Despite having four players and two staff members enter COVID protocol on Thursday -- joining the three players who were already there -- the Bruins played a hockey game Thursday night.
They did so with just 11 forwards and 17 skaters, unable to fill out a full roster due to a combination of COVID-19 and the salary cap. And they lost, 3-1, to the New York Islanders. Their lone goal came from Mike Reilly in the final minute of the game.
Here are five takeaways from a game you could easily argue should not have been played:
1. After a sloppy start, the effort was good
The Bruins got off to a horrible start, which wasn't exactly a surprise given everything that's happened over the last couple days. The Islanders outshot them 10-2 through the first 15 minutes of the game and took a 1-0 lead on a Cal Clutterbuck goal that came off a defensive breakdown.
But once the Bruins finally settled down, they really did play pretty well, even if that ultimately wasn't reflected on the scoreboard. They outshot the Islanders 6-2 over the final five minutes of the first period, put 21 shots on goal in the second, and had 12 more in the third. They ultimately outshot the Islanders 41-28 on the night, including 35-16 at 5-on-5, forcing Semyon Varlamov to make a season-high 40 saves.
"I have no issue with the effort," coach Bruce Cassidy said. "I think our guys came to play tonight. I'd say after the first 10 minutes, we were on our toes much better. We can attribute some of that to travel day issues, not practicing [on Wednesday], losing our morning skate [Thursday], maybe getting the legs going.
"All in all, I thought the guys competed hard, tried to play the right way, got better as the game went on. I thought we played a more assertive north-south game, which we've been trying to preach. Other than the first few minutes, we started buying into that and I thought we were attacking better."
2. There's a clear lack of finishing ability
The Bruins were already not a good finishing team, as they entered Thursday ranked 27th in shooting percentage. Take out their top two goal-scorers in Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, and… yeah, they're in trouble.
While the Bruins took a lot of shots, and Varlamov did play well in the New York net, not enough of those shots really made life difficult for the Islanders goalie. A lot hit him right in the chest or pads. A lot led to pretty juicy rebounds, too, but the Bruins generally weren't in position to take advantage. The power play really struggled without Marchand and Bergeron as well, going 0-for-3 with just two shots on goal.
For as long as the Bruins have to play without those two, there's just not going to be any margin for error. They're going to have to keep games low-scoring and find a way to grind out a couple goals. Falling behind 2-0 on Thursday felt like a borderline insurmountable deficit for this current roster, even though there were 38 minutes left in the game at that point.
3. Mixed results for Hall-Coyle-Pastrnak
A lot of people would like to see Taylor Hall, Charlie Coyle and David Pastrnak be the Bruins' second line. With Marchand and Bergeron out, they got to be the first line on Thursday. Like much of the rest of the team, they got off to a rough start before finally finding some traction.
They spent more time in their own zone than the offensive zone in the first period, including one shift where they got pinned in for a minute and a half. All three were also on the top power-play unit that registered zero shots on goal on the Bruins' first man advantage of the game. They combined for just one shot total in the opening 20 minutes.
In the second and third periods, Hall, Coyle and Pastrnak played much better. Pastrnak finished with a game-high seven shots on goal and nearly scored on a nice dance through the Islanders defense late in the second. Hall was right behind him with six shots, and he also drew a penalty on Zdeno Chara early in the third. In the 13:28 that line was on the ice at 5-on-5, the Bruins outshot the Islanders 13-6.
Notably, however, they did not score. Circling back to the point about finishing, this is the line that's going to need convert on some chances. Pastrnak has a career-low 7.0% shooting percentage this season. Hall's 7.7% is also well below his career average. Whether they're together or apart, the Bruins really need those two to start burying more chances, especially while Marchand and Bergeron are out.
4. DeBrusk-Studnicka-Froden quiet
Jack Studnicka and Jesper Froden were two of the forwards called up from Providence this week. Oskar Steen was the third, but he was forced into COVID protocol Thursday afternoon before even getting to play a game.
Cassidy put Studnicka and Froden on a line with Jake DeBrusk. It ended up being a quiet night for three players who all have something to prove.
DeBrusk is trying to show other teams he's worth trading for. Studnicka and Froden have an opportunity to show they belong in the NHL. None of them made a particularly great case on Thursday.
They didn't make many glaring mistakes or anything, but they also generated little offensively. Studnicka had just one shot on goal, while DeBrusk and Froden each had two.
That Studnicka and Froden didn't hit the ground running isn't the end of the world, especially given the chaotic circumstances that led them here. If the Bruins actually continue to play games, they'll get more chances, and it'll be interesting to see if one or both can find some footing.
5. And now we wait for Friday morning…
The Bruins have had players enter COVID protocol each of the last three days. Most of those announcements have come right around 11 a.m. So, now we wait to see if anyone else gets added on Friday.
The Bruins are hoping to practice in New York on Friday before heading up to Montreal later in the day. That's all dependent on what happens with this next round of tests.
It's hard to imagine the Bruins playing their two games in Canada this weekend as scheduled if they get more positive tests on Friday. But then again, it was hard to imagine them playing Thursday after four players and two staff members were added to the COVID list just that day.
(UPDATE: The NHL announced on Friday morning that the Bruins' game in Montreal on Saturday has been postponed.)
