey Krug registered Boston's lone tally. The loss added to what has been a woeful December for the Bruins, dropping them to 2-5-2 this month.
Winnipeg wasted little time getting things started in the first period. On the tail end of a power play that came courtesy of a Krug delay-of-game penalty 24 seconds into regulation, the Jets were able to keep pressure on Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, culminating in a Grant Clitsome one-timer that trickled through Rask's legs. Positioned behind Rask, Kane was able to tip the puck past David Krejci in front of the net for the game's first goal.
Outshot 16-4 by Winnipeg in the first period, the Bruins responded with an aggressive start to the second period. Coming up ice in transition, Carl Soderberg and Chris Kelly broke away for a two-on-one, with Kelly firing a shot on net that got away from Jets goalie Michael Hutchinson. Krug was able to corral the rebound, firing in the equalizer at 4:49.
With less than a minute left in the period, the Jets returned the favor by again putting consistent pressure on the Bruins' defense. In the process of making a save, Rask lost control of his stick, dropping it to the ice at the front of the crease. Just after retrieving the stick, Byfuglien fired a shot through traffic that beat Rask high for the eventual winning goal.
The Bruins went 0-for-3 on the power play Friday night and have failed on their last 11 chances with the man advantage.
After the first period, the Bruins outshot the Jets 27-11, including a 16-4 edge in the third period. Rask finished with 25 saves on 27 shots faced. Hutchinson had 30 saves on 31 shots.
A former Bruin, Hutchinson has twice posted strong efforts against Boston this season, the other coming in a 36-save, 2-1 overtime loss on Nov. 28.
Krejci progressing: Playing in back-to-back games for the first time since late October, Krejci continued to get his feet back under him Friday night. The top-line center spent 18:33 on ice, firing three shots on net. Krejci has missed 20 games this season while battling a lower-body injury.
Krug heating up: Krug's second-period goal gives him a point in five of his last seven games. The third-year defenseman has six goals and six assists this season in 29 games played.