When the story of the 2024-25 Boston Bruins season is written, one glaring issue will stand out as the reason they likely missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs—an inability to hold onto third-period leads.
On Saturday afternoon, the Bruins squandered yet another golden opportunity to secure crucial points, suffering a devastating late-game collapse against the Vegas Golden Knights. Leading 3-2 entering the final period, Boston surrendered two goals, including the crushing game-winner with just 1:10 remaining—a loss that may very well be the final dagger in their postseason aspirations.
Back-to-Back Late-Game Meltdowns
This latest collapse came just days after another third-period heartbreak. On Wednesday, the Bruins carried a 2-1 lead into the final frame against the New York Rangers, only to allow two unanswered goals en route to a frustrating 3-2 defeat. Fast forward to Saturday, and history repeated itself—Boston entered the third period up 3-2, only to watch it slip away again, failing to salvage even a single point from either game.
Saturday’s implosion was fueled by self-inflicted mistakes. Despite an early 2-0 cushion, courtesy of goals from Brad Marchand and Nikita Zadorov, the Bruins unraveled. A costly turnover by Zadorov on the penalty kill gifted Vegas captain Mark Stone a momentum-shifting goal. Morgan Geekie briefly restored Boston’s two-goal lead, but then came the backbreaker—Zach Whitecloud’s routine shot inexplicably eluded Jeremy Swayman, trickling past him in the final seconds of the second period.
Vegas seized the opening, tying the game in the third on a Pavel Dorofeyev tally before Tomas Hertl netted the dagger just moments after a disallowed goal for goaltender interference.
A Harsh Reality Check for Bruins’ Front Office
This latest collapse only reinforces what is becoming painfully obvious—this is not Boston’s year. With the trade deadline looming, Bruins management may have no choice but to shift focus toward a retool. If general manager Don Sweeney and team president Cam Neely weren’t convinced before, this brutal stretch should erase any doubt. It’s time to start looking toward next season.
