Boston Bruins Season 21/22

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 52

 

Bos 3 Ducks 4

 

Zegras scores late on power play, Ducks beat Bruins 4-3

 

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By AP

Updated: 3 hours ago

 

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- — Trevor Zegras scored a power-play goal with 21.6 seconds remaining to give the Anaheim Ducks a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.

 

Rickard Rakell, Isac Lundestrom and Adam Henrique scored in the first period, and John Gibson made 31 saves for the Ducks, who had lost their last two games and five of the past seven in regulation.

 

“I think our power play was going pretty good tonight,” said Zegras, who also had an assist. “First one, we scored. Second one, we were in their zone it seemed like five minutes. And third one, obviously, we scored late.”

 

Nick Foligno and Brandon Carlo each had a goal and an assist for the Bruins, who had their five-game winning streak halted. David Pastrnak also scored, and Linus Ullmark allowed four goals on 28 shots.

 

“Disappointing finish, obviously, but we did at least get our game,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “But the positive of this is we found a way to get back in the game. Some of these games have gone 6, 7-1 against us this year.”

 

Zegras won it on a wrist shot from the left circle after Charlie McAvoy had been called for hooking. Zegras praised Sonny Milano for setting a crucial screen on his 14th goal of the season, the fourth on the power play.

 

“He has been unbelievable net front this year in terms of winning puck battles, tipping pucks. I mean, that’s the only reason why I scored was his screen,” Zegras said. “Ullmark, I don’t think he even saw it. Sonny was kind of standing right in front of him so, I mean, I got to give all the credit to him there.”

 

Despite giving back a two-goal lead after striking twice in the final 2:07 of the first period to go up 3-1, Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf liked the composure his teammates showed.

 

“I thought we did a pretty good job of just staying level-headed throughout the whole game. Even at the end there, I thought we were pushing for a goal,” said Getzlaf, who had three assists. “I think the mentality coming into the game was a lot better, a lot healthier from what you need at this time of the year.”

 

Cassidy was disappointed with the letdown late in the first, starting when Lundestrom pounced on a Cam Fowler rebound after a swarming forecheck created a turnover, which Henrique followed up by finishing off an odd-man rush with 56.7 left.

 

“It looked like we were gonna get through it even though we weren’t at our best. And then we just had some bad breakdowns. We just didn’t manage pucks, didn’t protect the front of our net. All of a sudden, it’s 3-1,” Cassidy said.

 

The Bruins had allowed just one goal in the first period during their previous five games and had never trailed after 20 minutes in that span.

 

They showed plenty of fight after that, with Carlo cut it to 3-2 with 8:45 left in the second when Gibson couldn’t handle his shot from the blue line through traffic and it trickled in.

 

Pastrnak tied it 3-all 1:52 into the third period when his one-timer deflected off both Anaheim defenseman Brendan Guhle and center Sam Carrick, and it looked like it was going to be enough to salvage at least one point before Zegras’ heroics.

 

“I remember being that age and you score big goals like that, those are things that you remember down the way," Getzlaf said. "It’s great for his energy level and what he does to our group when he sparks it like that.”

 

GET READY

 

Zegras is up to 41 points in his electrifying rookie season, and Getzlaf has been working to make sure the next face of the franchise knows what it takes to succeed when opponents are focused on stopping him.

 

“Nobody in this league is ever gonna give you anything for nothing. And the more he plays, the more he does things like that, the more attention he’s gonna get,” Getzlaf said. “When other teams are worried about what you’re doing, that’s a big thing.”

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 53

 

Bos 5 VGK 2

 

Smith hits jackpot in Vegas with hat trick, Bruins win 5-2

 

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By AP

Updated: 4 hours ago

 

LAS VEGAS -- — Craig Smith scored three goals and the Boston Bruins beat the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 on Thursday night.

 

It was Smith’s third career hat trick and second with the Bruins. It’s the third consecutive season he's recorded a hat trick and it marked the first time he netted three goals in a road game.

 

“Anytime you can pop three it’s great,” Smith said. “It’s great here, and obviously road wins are huge, too, and special with the team. But anytime you can get three you’ll take them.”

 

The Bruins improved to 4-1-0 on their six-game road trip, and 9-3-2 in their last 14 away from home. Overall they’ve won six of their last seven games as they inch closer to third-place Toronto in the Atlantic Division.

 

David Pastrnak scored twice for Boston, and Jeremy Swayman stopped 34 shots.

 

Pastrnak’s 23 goals since Jan. 1 lead the NHL. In that same span, the Bruins have the second-most points with 40, behind Colorado.

 

Boston got points from eight different skaters, including a total of seven points from the third line of Smith (3), Trent Frederic (3) and Charlie Coyle (1).

 

“That’s why our record is what it is I think this stretch of games because we’ve got different people involved,” coach Bruce Cassidy said.

 

Vegas, meanwhile, lost for the sixth time in eight games and continues to miss offensive stars Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty. The Golden Knights have been held to two or fewer goals in five of those games.

 

“We’ve got some guys in some extended slumps,” coach Peter DeBoer said. “When you’ve got Pacioretty and Stone out of the lineup, you can’t have multiple guys going double-digit games without chipping in a goal.”

 

Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault scored for Vegas, and Robin Lehner made 31 saves.

 

After beginning the season with a .917 save percentage, 13th-best in the NHL among goaltenders with 10 starts through Nov. 18, Lehner is tied for 39th with a .900 save percentage since then.

 

The Golden Knights failed to score a power-play goal for the fifth consecutive game and 12th time in 14 contests. Since Jan. 24, they rank last in the NHL with a 6.1% power-play conversion rate.

 

“There’s no hiding from the fact that we have to get a power-play goal,” DeBoer added.

 

And while Boston didn’t score on its lone power-play opportunity, it didn’t have trouble putting the puck in the net.

 

As Vegas’ Ben Hutton had the puck poked free while he entered the neutral zone, the Bruins immediately went into attack mode in transition. Frederic fed Smith, who beat Lehner from the slot for his first goal in 12 games to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead.

 

Boston once again took advantage of a Vegas mishap, this time midway through the second period. Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb and forward William Karlsson collided behind the net, leaving Smith alone to snag Coyle’s pass at the backdoor and catch Lehner out of position.

 

Smith scored his third goal of the game in the third when he smoked a shot from the left circle after Lehner was spun around by teammate Zach Whitecloud and left out of position.

 

Eichel ignited the relatively quiet crowd of 18,109 in the second period when he broke free alone into the zone and deked several times before accidentally leaving the puck off a forehand to float under Swayman’s pads and cut the lead in half.

 

Pastrnak scored twice in the third, early in the period off his own rebound and an empty-netter to provide the final margin.

Marchessault scored his 22nd goal with Lehner pulled late in the third.

 

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 54

 

Bos 5 CBJ 4 SO

 

Pastrnak leads Bruins to shootout win over Blue Jackets

 

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By AP

Updated: 4 hours ago

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- — David Pastrnak scored in the shootout and had an assist to lift the surging Boston Bruins over the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4 on Saturday night.

 

Boston has won seven of eight and is three points ahead of Washington for the top wild card and seventh seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Bruins also moved within two points of third-place Toronto in the Atlantic Division.

 

Jake DeBrusk, Erik Haula, Craig Smith and Patrice Bergeron scored for Boston, and Brad Marchand added two assists. Jeremy Swayman stopped 20 shots for his sixth straight win.

 

“All I was focused on was the next shot, no matter what happened, if there was a goal or a big save,” Swayman said. “All I cared about was next shot, making the next play. And the guys in front of me helped me a lot, so that gave me a lot of confidence. It was a great win.”

 

Jakub Voracek’s goal with 1.8 seconds left in regulation sent the game to overtime. Gus Nyquist, Vladislav Gavrikov and Zach Werenski also scored for the Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins made 28 saves but Columbus lost for the fourth time in five games.

 

DeBrusk put Boston on the board at 10:39 of the first period with his deflection of Brad Marchand's shot through a crowd in front of Merzlikins.

 

Nyquist made it 1-all at 16:57, picking up a loose puck and roofing it over Swayman. Columbus took the lead with a minute remaining in the first when Swayman’s attempt to clear a shot landed on Gavrikov's stick and he buried it for his first goal since Nov. 22.

 

Boston came back at 1:51 of the second when Haula tied the score 2-all with a wrister through Merzlikins' pads for his third goal in four games, extending his point streak to six games.

 

“A lot of guys can feel good about themselves,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “That’s what you want with your group — to feel they can win every night.”

Columbus pulled ahead again at 14:28 of the second on Werenski’s wrister from the point with 46 seconds left in Charlie Coyle’s slashing penalty. The goal was Werenski's fourth of the season with the man advantage and first since missing four games.

