Coach Joe Sacco shared his thoughts after the Boston Bruins lost 3-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on Thursday. Seth Jarvis scored the winning goal with 19 seconds left.
Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov’s stick broke on a clearing attempt, leading to the goal. The loss was Boston’s third in a row. The Bruins have struggled recently, going 1-6-2 in their last nine games.
Nevertheless, Bruins coach Sacco praised his team’s effort.
“Yeah, I’m really proud of the effort from the guys tonight. From start to finish, we played a really solid game. We were on our toes. We were assertive in our game, and our puck support was good all over the ice. I thought we deserved better tonigh,” Sacco said. Obviously, it’s a tough break at the end."
Sebastian Aho scored first for the Hurricanes with a shorthanded goal at 6:29 of the first period. He stole the puck from Mason Lohrei, beat David Pastrnak and lifted a backhand past Joonas Korpisalo. Morgan Geekie tied the game at 1-1 at 18:55. Pavel Zacha’s shot was saved, but Geekie scored on the rebound with a wrist shot.
Pyotr Kochetkov made a key save early in the second period, stopping Pastrnak’s breakaway attempt. Soon after, Brent Burns put Carolina 2-1 ahead at 2:06. His wrist shot deflected off Parker Wotherspoon’s stick and went under Korpisalo’s arm. It was Burns’ first goal since Jan. 2, ending a 25-game drought.
Geekie tied the game at 2-2 at 1:14 of the third period. He tucked the puck past Kochetkov’s right pad after a poke check on Pastrnak’s wraparound attempt. Later, Taylor Hall scored for Carolina, but Boston successfully challenged for offside, nullifying the goal.
Less than a minute later, Jarvis scored the game-winner, shooting from the left hash marks, taking advantage of Zadorov’s broken stick.
Bruins coach reacts to Trent Frederic trade to Oilers
The Boston Bruins traded Trent Frederic to the Edmonton Oilers in a three-team deal.
Coach Joe Sacco discussed the move, saying that Frederic handled it well but was surprised. Sacco praised Frederic’s character and wished him success in Edmonton.
"He took it okay," Sacco said. "He's a Bruin, was a Bruin for a long time. And I think anytime you get traded for the first time, it's a bit of a surprise or-slash-shock.
"Like I said last night, I really enjoyed my time with Freddy when he was here. He's a great young kid, a great young man. I wish him the best over in Edmonton."
Frederic, in the final year of his contract, missed three games due to injury before the trade. The Bruins retained 50% of his salary and sent him to New Jersey for Petr Hauser. The Devils covered the rest and traded him to Edmonton for Shane Lachance.
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