Eight exhibition games (eight!), roughly a week overseas in China, and an overall nagging sentiment from players and coaches that seems to scream, “just drop the puck already.” These are all factors that would hopefully explain the Bruins’ sluggish final preseason game on Saturday, a 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.
For starters, the Bruins first shot of the game came 9:38 into the first period. Shortly after, Torey Krug went down the tunnel to the locker room and was ruled out for the evening. And then, the third period was filled with what head coach Bruce Cassidy called “lowlights” featuring three unanswered goals from the Flyers, one of which came shorthanded after a Charlie McAvoy turnover.