“We’ve got some guys in our lineup who score goals,’’ Boston coach Claude Julien said following yesterday’s 1-0 loss to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. “They’re just not doing it right now.’’
Michael Ryder isn’t doing it. Nor is David Krejci . . . Marco Sturm . . . Mark Recchi . . . Zdeno Chara . . . Dennis Wideman. Pick a name on the roster. They’ve got game. They just don’t have any answers, or even a clue, around the net.
With key forwards Marc Savard and Milan Lucic expected to be sidelined by injury for the remainder of this month (it just feels like infinity and beyond), the Bruins now must rely on stout defense and airtight netminding to carry the day. And if they commit the slightest indiscretion, such as giving up Marian Gaborik’s fluttering shot to the top right corner with 4:09 remaining in the second period, all they have to show for their 60 minutes of hard work is another one-goal loss - and yesterday’s was their fourth such edging in 20 days.
“It’s disappointing we keep losing games like this,’’ said Boston captain Chara, who again led a fierce, spirited hitting game, matching New York’s Ryan Callahan with a game-high five smacks. “We have to stay positive, keep going, and we know it would be better if we were winning these one-goal games and not losing them. But like I say, stay positive . . . it could change any game.’’
Like many NHL squads, the Bruins are full of dash but are virtually without scoring panache. They dart up and down the ice, and to their credit, they are doing a much better job these days on transition, especially when moving the puck out of their zone. Once over the offensive blue line, however, they don’t have the personnel to hold the puck and wait for fellow forwards to spring free, find a hole, establish net presence, put pucks . . . in . . . the . . . net. They have turned the offensive end into a fast food “Drive Thru’’ and the meal at the pickup window is nothing but a bag full of empty calories.
