For every troubling issue following a string of frequent third-period meltdowns, the Boston Bruins hardly encountered a downright stinker.
Until Saturday.
From the opening puck drop against the Islanders, the Bruins looked utterly lost.
The loose defensive coverage in front of the net? It wasn’t just an issue that popped up in close-out situations. It’s been prevalent all season long.
Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman masked Boston’s deficiencies against the rush and in high-danger scoring areas. But both halves of the dynamic tandem encountered a pretty significant dropoff since returning from the
All-Star break, looking more prone to rebounds and struggling to track pucks through traffic.