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3 major takeaways from Boston Bruins' 4-1 preseason loss vs Los Angeles Kings
The Boston Bruins fell to 2-3 in preseason after suffering a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday in a neutral-site game at Videotron Centre in Quebec City.
A hat-trick from Quinton Byfield powered the Los Angeles offense, who also got a goal from Adrian Kempe. Meanwhile, the Bruins' lone goal came courtesy of Patrick Brown, who ripped a shot past goaltender David Rittich's glove:
Playing against his former club, Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo made 22 saves on the 26 shots he faced. Meanwhile, David Rittich stopped 13 of the 14 shots Boston fired his way.
Here's a closer look at three top takeaways from Thursday's game in Quebec.
3 major takeaways from Boston Bruins' 4-1 preseason loss vs Los Angeles Kings
#1. Quebec fans love native son and former Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron
Former Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron, a Quebec native who called time on his career in 2023 after 19 seasons wearing the spoked-B, was honored with a special pre-game ceremony as he and his family dropped the opening puck.
Bergeron said he would consider joining any potential NHL club Quebec is awarded in the future.
"It's something I would definitely consider," Bergeron said via NESN.com. "I was a big fan growing up, and it would definitely be special. But with that being said, I've been a part of an organization for 20 years in Boston, which has a big place in my heart as well. I don't know what the real answer is to that, but it's definitely something I would consider."
#2. Bruins struggled to get anything going offensively
Not only did the Kings hold the Bruins to just 14 shots on net, but they also limited their second-chance opportunities and halted any momentum off the rush. Additionally, Boston surrendered a power-play goal, an even-strength goal, and a shorthanded goal against.
Head coach Jim Montgomery didn't mince his words in the postgame press conference, calling out his players for their lack of execution.
"I just thought that their tracking and their [defensive] gaps were really good," Montgomery said. "And, we refused to put pucks in behind them and go in and check on the forecheck.
"I thought in the first we were asleep. We weren't moving our legs. One point, the defensemen aren't moving their feet, and the forwards aren't skating away from them to create any kind of speed, so it wasn't a very good game by us in that sense," he added.
#3. Boson's goaltending remains a question mark
Thanks to the standoff between the Bruins and goaltender Jeremy Swayman, the starting duties currently belong to Korpisalo, acquired from the Ottowa Senators in the trade that sent Linus Ullmark to the Canadian capital.
He was critical of his performance against the Kings, saying he wasn't satisfied with the goals he surrendered.
"Just side-to-side to be ready for any option, not just the shot," Korpisalo said. "[I] feel sharp. I wasn't happy with a couple of goals myself, but that's pretty much what it's [preseason] for. You gotta get better and learn things and move on."
The Bruins have one more preseason game to go, a Saturday matchup against the Washington Capitals, before heading to Amerant Bank Arena to take on the Florida Panthers in the regular season opener on Oct. 8.
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