 

The score was knotted again when Smith scored off a give-and-go with Connor Clifton at 4:40 of the third, and Boston went up 4-3 on Bergeron’s power-play goal at 14:58 of the third, his seventh of the season with the man advantage.

 

Voracek sent the game to overtime with his power-play slap shot from above the left circle.

 

“To get one there late was huge,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “We had our looks in OT. We just didn’t get it done.”

 

HONORING NASH

 

Rick Nash, the Blue Jackets’ all-time leader in goals, assists, points and games played, was honored pregame as the team’s first player to have his number retired. The former captain, who wore No. 61, finished his NHL career with the Bruins in 2017-18. He had 289 goals and 258 assists in 674 games and appeared in five All-Star Games for Columbus from 2002-12.

 

CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN

 

Former Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno, now with the Bruins, made his first visit to Nationwide Arena since being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021. Foligno ranks third in Blue Jackets history in games played (599), assists (192) and points (334), and fourth in goals (142).

 

WELCOME BACK

 

Curtis Lazar returned to the Bruins' lineup after missing four games with an upper-body injury.

 

INJURY UPDATE

 

Boston’s Urho Vaakanainen, who has not played since Feb. 19, is back skating but did not make the lineup. Brendan Gaunce remains day-to-day for Columbus with an upper-body injury.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 55

 

Bos 2 LA 3 OT

 

Athanasiou scores in OT, Kings rally to beat Bruins 3-2

 

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By AP

Updated: 6 hours ago

 

BOSTON -- — Losing 7-0 at home to Boston stuck with the Los Angeles Kings, and they knew they'd have a chance to quickly make amends a week later.

 

“We got embarrassed at home,” Kings goalie Cal Petersen said on Monday night after the Kings rallied to beat the Bruins 3-2 in overtime. “Yeah, we were looking for some revenge.”

 

The Kings came back from a 2-1 deficit, with Trevor Moore tying the game with 26 seconds left in regulation and winning it on a breakaway by Andreas Athanasiou in overtime.

 

Petersen stopped 30 shots and Blake Lizotte also scored for the Kings, who have won eight of their last 10 games. One of the losses was the Feb. 28 Boston blowout.

 

”That's a phenomenal hockey team — one of the best in the league. We think that we should be right there, and for us to to put in an effort like that (last week), where we got blown out, it wasn’t acceptable," Petersen said.

 

“We came in with something to prove, and to show that we can play with the big boys," he added. “We want to be one of those top teams at the end of the year.”

 

Boston never trailed in regulation, taking a 2-1 lead into the third period thanks to a goal and an assist from Craig Smith. But with Petersen pulled in the final minute, the Kings won a faceoff in the offensive zone and Moore slid home a rebound to tie it.

 

“We found a way to get two in the last few minutes of the game," said Kings coach Todd McLellan, who returned to the bench from the COVID-19 protocol. “Used every minute we had, which was important."

 

The game was scoreless until the puck bounced over Kings forward Phillip Danault’s stick in the defensive zone and Smith picked it up, skated in and shot.

The rebound came out to Charlie Coyle, who quickly pushed it over to Trent Frederic.

 

The Kings tied it just 69 seconds later when Olli Matta fed Lizotte in the slot to make it 1-1.

 

It stayed that way until just under a minute in the second, when Coyle worked the puck against the boards and centered it to Smith for the goal.

 

WELCOME BACK

 

McLellan missed six games in COVID-19 protocol. Assistant Trent Yawney filled in for him, and went 4-2.

 

“It was it was seamless for when he left and Yawns came in. And and he did a phenomenal job,” Petersen said. “We have we have a lot of confidence in our coaching staff, regardless of who needs to step up.”

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 56

 

Bos 4 Chi 3

 

David Pastrnak breaks late tie, Bruins beat Blackhawks 4-3

•  

By DOUG ALDEN

Associated Press

 

BOSTON (AP) David Pastrnak snapped a tie with 17.2 seconds left and the Boston Bruins beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 on Thursday night for their eighth victory in 10 games.

Pastrnak finished with two goals and an assist. Jack Ahcan scored his first career goal, and Charlie Coyle also scored for the Bruins.

"It went our way tonight, but it got loose and could have went either way," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said.

Cassidy wasn't pleased that the Bruins, coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to Los Angeles at home Tuesday night, got pushed to the brink of overtime by the Blackhawks, who aren't going to the playoffs and managed just three shots on goal in the second period. But Brandon Hagel's second goal of the night tied it at 3-all 3:24 into the third and set up a thrilling finish.

"It's a tough one, but we did a lot of good things," Chicago coach Derek King said. "It's unfortunate. It's just the way the puck went."

Hagel scored twice for Chicago, and Alex DeBrincat extended his streak to five straight games with a goal, giving him 34 for the season.

Patrick Kane got an assist for his eighth point in the last two games for the Blackhawks, who lost for the fourth time in six games and felt they let at least a point, perhaps two, slip away.

"They're a good hard-working team. We knew that coming into the game. We were expecting them to play hard," said Hagel, who got goals Nos. 19 and 20. "They were physical tonight and I thought we did a good job of not letting them just push us around like little kids. I thought we all battled together."

Chicago goalie Kevin Lankinen stopped 32 shots, including 18 in the third before a loose puck bounced to Pastrnak in front and he batted it in for his 33rd goal. The play came just after a faceoff, which Chicago won but Boston's Taylor Hall was able to dig a loose puck out of the corner and get it in front to Pastrnak.

"There was a couple breakdowns, but I think they're a really high skilled team, so a big win overall for us," Pastrnak said.

Jeremy Swayman had 22 staves for the Bruins.

Boston got a pair of power-play goals in the second while holding Chicago to just three shots on goal in the period. Ahcan, a rookie defenseman playing in just his eighth game, got his first NHL point when he scored a power-play goal on a wrist shot while backing across the slot at 11:57, tying it at 2.

"It was kind of crazy. I thought it hit the post and went wide. I didn't really see it," Ahcan said. "It's just such a great feeling. You do picture it over-and-over in your head before it actually happens and I don't think once it was like that, but it was a pretty awesome goal and nice to get it out of the way."

Boston jumped on the short-handed Blackhawks again after Connor Murphy was called for interference 14:31 into the second. Pastrnak scored on a one-timer from the left circle with six seconds left in the power-play opportunity.

Coyle put Boston up 1-0 when a rebound popped right to him at the left circle 4:12 into the game.

DeBrincat tied it at 1 when he fired a one-timer past Swayman off a crossing pass from Kane during a 4-on-1 rush with only Ahcan back for the Bruins.

Hagel then skated in alone on Swayman, circled behind the net and tucked a backhand in the far side to put the Blackhawks in front 4:12 into the second. Hagel picked up his 20th of the season 3:24 into the third when Swayman couldn't contain a rebound and the puck squirted out to Hagel alone in front of the crease during Chicago's third power play of the game.

"We had some good chances," King said. "Lanks made some huge saves there. It was a good game - a good game to watch. We just came out on the wrong end."

WORTH NOTING

Thursday was the first of two meetings between the Original Six clubs, with a rematch scheduled for Tuesday in Chicago. ... Chicago G Marc-Andre Fleury, who will be an unrestricted free agent after the season and a possibility to be moved by the March 21 trade deadline, did not play. ... DeBrincat entered the game sixth in the NHL with 33 goals, two ahead of Pastrnak.

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 57

 

Bos 3 Yotes 2

 

Coyle scores late as Bruins beat Coyotes again, 3-2

 

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By AP

Updated: 4 hours ago

 

BOSTON -- — Charlie Coyle scored with 3:21 left in the third period and the Boston Bruins continued their recent success against Arizona with a 3-2 victory over the Coyotes on Saturday night for their ninth win in 11 games.

 

The Bruins won their 18th straight against the Coyotes, with the last loss coming on Oct. 9, 2010. The loss snapped Arizona’s season-high, four-game winning streak.

 

“I knew things have gone well against them,” Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. “For a team out West that you don't see that often, it's kind of odd. I don't know what to make of it, to be honest with you.”

 

Craig Smith scored twice in the first period for Boston and Jeremy Swayman stopped 27 shots. The Bruins are 9-1-1 in their last 11 games, and Swayman improved 9-0-1 in his last 10 starts.

 

Coyle came down the slot and beat Karel Vejmelka with a backhander over the right shoulder.

 

“It's all I had, I think,” said Coyle of his choice to shoot a backhander. “That's things you've got to work on, a lot of the game is played on your backhand. Sometimes you're forced there and you've got to be able to make plays that way. ... Yeah, there was a little luck there.”

 

Clayton Keller scored in the final second of the middle period for Arizona and Nick Ritchie scored early in the third as Arizona wiped out a 2-0 deficit. Vejmelka made 37 saves.

 

Keller unloaded a rising shot from the right circle that sailed into the net inside the far post with six-tenths of a second left in the second, slicing the deficit in half and giving him 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) since Jan. 22.

