.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
2010-11 BRUINS OPENER;B's start, Coyotes finish;Sloppy play marks Prague opener
COYOTES 5, BRUINS 2
PRAGUE, Czech Republic - For 10 days in Europe, three weeks of training camp and five months since their disastrous playoff loss, the Bruins prepared for yesterday's Game 1 of the 2010-11 season.
And when the time came, the B's weren't ready. From the outset of the season opener at O2 Arena, it was the Phoenix Coyotes, not the Bruins, who were able to set the tone of play.
The Coyotes executed their game plan very well, the B's not well at all, at least not until the third period, and it added up to a sloppy and careless 5-2 loss in front of 15,299.
Not exactly the sort of start the Bruins had in mind.
''To sum it up, I felt our team, when the game was on the line, made too many unforced errors,'' coach Claude Julien said. ''When you give a team like that too many opportunities, they're going to take advantage.''
Goalie Tuukka Rask (32 saves) did what he could as the Coyotes controlled the play much of the game. Phoenix enjoyed three clear breakaways off egregious B's turnovers. The Bruins rarely generated the forechecking pressure that is their key, and when they did generate chances, Coyotes goalie Ilya Bryzgalov was a wall.
The Bruins finally played better in the third period, when Nathan Horton scored both of their goals on wristers from the slot.
''The strength of our team is going to be in the nets and playing solid defense,'' Phoenix general manager Don Maloney said. ''We've got a good core of veterans here who know how to play the game. We play hard. That's one thing we will do. We will give you a game.''
The Coyotes gave the B's a game they couldn't handle much of the first two periods. The first period wasn't too bad, the lone score a goalmouth tap-in by Radim Vrbata off a fortuitous carom off the end boards.
''They get that first goal on a lucky bounce, you can live with that,'' Julien said. ''But what we did in the second period was (commit) unforced errors and give them real quality opportunities. It kind of tarnishes the effort the guys put into this game. Those unforced errors are what stick in your mind.''
The Bruins were outworked by the Coyotes for too much of the game, but without question the three turnovers - all ill-advised passes just inside the Phoenix blue line - that led to the breakaways were the worst black marks. Mark Recchi, Zdeno Chara and Daniel Paille made the blunders. Only on the Paille giveaway did the Coyotes finish, with Scottie Upshall putting a forehander past Rask to make it 3-0 late in the second period. ''I asked Tooks after the game, `When was the last time you had that many breakaways in a game?' He was stumped,'' Blake Wheeler said. ''We can't do that to him. He's too good a goalie. He kept us in this game for a good portion of it, making huge saves. But sooner or later they're going to score when you give them too many breakaways.
''We've all made mistakes like that, but you can't pile up three of them in one game.''
Eric Belanger's power-play goal made it 4-0 after two nasty periods.
''Coming in after the second period, we had to feel a little embarrassed at what the score was,'' Julien said.
Said Horton: ''We were trying to make it a strong third period, no matter what happens. Come in feeling good about yourself after the game and carry it on (into today's rematch with the Coyotes).''
The Bruins did that. They finally started getting pucks deep and creating the forechecking pressure, and scoring chances, that come from such an approach. At 3:33, a Milan Lucic pass found Horton about 20 feet up the right slot, and he whipped a shot past Bryzgalov. On a power play at 9:03, it was Horton again from a similar spot to make it 4-2.
The B's had some good chances to make it a one-goal game, but couldn't convert. The Coyotes put it away on Vrbata's empty-netter.
''We were forcing some plays which are totally uncharacteristic for our team,'' captain Zdeno Chara said. ''We have to play our style, be more relaxed, try to force our game plan on the opponent.'' The Bruins will give it another try today.
