Bruins
Jim Montgomery added more established veterans to the Bruins' lineup on Thursday night.
But the presence of stars like David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy wasn't enough to beat Boston. Boston lost to the Rangers 5-2 at Madison Square Garden.
Brett Harrison and Mark Kastelic scored for the Bruins, while Brandon Bussi stopped 28 of 32 shots within the loss.
Here are five takeaways from Thursday's loss:
A shaky performance from Brandon Bussi on the online
With 4 preseason games left on the schedule after Thursday, the Bruins need to start out getting more clarity on their current goaltending corps.
As Boston continues to try to barter a contract with Jeremy Swayman, the Bruins are moving forward with an expected tandem of Joonas Korpisalo and Brandon Bussi.
So far, Bussi hasn't conveyed much confidence ahead of what could possibly be his first regular-season appearances within the NHL.
After conceding two goals on 12 shots in Sunday's home loss to the Rangers, Bussi allowed 4 goals on 32 shots in his first full game of this preseason on Thursday.
Admittedly, a few of Bussi's poor stats on Thursday were a byproduct of the sport he had in front of him. The first tally he gave up was a Rangers 5-on-3 game while among the net front coverage in front of him was severely lacking.
But Bussi didn't do himself any favors along with his rebound control, because the Rangers had several opportunities to extend their lead with the numerous pucks scurrying around on the Class A ice.
The Bruins highly value Bussi and the potential the 26-year-old goaltender has shown over the past few seasons in Providence. But he must tighten things up before the conclusion of the preseason, especially if Swayman returns before the beginning of the regular season.
Mark Kastelic brings the boom
A not-so-daring prediction for this season? Bruins fans will enjoy what Kastelic has to supply in his fourth-line role.
After serving as a one-man demolition crew on Sunday, the 6-foot-2 Kastelic once more made his presence felt at Madison Square Garden.
Not only did Kastelic fend off Drew Bavaro's shot within the second period, but he was also beaten by Connor Mackey after executing a heavy check near the top boards.
Kastelic's physicality, faceoff talent, speed and penalty-taking ability will turn out to be useful on Boston's controlling unit. But the 25-year-old forward could have more to supply on offense, because the Phoenix native almost scored one other goal within the third period by hanging around the online.
Kastelic must be a lock for a starting spot on Boston's fourth line.
Trevor Kuntar continues to harass skaters
Unlike Kastelic, Trevor Kuntar might not be a candidate for a spot on Boston's roster outside of camp.
But the Boston College product has consistently stood out through the preseason by being a downer on every shift. The 23-year-old winger scored an enormous goal on Sundayand was once more a nuisance against the Blueshirts at MSG.
After sending multiple crosschecks into the back of Will Cuylle during a netfront scrum, Kuntar tried to combine it up with the combative Rangers striker after taking a heavy hit from him later in the sport.
Even at this stage of his development, it is evident that Kuntar knows what his identity is on the skilled level. If he sticks with it and continues to round out his game as an lively agitator, the NHL officials will probably be there for him in the end.
His teammate Cole Koepke was also a threat on Thursday, scoring a team-high five goals in his 14:07 minutes of ice time.
Not a powerful debut for several games from the Bruins lineup
Yes, it's just the preseason.
But this wasn't essentially the most bombastic debut for several regulars in Boston's lineup.
Nikita Zadorov specifically had a difficult time at times. The imposing defenseman misplayed a puck on the blue line late in the primary period, allowing Rangers forward Brennan Othmann to race past him and beat Bussi on a breakaway attempt.
Zadorov was as advertised when it got here to shelling out some penalties, but he must be certain that his propensity for slamming skaters into the glass doesn't come on the expense of his D-zone play.
Boston's top team of David Pastrnak, Matthew Poitras and Pavel Zacha also delivered mixed results. The Bruins fell 2-0 in 14:13 of 5-on-5 replays from that line, with New York creating 4 high-danger scoring possibilities during that period.
However, there have been just a few shiny spots on this grouping, particularly when it got here to Poitras.
The 20-year-old pivot could possibly be a placeholder for Elias Lindholm in the mean time, but his confident puck handling and possession led to some longer O-zone shifts for Boston. He has been impressive to date this fall.
board Harrison's sharp fall continues
After a powerful performance on the annual Prospects' Challenge in Buffalo earlier this month, Brett Harrison took one other step forward on Thursday.
The 2021 third-round pick opened the scoring for Boston with 14:44 left in the primary period after he was fed by Morgan Geekie and eventually pushed a puck past Jonathan Quick.
It was a powerful display of patience for Harrison, who must be in line for a bigger role in Providence in 2024-25. His totals from his rookie AHL season might not be stellar (five goals, 14 points in 47 games), but Harrison scored 34 goals in 57 OHL games in 2022-23 and boasts a powerful shot.
Don't be surprised if his stats skyrocket this winter as he climbs up Providence's depth chart.
image credit : www.boston.com