 

Ritchie scored off a rebound 2:15 into the third.

 

“We've been playing good hockey, playing winning hockey,” Ritchie said. “Tonight, we just didn't get on the right side of it.”

 

Smith had made it 1-0 just 2:33 into the game when he batted an ankle-high rebound of Tomas Nosek’s shot into the net from the left side of the crease. He gave the Bruins a 2-0 edge at 10:49 when he scored off the rebound of his own shot from the slot.

 

“Sometimes you're going to have a great look and it's not going to go in, and other times you get a bounce,” said Smith, who has seven goals in his last five games.

 

Despite the 2-0 lead, it could have been a lot more. The Bruins were outshot 11-10 in the period, but nearly every one of their chances were high-quality bids that Vejmelka faced. During a stretch midway into the opening period, Vejmelka made splendid stops on each of the forwards on Boston’s power play — Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak.

 

“It was a tie game, and we had a couple of chances to win the game, then they scored,” Ritchie said. “The last couple of seconds we had two good looks, that last one just slid wide.”

 

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

 

Bruins F Nick Foligno’s next game will be his 1,000th in the NHL, joining his dad, Mike, who played in 1,018, and will make them the second father/son combo in league history to each play 1,000 games. The other is Bobby and Brett Hull.

 

IRISH HERITAGE NIGHT

 

The Bruins wore green warmup jerseys, seeing it’s their last home game before St. Patrick’s Day. Also, special green hats were given to the first 5,000 fans.

COMING IN HOT

 

Coming into the game, the Coyotes had scored 22 goals in their previous three games.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 58

 

Bos 2 Hawks 1 OT

 

Grzelcyk scores in OT to lift Bruins over Blackhawks 2-1

 

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By AP

Updated: 4 hours ago

 

CHICAGO -- — Matt Grzelcyk scored at 1:40 of overtime and the surging Boston Bruins beat the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 on Tuesday night.

 

After taking a cross-ice feed from Taylor Hall, Grzelcyk whipped the puck past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to end it on Boston’s 48th shot. Hall had two assists as Boston won its third straight to start a four-game trip and improved to 10-1-1 in its last 12 overall.

 

Grzelcyk, a defenseman, jumped up to the right circle skating on the 3-on-3 with Hall and high-scoring David Pastrnak. Grzelcyk netted his third goal — and second game-winner — in 53 games this season.

 

“I just wanted to get open for Hallsie and Pasta,” Grzelcyk said. "They're two unbelievable players. They're going to find me.

 

“I was just trying to find an open space. Hallsie made a great play there.”

 

Fleury sparkled in net, making 46 saves as the Bruins dominated and outshot the Blackhawks 48-20. Fleury wasn’t beaten until Patrice Bergeron snapped a scoreless tie early in the third on Boston’s 40th shot.

 

Linus Ullmark made 19 saves for Boston.

 

“Give them credit for hanging around, but I think their goalie kept them in it,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "Every couple of weeks, you'll have a game like this where the guy you're playing against is rock-solid and you've got to find a way to win.

 

“I'm just glad we got the two points against a guy that had a really good night.”

 

Brandon Hagel scored his 21st goal midway through the third period to tie it.

 

“We can't ask much more from Flower,” Hagel said. "He's won us probably half of our games.

 

“He's been the stud of this hockey game. Wish we could have gotten two points for him.”

 

Chicago had to settle for one in the second tight game between the Original Six teams in less than a week. The Bruins edged the Blackhawks 4-3 in Boston last Thursday when Pastrnak scored his second goal of the game with 18 seconds left.

 

Boston dominated the scoreless first, outshooting Chicago 14-4. Fleury kept the Bruins off the board with several sharp saves, including point-blank stops on Hall and Brad Marchand.

 

Fleury was crisp again in the second, especially during a Boston power play late in the period. The crowd started chanting his name after a couple of snazzy saves as Boston ran its shot advantage to 35-11 after 40 minutes.

 

Ullmark turned in some tough stops, too, including one close-in on Kirby Dach off a 2-on-1 with 45 seconds left in the middle frame.

 

Ullmark made a quick glove save on Alex DeBrincat’s deflection attempt during a Chicago power play seconds into the third.

 

Bergeron finally put the Bruins on the board at 4:43 of the third.

 

Boston kept the pressure on Chicago after its fourth power play expired. From a frantic scrum, Bergeron batted in his 17th goal, underneath Fleury and just over the goal line after Marchand and Hall had whacked at the puck.

 

Hagel tied it 1-all on a deflection at 9:36 of the third. Cutting across the crease, he screened Ullmark and tipped in Caleb Jones’ shot.

 

An apparent go-ahead goal by Boston’s Charlie Coyle with 4:45 left in regulation was waved off by referee Pierre Lambert because of goalie interference. Coyle turned and whipped in a loose puck, but Lambert ruled Craig Smith made contact with Fleury.

 

Cassidy challenged the on-ice ruling and asked for a video review. He lost the challenge but Chicago failed to convert the resulting power play.

The game headed to overtime with Boston leading 46-20 in shots.

 

MILLENNIAL MARK

 

Bruins forward Nick Foligno played his 1,000th game in the NHL, joining his dad, Mike, who skated in 1,018. They’re the second father-son combo in league history to each play 1,000 games. The other is Bobby and Brett Hull.

 

Nick Foligno became the 10th player to reach 1,000 career games this season.

 

LOCAL ADDITION

 

The Blackhawks signed D Alex Vlasic, from the Chicago suburb of Wilmette, Illinois, to a three-year entry-level contract. The 6-foot-6 Vlasic just completed his junior season at Boston University and is expected to join the Blackhawks on Thursday.

 

Vlasic was drafted by Chicago in the second round (43rd overall) in 2019.

 

NO KUDOS JUST YET

 

Fleury likely will be a Hall of Famer. But asked if he was admiring his 37-year-old counterpart during the game, Ullmark was blunt.

 

 

“No,” he said. “Admiration is for after the game, not during. Now afterwards, I would say he was terrific.”

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 59

 

Bos 2 Wild 4

 

Kaprizov scores twice as Wild beat Bruins 4-2

 

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By AP

Updated: 5 hours ago

 

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- — Kirill Kaprizov scored twice and Jordan Greenway broke a third-period tie as the Minnesota Wild beat the Boston Bruins 4-2 on Wednesday night.

 

Ryan Hartman added an empty-netter, his 24th goal of the season, with 4.9 seconds remaining to seal the win.

 

After the Wild had a few good looks on net during a shift from their third line, Greenway beat a sprawling Jeremy Swayman from the slot at 7:56 of the third. It was Greenway’s sixth goal of the season and second in two games.

 

The go-ahead goal was the payoff for a long shift by the line of Greenway, Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno, who kept the pressure on the Bruins and held the puck in the offensive zone for an extended stretch before finally breaking through.

 

“It felt like we had eight chances to score,” Greenway said. “We were trying to play pretty physical, like everything we always do. We stayed patient."

 

Greenway’s goal came after Boston climbed back from a 2-0 deficit following a pair of goals by Kaprizov. Craig Smith put the Bruins on the board late in the first period, and Brad Marchand’s power-play goal evened the score in the second.

 

“It’s good that we were able to claw back, get ourselves back in the game,” Marchand said. “They’re a good team. They continued to push.”

 

Kaprizov, the skilled second-year winger, fired a rocket from the point during the Wild’s first power play for the first of his two goals. He added to his total later in the period when he split two defenders on a breakaway following a long pass from linemate Mats Zuccarello.

 

It was Kaprizov’s sixth multigoal game of the season, with three coming in his last seven games. He had his eight-game point streak snapped Sunday. Kaprizov has a team-high 32 goals on the season.

 

His goal 6:55 into the game set an early tone for the Wild.

 

“That was great. It gets the crowd into it,” defenseman Alex Goligoski said. “When our crowd’s loud like that, it gets everyone going.”

 

Cam Talbot made 24 saves to get the win. Swayman stopped 30 shots in the loss.

 

Minnesota defenseman Jared Spurgeon had two assists, including the second one on Greenway's goal.

 

Greenway led the Wild with six shots on goal, including the one that put Minnesota ahead for good.

 

“He’s really taken a step," Wild coach Dean Evason said. "His confidence, his maturity, his willingness to compete in all areas of the game, physically, verbally. He’s got a lot of confidence and he’s a very effective player, obviously, and he’s a big part of that line.”

 

Boston was without captain Patrice Bergeron, who will be out at least two games due to the risk of infection in a previous arm injury. Bergeron has 17 goals and 28 assists in 56 games this season.

 

“You can’t replace him, but I thought (Tomas) Nosek did a good job in the faceoff circle for sure,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy.

The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Boston.

 

Tyson Jost made his Wild debut after he was acquired in a trade Tuesday from Colorado. Minnesota dealt forward Nico Sturm to get Jost, who centered the fourth line.

