First period quick hits:

-Tuukka Rask finally received a rest Friday night in St. Louis while Malcolm Subban made his first career NHL start against the Blues. Subban sported a 25-20-8 record in two seasons under Bruce Cassidy in Providence with a .920 save percentage and 2.38 goals against average. Tonight, through the first 20 minutes of his NHL career, Subban only had to make three saves. He wasn’t tested until the eight minute mark in the first period. The B’s are executing their game plan in front of the youngster not forcing turnovers and making sure the defensive layers on intact. It won’t be this easy the rest of the way, but at least Subban got his feet wet.

-The Boston Bruins actually scored the first goal in this one. Brad Marchand scored his team-leading 17th goal of the season by throwing a harmless wrist shot on Allen where it glanced off of his glove and into the back of the net for the game’s first goal. It’s a start the Black and Gold desperately needed.

-Milan Lucic struggles continued as he served as a liability on the ice for the B’s in the first period. He was turning the puck over, couldn’t handle any passes and almost looked disinterested on the ice. The left-winger logged 4:51 of total ice time in the first which may have been too much.

-Brian Ferlin is also making his NHL debut for the Black and Gold. He wasn’t very noticeable, but the six-foot-two winger logged 2:40 of ice time and recorded one hit. He did not record a shot.

-The Blues committed the only two penalties in the period. The B’s could not capitalize on their first power-play and will start the second period with over a minute of their man-advantage left to extend their lead.

-Claude Julien’s team looks a little different than they did in Edmonton on Wednesday night. They are winning the races and winning a lot of battles along the boards. If this effort continues for the rest of the game, the B’s could possibly end their losing streak.