The Bruins' performance on their 1-1-1 road trip to Brooklyn (overtime win), Philadelphia (shootout loss) and Columbus (regulation loss) was full of positives and negatives.
But the trip really ended on a sour note when during a 3-0 loss at the Blue Jackets goaltender Tuukka Rask was concussed after getting hit in the head by Columbus forward Emil Bemstrom 1:12 into the game.
The Bruins didn't respond until the second period, and even then it was a half-hearted attempt to get the rookie to fight.
Incidents like that could change what general manager Don Sweeney is shopping before ahead of the Feb. 24 NHL trade deadline. So with that in mind co-hosts Ken Laird and Matt Kalman decided to go over the Bruins' lack of retaliation when they've been pushed around this season without a special guest for this week's The Skate Podcast:
Laird teased Kalman for saying last week the Bruins have enough toughness:
"Who said last week team toughness is an issue? And what did Kalman say? He said 'no, no, no we've got Kuraly, we got Wagner, we got Big Zee, no problem. Everything gonna be all right."
After admitting he was wrong, Kalman pleaded with the Bruins to back up their words about being tough enough, and for the player on the fourth line to take some responsibility for defending teammates:
"It's embarrassing. They've talked all year long about how they have enough toughness. Bruce Cassidy has been asked several times 'do you have enough toughness?' [He says,> oh, I assume we do and we have these guys and they do this role. If you're a fourth-liner, I don't care if you have a three-year contract, you should be in [Bemstrom's> face. … Chris Wagner go out and bang some heads."
Laird and Kalman also discussed Brad Marchand's shootout gaffe in Philadelphia and other trade-deadline matters. Plus they answered listener tweets.
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