[Icechipper]

And Marchand attempted a Canadian vasectomy on Joel Erickson-Ek.....

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 60

 

Bos 4 WPG 2

 

Hall scores PPG in 3rd period, Bruins beat Jets 4-2

 

---

By AP

Updated: 3 hours ago

 

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- — Taylor Hall scored a power-play goal with 4:47 left in the third period and the Boston Bruins beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-2 Friday night.

 

Brad Marchand and Trent Frederic also scored, and Charlie McAvoy added a short-handed empty-netter for Boston, which has won four of its last five. Charlie Coyle picked up three assists and McAvoy had one.

 

Linus Ullmark made 27 saves for the Bruins, who were coming off a 4-2 loss to Minnesota on Wednesday night.

 

“When you play, anyone who’s competitive, you lose a game you want to come right back and redeem yourself and win,” Coyle said. “That’s stuff we always talk about when we go down. We lose one, we’re chomping at the bit to come back and have a good game. And that’s what you need, especially during these later stages of the season and in the playoffs.”

 

Late in the third period, Hall took advantage of a bouncing puck in front of the net and put a rebound past Hellebuyck for his 13th goal of the season to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead.

 

McAvoy added a short-handed empty-netter in the final minute to seal Boston’s win.

 

Boston was without captain Patrice Bergeron (arm) for a second straight game. He was replaced by Jack Studnicka between Marchand and Jake DeBrusk.

Adam Lowry and Nikolaj Ehlers scored for Winnipeg, which had won four of its last five games. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 41 shots.

 

“(The Bruins) stay above you, they forecheck hard, they make smart plays in the neutral zone,” Lowry said. “I think that’s been the story a little too often for us. You know, we turn pucks over at lines. We’re not direct, and we played pretty slow I think.”

 

Forward Andrew Copp was back on the ice for the Jets. He missed one game for precautionary reasons after taking a heavy hit in last Sunday’s game against St. Louis.

 

Boston outshot Winnipeg 14-11 in the first period and 22-4 in the second.

 

Ehlers got a penalty shot 4:34 into opening period after being tripped by Mike Reilly. The speedy forward chose to go in slow at Ullmark, who turned aside the shot with a pad.

 

“I haven’t taken a penalty shot in what, five, six years?” Ehlers said. “I don’t really know. You try different things. Five-hole, I’ve been pretty lucky with those in my career, so I thought I’d give it a shot. I was too slow in my movement before the shot.”

 

Both teams had a power play, with Hellebuyck making a quick stop on David Pastrnak, who was playing in his 500th career NHL game.

 

In the second period, Winnipeg didn’t get a shot on goal until 12:36 in, while the Bruins had 15 at that point, including two that went into the net.

Marchand began the scoring at 4:42 on a 2-on-1 with DeBrusk, getting his 25th goal of the season.

 

Frederic made it 2-0 when the puck was inadvertently tapped to him in the slot and he went to the side of Hellebuyck and put a backhand behind the goalie at 7:12.

“We don’t like losing,” Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said of his team’s effort after a loss. “I think our guys the next night are usually ready to go.

 

"That first period was OK coming off a day off. They had good jump. We kind of battled back after a few early chances and we really found our footing in the second period. Then, obviously, the third was not perfect to start by any means. But again, we wanted to win and it showed.”

 

The Jets didn’t start slow in the third period, putting 10 shots at Ullmark in the first six minutes and scoring on two.

 

Lowry tipped in Evgeny Svechnikov's shot at 2:29 and Ehlers made it 2-2 at 3:54. Kyle Connor assisted on Ehlers’ goal, extending his point streak to six games with five goals and six assists.

 

Pastrnak went to the penalty box at 6:59 for hooking, but Ullmark denied Mark Scheifele in a scramble in front of the net and stopped three other scoring attempts.

 

 

The Bruins had the man advantage twice in the final eight minutes of the third and Hall made good on the second opportunity.

 

Winnipeg pulled Hellebuyck for the extra attacker with 1:39, then got another body when Boston forward Erik Haula was called for tripping 6 seconds later, but McAvoy got his empty-netter with 31 seconds left.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 61

 

Bruins 2 Habs 1 OT

 

Marchand scores 2, lifts Bruins past Canadiens in OT

 

---

ByAP

Updated: 6 hours ago

 

MONTREAL -- — Brad Marchand scored his second goal of the game 34 seconds into overtime to give the Boston Bruins a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night.

 

Connor Clifton had a goal and an assist and Erik Haula had two assists for Boston. Jeremy Swayman stopped 26 shots.

 

“These are games that our fanbase gets jacked up about so it deserves a little more than playing another team,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “So let’s make sure that we’re focused, on time and ready.”

 

Joel Armia and Denis Savard scored for Montreal, and Jake Allen finished with 43 saves.

 

In the extra period, the Bruins brought the puck up the ice and Haula sent a pass in the middle to Marchand. Marchand skated in, faked to his left and went to his right and backhanded it past Allen for his 27th of the season.

 

Canadiens interim coach Martin St. Louis was proud of what his team left on the ice playing in the aftermath of trade deadline day. General manager Kent Hughes had traded away Artturi Lehkonen, Brett Kulak and Andrew Hammond hours prior and the Canadiens kept a close game against their rivals.

 

“Am I disappointed that we lost today? Yes,” St. Louis said. “But in the circumstances of what we’ve gone through today, and what we’ve gone through, I thought it was a really good effort by our team.”

 

The Bruins got on the scoreboard first after a Montreal turnover. Haula sent the puck over to Marchand in the crease and he tapped it in at 9:21 of the first period.

 

Savard tied it at 8:49 of the second on a delayed penalty advantage in his first game back from an ankle injury when his backhand shot from the high slot deflected off Boston's Derek Forbort and past Swayman.

 

Montreal's Alexander Romanov was called for tripping, giving the Bruin a power play in the final seconds of the second period. Marchand tried to send both teams to the second intermission with a one-timer but Allen robbed him with a glove save.

 

“I kind of knew it was going to come back just because of the way he kind of showboated on the save at the end of the second,” Marchand said. “I had to add a little extra on (the overtime goal) because that save so luckily we won.”

 

The Canadiens then got a short-handed goal at 1:13 of the third as Armia intercepted a pass from Marchand to Charlie McAvoy in the neutral zone and scored on a breakaway.

 

“I was just really happy that we didn’t lose because of that turnover,” Marchand said. “I kind of owe the group there and it felt good to be able to bounce back and produce (in overtime) after making such a bad play.

 

“It’s embarrassing when you make plays like that you feel like you let the whole group down and it’s tough to be on that side of it so to be able to bounce back from it, it was nice.”

 

Clifton tied it with just under 3 minutes remaining in regulation as he controlled Craig Smith’s pass with his skate before beating Allen for his second of the season.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 62

 

Bos 3 Bolts 2

 

Pastrnak hat trick keys 3-2 win, Bruins pass Tampa in East

 

---

By AP

Updated: 6 hours ago

 

BOSTON -- — David Pastrnak's hat trick led the Boston Bruins past the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In the game and in the standings.

 

Pastrnak had his 12th career three-goal game, scoring the tiebreaker with 4:10 left Thursday night to help the Bruins beat Tampa Bay 3-2 and move them ahead of the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

 

Entering the game one point behind the Lightning, Boston finished the night with 85 points — tied with Toronto for second in the Atlantic Division. The Bruins improved to 2-0-1 against Tampa Bay, which is fourth with 84 points.

 

“Three times now is going to give us confidence,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “On the flip side, we know who Tampa Bay is, they know who they are, and the road runs through them. I’ll never get down on Tampa. They’re too good a hockey club, they’ve accomplished too much. But good for us.”

 

Jeremy Swayman stopped 22 shots for the Bruins, who have won 12 of their last 15 games and are 25-9-3 since New Year's Day.

 

Brandon Hagel and Steven Stamkos scored for Tampa Bay, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 36 saves for the Lightning.

 

Erik Haula assisted on all three of the Bruins' goals — his first career three-assist game — as Pastrnak twice tied it after the Lightning took the lead.

“Guys go through stretches when they're feeling it,” Cassidy said. “And he's feeling it right now.”

 

The Bruins had a four-minute man advantage on Erik Cernak’s high-sticking penalty just 80 seconds into the game, but they didn’t get a single shot on goal.

And that wasn’t even their worst power play.

 

With about six minutes gone in the second, Tampa’s Mikhail Sergachev went off for high-sticking. But only the Lightning could capitalize, taking a 1-0 lead when Ondrej Palat fed the puck into the center to Brandon Hagel for the easy redirection into the net.

 

Hagel was one of Tampa Bay’s trade deadline pickups, along with Nick Paul, helping add size on offense. Boston's big acquisition, Hampus Lindholm, made the stat sheet when he fed the puck to Haula, who made a long pass off the boards to set Pastrnak free for a breakaway midway through the game.

