2 weeks Ago
BOSTON — Bruins coach Jim Montgomery’s voice was quiet and his mood was low. As he sat in front of the media after Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Senators at TD Garden, Montgomery was frustrated after his team didn’t register a single shot on goal in the third period. After David Pastrnak slung a long shot on Linus Ullmark from 38 feet out with 4:07 left in the second period, the Bruins didn’t get another shot through until overtime.
That included a power play without a shot to end the second period. “Our lack of execution on the power play was not good enough to generate any kind of scoring chances,” Montgomery said. “I don’t know if that fed into the third period and our lack of intensity.
” The Bruins coach didn’t pretend to have answers at the ready. Asked why third periods have been an issue — the Bruins went long stretches without shots in Thursday’s win too — Montgomery said: “I don’t have an answer.” How will they address it? “Talk about it.
We’ll look at what we’re doing sports science-wise,” he said. “We’ll come up with answers. Right now I don’t have an answer for you.
” Montgomery said he didn’t think conditioning was an issue. “We thought so during camp,” he said. “We don’t think so anymore.
” He was asked if he questioned whether the players were still listening and then why the message wasn’t getting through. No. I don’t question that,” Montgomery said.
“That’s up for you guys to figure out and come up with a reason. We just weren’t good enough. You can write what you think is the malaise on the team and what’s been going wrong.
We’re just not playing good enough.” It was the first time the Bruins have gone without a shot in the third period since Dec. 21, 2006, back when Montgomery was a first-year assistant coach at RPI and Matt Poitras was 2 years old.
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