Bruins blanked by Flyers, 2-0

The Flyers arrived the Garden on Tuesday having allowed 4.44 goals per game in their first nine games. Easy pickings for the Bruins?

Yeah, right. In 2024-25, there is no such thing for this B’s team.

The B’s went 0-for-4 on the power play, including a lengthy 5-on-3, and fought the puck all night on the way to their second shutout loss of the young season, this one a 2-0 loss to the visitors from Philadelphia.

Tyson Foerster scored in the second period and, thanks to the Flyers’ 26 blocked shots, that held up until Joel Farabee scored an empty-netter. The loss wasted a good performance by Joonas Korpisalo (17 saves).

The first period was scoreless, thanks to several excellent saves by both netminders. Young defenseman Mason Lohrei was experiencing brutal malfunctions with the puck early on that would eventually lead to his benching for a couple of shifts later in the first.

But when he and partner Charlie McAvoy could not clear the puck early on, Korpisalo bailed them out. On a bad Bruin early shift, Bobby Brink had half the net at which to shoot but Korpisalo, playing his first game since Oct. 16, made a terrific toe save.

The B’s had a great chance to take the lead when Brad Marchand was crosschecked and then David Pastrnak was hooked 23 seconds later, giving the B’s a 5-on-3 for 1:37. But the B’s got bupkus out of it as the Flyers somehow managed to take away their shooting lanes for the extended two-man advantage. They also needed Korpisalo to come up with a big stop on the Flyers’ shorthanded bid after the first penalty was up, getting over to his left to thwart Garnet Hathaway on a 2-on-1.

The B’s, who held an 11-7 shot advantage, had their best chance when Andrew Peeke took the puck deep and fed Elias Lindholm for what looked like a tap-in, but Sam Ersson somehow made it all the way over to thwart the centeman. Peeke also hit a post later in the period.

The Flyers took the lead at 5:32. The B’s lost puck battles at both blue line and eventually, Emil Andrae fed Tyson Foerster in the high slot and he was able to beat Korpisalo under the pads with a hard wrister for the 1-0 Flyer lead.

The B’s then promptly gave the Flyers a power play but they were able to kill it off.

Morgan Geekie, who has been struggling offensively, gave the B’s another power play chance when he buried a Flyer in the offensive zone and Morgan Frost retaliated with a high stick. But the B’s, hesitantly playing on the perimeter, didn’t get the puck to the net until Justin Brazeau’s tip was gobbled up by Ersson as the PP was ending.

The Flyers had 17 blocked shots through the first 20 minutes, plus more thwarted passes that was frustrating the Bruins. The B’s had a 10-6 shot advantage in the second but they headed into the third period down a goal.