 

The Lightning retook the lead four minutes into the third when a rebound bounced around the middle before it popped out to Stamkos and he beat Swayman to make it 2-1.

 

But Pastrnak tied it again when Haula fought for it behind the net and poked it to the side. Pastrnak spun around, hit it with the back of his stick and squeezed it between Vasilevskiy’s pad and the post to make it 2-all.

 

Asked how he managed that one, Pastrnak said: “I have no clue, to be honest. Just poke it and it goes in."

 

HELLO HAMPUS

 

Lindholm had an assist in his Boston debut, then walked into his first postgame news conference with the Original Six franchise.

 

“This is not Anaheim,” he said, looking around at the 20 or so members of the media. “More bodies in here."

 

On his first taste of an Eastern Conference rivalry, Lindholm said: “You always want to get thrown into the fire. This is one of those games. This is one of the best teams in the league. Overall it was a great experience and I’m super happy here.”

 

BYE-BYE BERGIE

 

The Bruins hoped to get Patrice Bergeron back from an infection in his elbow that required surgery, but he missed his fourth straight game.

 

Bergeron returned to practice Wednesday and Cassidy declared him probable for the Tampa Bay game, pending a doctor’s appointment Thursday morning.

But doctors “felt otherwise,” Cassidy said.

 

Instead, the Bruins are eyeing Saturday’s game against the New York Islanders for their captain’s return.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 63

 

Bos 6 NYI 3

 

Bruins beat Islanders 6-3 in Bergeron's 1,200th game

 

---

By AP

Updated: 1 hour ago

 

BOSTON -- — David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand each had a goal and an assist during a four-goal second period for the surging Bruins, carrying them to a 6-3 victory over the New York Islanders on Saturday.

 

Boston captain Patrice Bergeron played in his 1,200th game. He became the 120th player in NHL history to reach that milestone. He returned to the lineup Saturday after missing the previous four games with an elbow infection.

 

“I told him we need you around for 1,300, by the way, and beyond,” Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said of the 36-year-old Bergeron, who can become a free agent at the end of the season.

 

“Credit to him to play for one organization that long," Cassidy said. "Obviously, that tells you a little bit about both sides. He loves it here and we love having him.”

 

Erik Haula and Jake DeBrusk each had a second-period goal after Craig Smith and Taylor Hall scored in the first for Boston, which earned its 14th win in 17 games (14-2-1).

 

“I guess I've been around for a while. It's been a long road that went fast,” Bergeron said. “It's kind of crazy to think. ... You appreciate the moment and be thankful for everything you go through.”

 

Linus Ullmark made 24 saves for Boston.

 

Brock Nelson scored his 30th of the season, and Anders Lee and Zach Parise each had a power-play score for the Islanders, who had won four of their previous five. Semyon Varlamov stopped 38 shots for New York.

 

Leading 2-1, the Bruins scored twice in the opening four minutes of the second. Pastrnak tallied his team-leading 37th when he charged in for a rebound at 2:13.

 

Just 1:43 later, Marchand hustled to his skates after being knocked down in the corner, collected a loose puck at the bottom of the right circle and slipped a wrister by Varlamov to make it 4-1.

 

Play got chippy after Boston opened its three-goal lead.

 

Pastrnak set up Haula’s goal with a perfect cross-ice feed that made it 5-2 late in the second. DeBrusk closed the scoring in the second when his pass from behind the net caromed in off a skate.

 

“I think every night we expect to win; it doesn't matter who we're playing, where we're playing,” Hall said. “It's a really fun feeling to have. Every line's contributing, you see a lot of balance.”

 

Smith gave Boston a 1-0 edge 4:03 into the game when he scored off the rebound of Brandon Carlo’s shot that caromed from the back boards.

 

“It felt like they were in our face up ice. We weren't very clean through the neutral zone,” Parise said. “Just not as smooth as it had been.”

 

Hall tipped Charlie McAvoy’s shot past Varlamov for a power-play goal at 19:26, but Nelson swatted a rebound in with a backhand 22 seconds later.

 

“We weren't able to come and roll with that and tie it up,” Nelson said of his late goal.

 

MORE BERGERON

 

He’s third on the Bruins’ career list for games played behind Hall of Famers Ray Bourque (1,518) and Johnny Bucyk (1,436). ... He had an assist on Marchand’s goal.

 

“It's special, especially being an Original Six team,” Bergeron said. “A storied franchise and being around and having a chance to meet those guys — Bucyk, Bourque and (Bobby) Orr and all the greats. It's an honor and something I don't take lightly."

 

OVERTURNED

 

The Islanders had a goal wiped out by a video review. Kyle Palmieri, positioned in the slot, clearly redirected a shot with a high stick midway into the opening period.

 

EARLY RISERS

 

Boston improved to 9-1 in afternoon games.

 

 

Game notes

Boston defenseman Mike Reilly was a healthy scratch for the second straight game after the club acquired defenseman Hampus Lindholm in a trade-deadline deal from Anaheim. ... Boston defenseman Josh Brown, also acquired at the deadline from Ottawa, was a healthy scratch. He hasn’t played yet. ...

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 64

 

Bos 4 Leafs 6

 

Matthews scores league-leading 49th, Leafs beat Bruins 6-4

 

---

By AP

Updated: 6 hours ago

 

BOSTON -- — Auston Matthews scored his league-leading 49th goal and had an assist as the Toronto Maple Leafs ended Boston’s four-game winning streak with a 6-4 victory on Tuesday night.

 

Matthews’ goal late in the second period was the fourth of five straight scored by the Maple Leafs, who held a 6-1 lead and flustered the Bruins into a string of retaliatory hits and penalties.

 

“I just thought we didn’t give them a lot,” Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We managed a couple of the strong pushes that they had, but otherwise a real patient game and we took advantage of the opportunities that we had.”

 

Colin Blackwell scored his first goal since joining Toronto in a trade at the deadline. Morgan Rielly, Alexander Kerfoot and Mitchell Marner each had a goal and an assist.

 

John Tavares added two assists and Erik Kallgren had 23 saves after entering in the first period, replacing Petr Mrazek, who left with a groin injury. The Leafs also lost a pair of defensemen to injuries, but had more than enough offense before the Bruins cut the margin.

 

“I didn’t think it was overly chippy, to be honest with you. There was no fights or anything like that,” Rielly said. “Overall, the team did a good job of staying focused on the outcome of the game. We protected each other when we had to, but I don’t think it was out of control by any means.”

 

David Pastrnak scored his 38th goal for Boston. Jake DeBrusk, Curtis Lazar, Taylor Hall also scored for the Bruins, who could not keep up with the speedy Maple Leafs.

 

Jeremy Swayman allowed six goals on 25 shots before being replaced by Linus Ullmark at the start of the third period.

 

The game was close early as Blackwell and Pastrnak scored less than a minute apart. But the 1-1 tie lasted only a few minutes before Rielly scored and the Leafs broke open the game and won for the third time in four games since the trade deadline.

 

Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said the Bruins weren't sharp early and seemed unprepared for Matthews and the speedy Leafs.

 

“If all those things don’t happen, you need your goaltender to bail you out then and that didn’t happen, either,” Cassidy said. “Give them credit for starting on time and that’s where the game got away from us and we chased it — tough team to chase the game against."

 

Kerfoot scored on a breakaway with 1:16 left in the first period, and the Leafs added three more goals in the second before DeBrusk’s goal cut the lead to 6-2 late in the frame.

 

The Bruins' frustrations had already boiled over, adding to the Leafs’ lead after Taylor Hall knocked Toronto defenseman Lya Lyubushkin out of the game with a punch, retaliating for what Hall felt was a hit from behind.

 

The roughing penalty led to Matthews’ goal with four minutes left in the second and David Kampf struck again for the Leafs just 47 seconds later. Kerfoot picked up an assist on the goal and was leveled by Connor Clifton well after the play as he skated to celebrate with his teammates.

 

The Bruins did make it interesting when Hall scored with 2:22 remaining on a goal that was initially disallowed until replays confirmed the puck got through Kallgren’s pads.

 

“It kind of feels like a little bit of a blur,” Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. “We’ll go back and look at it, but you can’t give a team like that opportunities. They have a lot of skill and they can capitalize. The self-inflicted stuff is where you’ve got to limit it.”

 

FIRST TO 50?

 

Matthews entered the game tied with Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl for the NHL lead with 48 goals. Now just one away from reaching the 50-goal milestone, Keefe said he expects Matthews to remain low key and not be distracted by the scoring race as the playoffs approach.

