Bruins Wrap: Boston Dealt OT Loss In Inaugural Trip To Utah

The first-ever trip to face the Utah Hockey Club ended in losing fashion for the Boston Bruins as they dropped a 2-1 decision in overtime Saturday night at Delta Center.

The Bruins dropped to 3-2-1 on the young season while Utah improved to 4-1-1.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Despite the loss, Boston’s defense took some strides in a positive direction after entering the matchup allowing an uncharacteristic 3.60 goals per game, which ranked a middling 20th in the NHL.

The Bruins never held Utah’s offense down for most of the night by getting into passing lanes and putting their body in the way of shots. Boston finished with 19 blocked shots — 11 more than Utah — with Brandon Carlo tallying a team-high four blocks.

The Bruins were also terrific on the penalty kill, denying all four power-play opportunities Utah got in the game, including one in overtime. Boston’s defense was also aided by a superb showing in net from Jeremy Swayman. Swayman made several key stops to almost steal a win for Boston.

But the next step for Boston’s defense is learning to close out a game, and that is the most important part for that unit. The Bruins couldn’t do that against Utah, allowing the tying goal with 5:09 left in regulation before letting up a goal in overtime.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Michael Kesselring put on the cape for Utah and played the hero. He scored with 2:14 left in overtime to life Utah to a win on home ice.

— Cole Koepke continues to make a major impact for the Bruins. He broke a scoreless deadlock 12:49 into the second period when he beat Utah goalie Connor Ingram five-hole. It’s Koepke’s third goal of the season, which is second on the Bruins, only trailing David Pastrnak.

— Swayman stood very tall in net. He stopped 30 shots to earn a tough-luck loss. He made a spectacular save in the final minute of the second period, lunging backward to keep a trickling puck from crossing the goal line.

UP NEXT
The Bruins close out their three-game road trip Tuesday against the Nashville Predators. Puck drop from Bridgestone Arena is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.