Lucic’s Return a Disaster, Bruins Embarrassed by Kings

(Photo via AP)

By:Mike Grinnell

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Nine different players scored for the L.A. Kings on Tuesday night, as they defeated the Bruins 9-2. Yes, you heard correctly, nine different players, half of the skaters on the Kings, scored in Tuesday night’s embarrassing loss for the Bruins.

Among the nine different scorers, was the man everyone came to see, Milan Lucic. Looch, who added a goal and an assist, finished with a nice victory lap at the end of regulation to mark the end of an era.

“I didn’t have it planned. A couple of teammates there told me to go out and do it.” Lucic told reporters after Tuesday night’s victory. “I just remembered being back in Calgary when Iggy [Jarome Iginla] did it, so felt like doing it.”

While Lucic did the Bruins a favor, by blowing them out in their home barn, the team returned the favor, by putting together a video montage during the first period of the days No. 17 was hitting people through the glass, scoring goals, and getting in fights in his days in Boston.

A game was played on Tuesday night though, despite the Lucic hoopla, and it wasn’t good for the Bruins, at all.

The Bruins allowed 57 shots on goal Tuesday night, the first time they have allowed that many since 1965, against Gordie freakin’ Howe. The Black & Gold wearing the whites at home were beat from the start to the finish. They lost puck battles, made terrible turnovers, and completely forgot how to play defense.

“We have a lot of work to do. It was bad, lose 9-2 at home, it’s pretty, pretty bad. But show up to work and try to fix things because it really is unacceptable and we have to show up to work,” said B’s goalie Tuukka Rask, who was pulled from the game after allowing five goals.

Was Rask the problem in Tuesday night’s embarrassing victory? Certainly not, but could he have been better? With out a doubt.

Bruins coach Claude Julien seemed to put the lack of defense, or lack of experience, as the main reasons for the Bruins struggles.

“I’ve got a lot of young guys, first-year players, whether it’s the first full year of [Joe] Morrow or Colin Miller and a [Zach] Trotman. It’s Spoons’ [Ryan Spooner] first year,” Julien said. “[David] Pastrnak was in and out last year as well. We’ve got a lot of young players so we’ve got to deal with that. [Tyler] Randell is another one. You work with that kind of stuff.”

The Bruins have a lot of decisions to make going forward, this upcoming 6-game road trip will be a good deciding factor as to whether they should be buying or selling as this years February 29 trade deadline.