 

“He’s right there, obviously. If I know Auston, he’s just going to continue to play and not get too focused on anything else. He’s too good for the chances and the goals not to continue to come," Keefe said.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 65

 

Bos 8 Devils 1

 

Bruins bust out for 8-1 victory over Devils as Rask honored

 

---

By AP

Updated: 5 hours ago

 

BOSTON -- — There was Marc McLaughlin, three weeks after finishing his career at Boston College, sharing the ice — and the scoresheet — with childhood hero Patrice Bergeron.

 

“I feel like I’ve lived that moment in my basement a million times,” the undrafted BC captain said after scoring in his NHL debut Thursday night during a six-goal second-period outburst that propelled the Bruins to an 8-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils. “It's definitely surreal.”

 

Brad Marchand scored two goals for Boston and had a third waved off — even as fans littered the ice with caps to celebrate the would-be hat trick. Patrice Bergeron had a goal and two assists, and David Pastrnak had three assists to help the Bruins to their most goals since Thanksgiving, 2019.

 

Matt Grzelcyk, Jake DeBrusk, Erik Haula and Taylor Hall also scored for Boston. Linus Ullmark made 25 saves to help the Bruins win for the fifth time in six games and the 15th in their last 19.

 

Jack Hughes scored for the Devils, whose ninth straight road loss eliminated them from playoff contention.

 

“Nobody’s on the outside of this,” coach Lindy Ruff said. “We all had a part in this one.”

 

Haula and Marchand scored early in the second period to give the Bruins a 4-1 lead, then Bergeron, Marchand and McLaughlin scored three times in 3 minutes, 3 seconds off two different goalies to make it a runaway.

 

Nico Daws was pulled after allowing Bergeron’s goal that made it 5-1, having stopped 15 of 20 shots. Jon Gilles didn’t do much better, allowing goals on two of the first three shots he faced before settling down and stopping 17 overall.

 

A native of nearby Billerica who had 31 points in 33 games at BC this season and also played for the United States in the Beijing Olympics, McLaughlin signed with the Bruins when the Eagles’ season ended and took a spot on the third line because of an illness to Craig Smith.

 

He joined in on a two-on-one breakaway, going to his knee to make sure the perfect pass from Trent Frederic was redirected into the net. He coasted backward into the boards with both hands raised in the air as the fans — including an estimated 50 friends and family — got back on their feet for the seventh time.

 

“Did you see the bench? That tells you a little bit,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I think everybody on the bench was excited for him, to get your first goal, in front of your family.”

 

Hall made it 8-1 four minutes later on Pastrnak’s third assist of the game. Marchand put another one in the net with about a minute left in the second, but the officials waved off the goal, ruling that he was offside.

 

“I’ve never see that. Do we refund the hats?” Cassidy said, asking whether the Pro Shop policy of awarding a 25% discount on hats after a hat trick would be honored. “Those people should get the benefit of the doubt on that. I don’t know how they police it. But it's out of my hands.”

TUUKKA TIME

 

The Bruins honored longtime goalie Tuukka Rask before the game. The 2014 Vezina Trophy winner was on the ice with his wife and three daughters for a ceremonial puck drop and — perhaps for the last time — the chants of “Tuuuuk!” echoed through the TD Garden.

 

“It’s a good way for him to kind of say bye to the fans,” Marchand said. “I don’t think he really had that moment. He deserved to be honored for all that he did for this team and the city.”

 

The franchise’s all-time leader in wins and the winner of the 2014 Vezina as the NHL’s top goalie, Rask announced his retirement last month after a setback in his attempt to come back from a torn labrum in his hip.

 

“It was kind of time to be honest with yourself,” he said. “I just figured it was better for everybody to call it. I had a great career. No regrets.”

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 66

 

Bos 5 CBJ 2

 

Haula scores two goals, Bruins beat Blue Jackets 5-2

 

---

By AP

Updated: 6 hours ago

 

BOSTON -- — Erik Haula scored his second goal of the game with just under 4 minutes left to break a tie and the Boston Bruins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 on Saturday night in the first of a home-and-home between the teams.

 

Brad Marchand scored his 31st of the season, and Jake DeBrusk and Charlie Coyle each added an empty-netter for Boston. Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves for the Bruins, who have won six of their past seven games and improved 16-3-1 in the last 20.

 

Gustav Nyquist and Justin Danforth had goals for Columbus, and Elvis Merzlikins stopped 37 shots. The Blue Jackets are winless in their last six (0-4-2).

 

With Andrew Peek in the box for hooking, defenseman Brandon Carlo took a shot from the right circle that Haula redirected into the net out of the air from the edge of the crease with 3:54 remaining to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead.

 

The Bruins held the Blue Jackets to just four shots on goal in final period, allowing the first on a clearing pass with about 5 ½ minutes to play. Boston owned a 42-24 edge for the game.

 

“We dug in deep for the third and got the job done,” Haula said. “We talked in between the second and third that it's going to come.”

 

Associate coach Pascal Vincent ran the Blue Jackets with head coach Brad Larsen sidelined in COVID-19 protocols for the third consecutive game.

 

“They outplayed us for the majority of the game,” Danforth said. “We battled hard to stay in the game, but that's a detailed team and they're ready for the playoffs."

 

The Blue Jackets had taken a 2-1 edge 42 seconds into the second when Danforth scored after Swayman misplayed a shot into a bad rebound, but Marchand tied it in the final two minutes of the period after a perfect fed from Patrice Bergeron.

 

Haula gave Boston the lead 15:09 into the game when he scored off a rebound after Merzlikins made a sprawling save on Charlie McAvoy’s shot.

 

Boston coach Bruce Cassidy made him the second line center a while ago between stars David Pastrnak and Taylor Hall, and its been a good fit.

“He's responded pretty well from the moment when he was put there,” Cassidy said.

 

Columbus tied it with 28 seconds left in the first when Swayman dropped a catch and the puck fell into the crease, where Nyquist hustled in and knocked it into the net.

 

PREGAME CEREMONY

 

The Bruins and Blue Jackets honored Boston forward Nick Foligno, who played his 1,000th career game last month.

 

Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen presented him with picture of photos from his career and a $10,000 check for his foundation. Boston GM Don Seeeney gave him a silver stick, given to players for that milestone, and Bruins president Cam Neely gave him a custom painting after teammates Marchand and captain Bergeron delivered a watch and engraved bottle of wine from Boston’s players.

 

Foligno played nine seasons with the Blue Jackets before signing as a free agent with the Bruins during the summer.

 

“I wanted to make sure I remember this moment,” he said. “Not a lot of guys get to do it. I feel very fortunate and blessed to be around a lot of people that helped me get here.”

 

Nick and his father, Mike, are only the second father/son combo to reach that milestone in NHL history. The other is Bobby and Brett Hull.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 67

 

Bos 3 CBJ 2 OT

 

DeBrusk scores in OT to lift Bruins over Blue Jackets 3-2

 

 

---

By AP

Updated: 7 hours ago

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- — Jake DeBrusk scored his second goal of the game 1:03 into overtime to lift the Boston Bruins to a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night.

 

Zach Werenski scored late in the second period to tie the score for Columbus. After a scoreless third, Hampus Lindholm picked up a Blue Jackets turnover at the blue line in overtime and fed DeBrusk, who beat Elvis Merzlikins from the left circle for his 21st of the season.

 

DeBrusk scored in his fifth straight game, Craig Smith also scored, Charlie McAvoy had a pair of assists and Linus Ullmark stopped 20 shots in the penalty-filled game as the Bruins bolstered their playoff positioning. They moved into third place in the Atlantic Division, even with Tampa Bay but holding the tiebreaker with one more win with 13 games left.

 

“It wasn’t our best,” DeBrusk said. “Give Columbus credit. They were pushing pretty much all night and taking it to us in the neutral zone."

Boston has won three straight and 10 of the last 12. They are 17-3-1 in their last 21.

 

“When you win that often, you obviously have the ability to find ways to win,” Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. “You have the ability to get out of funks quickly.”

 

The Blue Jackets are going in the other direction, losing a season-high seventh in a row. Emil Bemstrom had a goal, and Merzlikins made 34 saves for Columbus, which dropped below .500.

 

Bemstrom got the Blue Jackets on the board 4:31 into the game, outracing Brandon Carlo and lifting a shot over Ullmark's glove from the left circle for his fifth of the season.

 

Late in the first, Boston's Brad Marchand put a monstrous hit on Andrew Peeke at the glass in the Columbus end. With Peeke on the ground and no penalty call, DeBrusk got a breakaway and scored at the other end.

 

The Blue Jackets were livid, and Jakub Voracek picked up a 10-minute misconduct penalty for raging at officials. He didn't tone down his criticism after the game.

 

“You have a motionless player laying there on the ice, for a long time and (officials) let it run out,” Voracek said. “For me that’s inexcusable. That’s why I was so mad. I was worried about (Peeke). He hadn’t moved. I think they need to have a little bit better feel for the game at that moment.”

