NHL: Boston Bruins at Columbus Blue Jackets – Source: Imagn

The Boston Bruins suffered a disappointing 6-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night at Nationwide Arena, dropping to 19-14-4 on the season.

Bruins forward Charlie Coyle, who’s in the final year of a six-year, $31.5 million contract, didn’t mince words when reflecting on the lopsided defeat.

“We weren’t winning many battles,” Coyle said after the game (as per NHL.com). “They were quicker to the puck. They all battled us. You can’t win many games when you’re being outworked like that. That’s embarrassing.”

The game was tied 1-1 after the first period, but things fell apart for the Bruins in the second, as the Blue Jackets scored four unanswered goals to take a commanding 5-1 lead. According to Coyle, the team’s poor effort after coming off a three-day break was unacceptable.

“No, because there’s it’s the same layoff for everyone. They’re ready to play, we weren’t and it’s just unacceptable,” he said.

“Silver lining here as we play again tomorrow night, so we get another crack at it. To play at home and be the better home team like they were tonight.”

Coyle also addressed the Bruins’ penalty 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing struggles, as they allowed three power play goals.

“We have to watch some more video on that specifically tonight with what went wrong, things we can kind of clean up so we can be better. When your special teams are good and you take responsibility of that, it’s, you give yourselves a good chance to win,” he noted.

Pavel Zacha and Coyle scored the only goals for the Bruins, while Joonas Korpisalo stopped 27 shots in the loss. The Blue Jackets scored two goals apiece from Dmitri Voronkov and Sean Monahan, as well as tallies from Kirill Marchenko and Adam Fantilli. Elvis Merzlikins saved 23 shots to earn the win.

Bruins get another chance against Blue Jackets

After a disappointing road loss, the Boston Bruins return home seeking payback against the Columbus Blue Jackets at TD Garden on Saturday. The quick turnaround offers an immediate chance for redemption in the back-to-back games.

Charlie Coyle sees the silver lining in the schedule, noting the opportunity to flip the script on home ice.

“Silver lining here as we play again tomorrow night, so we get another crack at it. To play at home and be the better home team like they were tonight,” Coyle said.

Defenseman Charlie McAvoy’s perspective captures the team’s resilient mindset.

“The best part of this League is you get to turn a new leaf every single day. So, we’re going to leave this one here and we get a chance to get it right tomorrow,” McAvoy remarked

Boston will look to leverage their home-ice advantage and passionate TD Garden crowd to bounce back.