If Tuesday’s preseason game against the Flyers was a “dress rehearsal” that featured the majority of the Bruins’ opening night lineup, then Thursday’s game against the Capitals was a “bubble game.” Most of the regulars did not play, but a bunch of guys on the roster bubble did, getting perhaps their last chance to make a push for an opening night roster spot.
"There is still [jobs up for grabs]," Bruins coach Marco Sturm said before the game. "Especially those guys today, it’s a good chance. Hopefully one of those guys will grab it, because we still need one or two in our lineup. It doesn’t matter if it’s Saturday or Game 1. There’s jobs up for grabs. Hopefully someone will step up."
Facing a Washington lineup that had more NHLers in it, Boston started slow in a lopsided first period, but settled in nicely, scored a pair of goals late in the second period to take the lead, and ultimately came away with a 3-1 victory.
The Bruins wrap up the preseason Saturday afternoon at TD Garden against the Rangers, with most or all of the opening night lineup expected to play in that one.
Before that, though, here’s a look at who stepped up and who didn’t Thursday night:
Up:
Joonas Korpisalo – Easily the Bruins’ best player in this one. Korpisalo, who missed a few days of practice over the weekend for a “family matter,” stopped 33 of the 34 shots he faced Thursday. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Capitals registered 10 high-danger shots and 4.13 expected goals, meaning Korpisalo saved 3.13 goals above expected. If there were still any questions about whether Michael DiPietro might steal the backup goalie job, Korpisalo all but put those to bed Thursday night in what was likely the last preseason game either of them will play.
Matt Poitras – Of the true bubble players, Poitras probably had the best game Thursday. Like the rest of the team, he was bottled up in the first period. But Poitras, more than any other forward, started to find room to make some plays in the second, including springing linemate Alex Steeves on two breakaways in the same shift. Unfortunately, Steeves didn’t even get a shot off on either of them. Poitras also tied for the team lead with four shots on goal. Poitras hasn’t exactly knocked down the door this preseason thanks to some inconsistency, but he’s at least knocking on it. Fraser Minten, who didn’t play Thursday, might have the edge when it comes to young, waivers-exempt forwards, but we still don’t know if the Bruins will choose to keep one, none or both of them.
“He was better, way better,” Sturm said of Poitras. “I think it was his best game tonight, for sure. Took him a little bit, but then all of a sudden, he got loose.”
Riley Tufte – Tufte scored the Bruins’ first goal of the night on a sheer effort play, reaching around Washington defenseman Vincent Iorio to capitalize on a misplay by goalie Charlie Lindgren. He also threw three hits. Tufte actually made the Bruins out of camp last season, but went on to play just six games in Boston while spending the vast majority of the season in Providence. It would be a surprise if he makes the team this time around, but if this was his final game of the preseason, he at least made a good final impression.
Brett Harrison – Harrison scored the Bruins’ next two goals to seal the win. The second of those goals was an empty-netter, but the first was a great individual effort. Harrison raced in down the right wing and drove wide before dipping his shoulder and taking the puck hard to the net around Martin Fehervary, a legitimate NHL top-four defenseman. It’s been a bit of a weird camp for Harrison, who didn’t play in any of the Bruins’ first four preseason games. Sturm said he’s been practicing hard, though, so they wanted to reward him with a game Thursday. It’s clear that the 2021 third-round pick is a long shot to make the team, but perhaps he can roll Thursday’s performance into a good start in Providence.
Down:
Fabian Lysell – The Bruins would have loved for Lysell to finally make a real push to start a season in Boston, but that just hasn’t really happened. He had a good start to training camp, but hasn’t sustained it. Thursday night was likely his last opportunity this preseason to state his case. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a good game. Lysell had zero shot attempts, was a minus-1, committed a couple more turnovers, and took an offensive-zone tripping penalty. This will be the fourth straight year the 2021 first-round pick starts in Providence, and you just have to wonder if or when the breakthrough is ever going to come.
Matej Blumel – Blumel did lead the Bruins with seven shot attempts Thursday, but most of them were empty calorie shots from distance. He also had a couple misplays and lost board battles that led to turnovers. The Bruins clearly want Blumel, last year’s leading goal-scorer in the AHL, to succeed. They’ve had him in their middle six and on the second power-play unit all camp. He leads the team in shots on goal, shot attempts and scoring chances this preseason, which is obviously all good. But he also has just one point in four games to show for all of it. Sturm’s comments throughout camp make it clear that he’s a believer in Blumel, so it’s still a pretty safe bet that he makes the team, but he hasn’t really done as much with his opportunities as you would’ve hoped.
Mike Callahan & Victor Soderstrom – We’re putting them together because they were paired together Thursday, and because they combined for a tough shift leading up to Washington’s lone goal. Callahan committed a pair of turnovers on the breakout, and then Soderstrom lost a net-front battle to goal-scorer Ryan Leonard. These were two of the candidates for the seventh defenseman job, but it doesn’t feel like either has done enough. Soderstrom has had a particularly rough preseason. Jordan Harris was the favorite for that job and has been solid enough to maintain that status – at the very least, he just hasn’t made the glaring mistakes that others have. Frederic Brunet has arguably been better, but the 22-year-old needs to play to develop, so he would be better off as a top-pairing guy in Providence than a healthy scratch in Boston.
A little of both:
Mason Lohrei – Lohrei was solid Thursday. It was probably the best of his three preseason games to date. This is more just about his camp in general, though. There’s been more inconsistency, especially defensively, than Sturm and company would want. It’s been interesting that he continues to practice on a pair with Charlie McAvoy, but his last two games have been on the road with the “B” team, and without McAvoy. Lohrei did not play Monday when McAvoy instead paired with Nikita Zadorov. Maybe it all means nothing. Or maybe it means Sturm isn’t completely sold on the idea of pairing Lohrei with McAvoy and wants to try both with other options. It will be interesting to see if they’re paired together for Saturday’s preseason finale.