 

Peeke was helped to the bench and returned to the game later. The Blue Jackets roughed up Marchand where and when they could for the rest of the game.

 

Marchand and Peeke tangled in the second period with both penalized for roughing, and Peeke went to the box again in the third for taking Marchand down.

 

Smith put the Bruins up 2-1 in the second with a wrist shot from the high slot that beat Merzlikins amid heavy traffic in front for his 16th. Werenski, returning after three games out with a concussion, beat Ullmark with 16 seconds remaining in the period, the defenseman's 11th of the season and first tally since March 10.

 

“I’m just proud of the way we responded after that Marchand-(Peeke) hit,” he said. “I think our whole group was physical. We were playing hard.”

 

COVID CAROUSEL

 

Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen was back after missing three games while in COVID-19 protocols. Assistant coach Steve McCarty remains out, and associate coach Pascal Vincent -- who ran the show while Larsen was sidelined -- is now in protocols.

 

ICE CHIPS

 

Boston C Trent Frederic left the game with an upper-body injury and didn’t return. ... F Carson Meyer, who grew up in suburban Columbus and played at Ohio State, made his NHL debut for the Blue Jackets. ... Boston D Josh Brown, who came in a trade with Ottawa at the deadline, was back in the lineup after leaving Thursday’s game with an upper-body injury. ... Boston D Derek Forbort missed the game with a lower-body injury.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 68

 

Bos 3 Wings 6

 

Wings end 6-game skid, Nedeljkovic has 47 saves vs. Bruins

 

 

---

By AP

Updated: 6 hours ago

 

DETROIT -- — Jakub Vrána had a goal and an assist, Alex Nedeljkovic made a season-high 47 saves and had an assist, and the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Boston Bruins 5-3 on Tuesday night.

 

“It felt like the puck wasn’t going to go in,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “That’s when you know your goalie is on top of his game. It felt like he was definitely on top of his game.”

 

The victory snapped a six-game losing streak for Detroit and halted Boston’s three-game win streak.

 

“We just kind of made mistakes we couldn’t overcome,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said.

 

Dylan Larkin, Michael Rasmussen, Filip Zadina and Sam Gagner also scored for Detroit.

 

The Bruins got goals from Erik Haula, Brandon Carlo and Patrice Bergeron, and Jeremy Swayman made 24 saves.

 

Zadina broke a 2-all tie at 11:32 in the second period. Swayman had moved to cover Vrána at the left side of the net and Vrána found Zadina for his ninth goal of the season.

 

Vrána’s goal came on the power play at 4:08 of the third, when he fought through traffic and fired the puck from the left dot into the top left corner of the net.

 

“I saw they were a little flat-footed on the blue line so I tried to get there a little faster and I was able to still able to get the shot on net, so I was happy about that,” Vrána said.

 

The Boston Bruins struck first with two goals in the first period, Haula at 4:43 and a shorthanded score by Carlo with about six minutes left.

 

With Oskar Sundqvist screening Swayman, Larkin scored with 39.3 seconds left in the first, two seconds after the team’s power play had expired. It was Larkin’s 30th goal of the season, the second time in his career he has reached the 30-goal mark. He had a career-best 32 during the 2018-19 season.

 

Rasmussen tied the game at 5:46 of the second period for his third goal in four games.

 

The Bruins pulled within one on Bergeron’s goal with about three minutes left. Charlie McAvoy assisted, extending his assist streak to six games.

 

“I think it’s attention to detail all the way through,” Bergeron said. “You can’t put your foot off the gas pedal at the end, especially late in periods. It gives the other team momentum. Definitely need to rectify that.”

 

Gagner scored the empty-net goal with 47 seconds left.

 

INJURY LOSS

 

 

Boston Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm left the game in the third period with a lower-body injury.

ROOKIE SENSATIONS

 

Red Wings rookie defenseman Moritz Seider and forward Lucas Raymond assisted on Larkin’s first-period goal. Seider leads all rookies with 40 assists. Raymond is second among rookies in points with 53.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 69

 

Bos 2 Bolts 1 OT

 

Coyle's OT goal lifts Bruins past Lightning 2-1

 

---

By AP

Updated: 6 hours ago

 

TAMPA, Fla. -- — Charlie Coyle scored 3:37 into overtime to give the Boston Bruins a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night.

 

Coyle picked up a loose puck to the right of Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, came out in front and scored on a quick wrist shot.

 

“Jake (DeBrusk) made a nice play to pop the puck loose,” Coyle said after scoring his 16th goal of the season. “It bounced right to me. Good on Jake to get it,”

 

DeBrusk scored the other goal for Boston, which got 28 saves from Linus Ullmark. The Bruins improved to 8-3-0 in their last 11 games.

 

“This was a goaltending battle,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Tonight we were one goal better.”

 

Pierre-Édouard Bellemare had the only goal for Tampa Bay, which is 0-2-2 in its past four games and fell one point behind Boston in the race for third place in the Atlantic Division. Vasilevskiy finished with 36 saves.

 

Playing behind a contending team is something new for Ullmark, who signed a five-year contract with the Bruins last summer after spending pieces of six seasons playing for the Buffalo Sabres, who have not made the playoffs since 2011.

 

“It’s just fun to play these sorts of games,” he said. “We still have 11 (regular-season) games to go, and we have to focus on them and not get ahead of ourselves.”

 

Tampa Bay is 0-2-2 in its past four games, but coach Jon Cooper wasn’t unhappy with much of anything — except the outcome.

 

“The process was really good tonight,” he said. “Unfortunately we fell behind again, we didn’t like that. But I didn’t mind the way we were playing, and we answered right away. You need a push in the third period, and I thought we gave it.

 

“The puck didn’t go in for us and sometimes that happened. But if you are going to go through regulation and just give up one goal, you give yourself a chance to get points.”

The only two goals in regulation came early in the second period, when DeBrusk and Bellemare scored less than three minutes apart.

 

DeBrusk gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead when he scored his 22nd of the season 47 seconds into the middle period. Brad Marchand slipped a pass to a wide-open DeBrusk in front of the net, and he slid a backhander through Vasilevskiy’s five-hole for his seventh goal in seven games.

 

Bellemare tied it at 3:28. After some excellent forechecking kept the Bruins pinned in their own zone for nearly a minute, Corey Perry controlled the puck behind the net to the right of Ullmark and found Bellemare in the slot for a one-timer that caught the top right corner.

 

Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point had the best scoring opportunity in the early stages of the third period, but Ullmark stopped his breakaway bid with just over 12 minutes remaining. Ullmark also robbed Ondrej Palat from close in three minutes later.

 

“He had to chase the puck,” Ullmark said of Point’s scoring chance. “I tried to stay on my feet as long as I could.

 

Vasilevskiy preserved the tie when he denied DeBrusk and Matt Grzelcyk during a late power play for Boston.

 

Despite having to settle for one point, Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said Tampa Bay played considerably better than it did in losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals earlier this week.

 

“A couple of clear chances that we just couldn’t find a way to bear down on and a couple of posts,” he said. “A lot of good things in that game. We got some extended zone shifts and a lot of good looks. Two great goaltenders going at it, so (this was) a step in the right direction, for sure.”

 

NO PASTA AGAIN

 

Bruins forward David Pastrnak missed his second straight game with an undisclosed injury. The Lightning didn’t miss seeing Pastrnak. He scored five goals in Boston’s first three games against Tampa Bay.

 

DOMINATING THE CHAMPS

 

The Bruins finished the season series against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champs with 3-0-1 record. Boston is 68-30-9-3 against the Lightning since Tampa Bay entered the NHL in 1992.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 70

 

Bos 2 Caps 4

 

Eller scores, Capitals beat Bruins for 3rd consecutive win

 

---

By AP

Updated: 12 hours ago

 

WASHINGTON -- — Lars Eller got comfortable back at center, and the Washington Capitals seem to have found a groove after a bump in the road.

 

Returning to his natural position after two games on the wing, Eller scored the go-ahead goal and assisted on another Sunday to help the Capitals beat the Boston Bruins 4-2 and extend their winning streak to three.

 

Eller was only back at center because Nicklas Backstrom was scratched for what the team called “body maintenance,” and he made the most of it by putting Washington ahead with 12:42 left and setting up Tom Wilson's 23rd goal of the season.

 

“It felt very satisfying, of course, netting a couple of big goals with Tom and (linemate Anthony Mantha),” Eller said. “We had a good game going, feeling good on the puck and really happy with how we played.”

 

With Eller as an important part of the rotation, Washington's penalty kill was a perfect 4 of 4 against Boston's power play.

 

“The guys were buzzing,” said goaltender Vitek Vanecek, who had to make only three of his 30 saves short-handed. "They were blocking shots. Boston tried some passes, and we broke them up, so that was huge. That’s what we need at this time.”

