"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." http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/...yotes_finish_sloppy_play_marks_prague_opener/