 

The Capitals are also getting more than what they need from Wilson, who has four goals in six games and reached 50 points in a season for the first time in his career. John Carlson also scored his third goal in as many games and Alex Ovechkin sealed it with an empty-netter.

 

Ovechkin's goal was his 45th of the season and 775th of his NHL career. His ninth empty-net goal tied Pavel Bure's single-season record.

 

After beating the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, the Capitals are inching closer to their biggest rivals and could soon pass them for third in the Metropolitan Division — which would mean avoiding the Eastern Conference-leading Florida Panthers in the first round. Washington's three-game streak followed back-to-back deflating losses at home.

 

“We don’t have any room to lay off the gas,” Carlson said. “We’re in a tight race. We know that if we played like we were (playing) down the stretch here, our season’s going to be really short.”

 

Boston, which is also jockeying for playoff positioning in the East, lost defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to an upper-body injury in the first period. He attempted to hit Washington’s Garnet Hathaway about eight minutes into the game and appeared to injure his left arm or shoulder.

 

Coach Bruce Cassidy called Grzelcyk's departure "a big, big, big factor in the game, in our inability to transition very well.”

 

The banged-up Bruins were already playing without top right winger David Pastrnak and trade deadline acquisition Hampus Lindholm because of injuries.

 

They got goals from Curtis Lazar and Erik Haula and a handful of highlight-reel saves from Linus Ullmark among his 27, but the continuation of power-play woes meant the end of their two-game winning streak.

 

Boston finished its four-game road trip 0 of 16 on the power play.

 

“We’ve had some issues where there’s stuff we’ll continue to try to coach into our group,” Cassidy said. "But at some point, the execution will turn because they’re good players and they have produced on the power play."

[SaucyJack]

11 hours ago, Brewin Flames said:

The Capitals are also getting more than what they need from Wilson, who has four goals in six games and reached 50 points in a season for the first time in his career.

Before long, he’ll have snared the Lady Byng!   

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 71

 

Bos 2 Blues 4

 

Tarasenko scores twice, Blues push past ailing Bruins 4-2

 

---

By AP

Updated: 6 hours ago

 

Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice, including the go-ahead goal in the second period, and the St. Louis Blues rallied to beat the Boston Bruins 4-2 on Tuesday night.

 

Torey Krug and David Perron each finished with a goal and an assist as the Blues (43-20-10) posted their sixth straight victory.

 

Ville Husso had 39 saves to win his fifth straight start. Robert Thomas added his 48th assist of the season, extending his career-best point streak to 10 games.

 

For Krug, who spent his first nine NHL seasons in Boston before joining the Blues in free agency prior to the 2020-21 season, it was an emotional night.

 

“It's been awhile since I've been back here in the building,” Krug said. “It was capped off pretty nicely with a win for us. ... For me coming back, I really didn't know what to expect or how I'd feel. ... It meant a lot for me.”

 

Boston (45-23-5) has lost three of its last four since a three-game winning streak. Patrice Bergeron scored his 20th goal of the season, and rookie Marc McLaughlin had his second career goal. Jeremy Swayman finished with 26 saves.

 

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy expressed frustration with a troubling recent trend of his team failing to take advantage of opportunities. On Tuesday, that meant missing point-blank chances in close and also going 0 for 2 on the power play.

 

The Bruins are now 0 for 18 on power plays over their last five games.

 

“Lack of execution," Cassidy said. "I think we’re selfish. Guys are holding the puck too long wanting to make the play instead of letting the puck do the work. I think those two things are fairly evident.”

 

St. Louis arrived for its first visit to Boston since October 2019 as one of the league’s hottest teams, but started slowly against a Bruins squad looking to bounce back after dropping two of three to end a four-game road trip.

 

Boston played well in the early going, despite being without leading goal scorer David Pastrnak, who missed his fourth consecutive game with an undisclosed injury, along with defensemen Matt Grzelcyk (upper body) and Hampus Lindholm (lower body).

 

But the loss of defenseman Brandon Carlo just 4:48 into the game with an undisclosed issue proved to be too much for Boston as the game wore one.

The Blues entered with a plus-36 goal differential in the second period and added to it Tuesday.

 

Trailing 2-1 and on the power play, Krug got his stick on a loose puck, weaved his way through Boston’s defense and tied it up with his shot into the top of the net from the middle of slot. Barely three minutes later, Tarasenko was wide on a break when he received a pass from Thomas, spun and fired in his 27th goal of the season to make it 3-2.

 

The puck was flying around early, with both teams scoring in the first minute of action.

 

The Blues needed just 34 seconds to get on the board after Ryan O’Reilly led a 2-on-1 breakaway and fed the puck ahead to Perron, who put away a backhander past Swayman.

 

Boston responded just 15 seconds later after Brad Marchand skated behind the net and wrapped a pass around to Bergeron positioned high on the slot. He quickly gathered and flipped in his 20th goal of the season.

 

St. Louis appeared to nudge back in front with 4:09 left in the first via a Krug shot from the point that ricocheted off Swayman’s shin guard and trickled into the net.

 

But the goal was taken away after the Bruins successfully challenged the play for offsides.

 

Boston promptly took a 2-1 lead with 3:01 remaining when rookie McLaughlin slid in to put away a snap shot off assists from Erik Haula and Connor Clifton.

The teams combined for 33 shots in the opening period.

 

Game notes

With his first period goal, Bergeron is now tied with Ray Bourque for fourth on the Bruins’ all-time goals list with 395.

[Brewin Flames]

Game number 72

 

Bruins 2 Sens 3

 

I’ll update the recap as soon as possible

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 73

 

Bos 2 Pens 1

 

With bigger plans ahead, Boston Bruins secure playoff berth in East, feat that 'is not an automatic'

4:15 PM ET

• ESPN News Services

BOSTON -- Jeremy Swayman rebounded from a rough stretch with 23 saves and the Boston Bruins clinched a playoff spot by holding off the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 on Saturday to halt a season-high three-game losing streak.

 

Trent Frederic and Erik Haula scored first-period goals for Boston, which went on the skid after winning 17 of 21.

 

Former Bruin Danton Heinen scored for the Penguins, who fell to 2-5-1 in their past eight games. Casey DeSmith stopped 27 shots.

 

The Bruins went 0-for-2 on the power play, extending their scoreless stretch to 25 straight.

 

The Penguins, who clinched a postseason berth earlier in the week for the 16th straight season, the longest active streak among North American pro sports teams, are not at their peak headed into the campaign's final two weeks, and their Eastern Conference playoff seeding hangs in the balance.

A first-round matchup vs. the New York Rangers that seemed quite likely for weeks is on shaky ground. At 3-6-1 in their last 10 games, Pittsburgh (97 points) is now just five points ahead of the Washington Capitals (92), and the latter has three games in hand on the Penguins.

 

Should Washington catch the Penguins, it's possible Pittsburgh falls into the second wild-card slot in the East, which would mean a date against the likely top-seeded Florida Panthers.

 

Meanwhile, the Bruins, who played without leading goal scorer David Pastrnak for a sixth consecutive game because of an undisclosed injury, stemmed the tide on their recent woes and secured a postseason berth that, at times early in the season, didn't seem so assured.

 

"We have a standard here, right? So we're not going to go out and celebrate that we made the playoffs," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. "But it's still an accomplishment you should be proud of."

 

The 23-year-old Swayman, who seemed to be a lock to be the No. 1 goalie for the playoffs about a month ago, lost his previous three decisions when he allowed a few soft goals. He made a handful of solid stops when the Penguins had two power plays in the second period and was steady with nine stops in the third.

 

"It's really an important win for us, especially as of late," Swayman said. "Just the fashion that we did it, making the small plays, simple plays, everything was crisp and on point for us. Just super excited, clinching the playoffs, and to do it at home is a cherry on top."

 

Looking eager to erase their recent sporadic play, the Bruins grabbed a 2-0 edge just over two minutes into the game.

 

"There are still some things we need to clean up," Cassidy said. "Some decision-making. We know we have to be better."

 

Frederic backhanded in a rebound from the edge of the crease in the opening minute. Haula then fired a shot from the right circle that ricocheted into the net off Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson at 2:01.

 

Heinen fired a rising wrister over Swayman's left shoulder 5:38 into the second.

Having clinched a playoff spot in their previous game Thursday night with a victory over the Islanders, the Penguins had a slow start. They steadied their play after being outshot 11-6 in the first.

 

The Bruins also played without defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who was out for his fifth straight because of an upper-body injury. Boston has major plans for Lindholm, acquired at the trade deadline, in the postseason, so that remains a situation to monitor.

 

But for now, the postseason berth is secured, and Boston can get to work on seeding and potential matchups.

 

"It's not easy to do, year in and year out, in this league," Cassidy said of clinching. "It's not an automatic."

[Brewin Flames]

0 for 25 the the PP as of late is not going to cut it....