Boston Bruins 2018/19 Season Chatter

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 15

 5  8

Horvat, Eriksson each score twice, Canucks top Bruins 8-5


Loui Eriksson scores two goals to help the Canucks defeat the Bruins in Boston 8-5.
ASSOCIATED PRESS

BOSTON -- The Vancouver Canucks keep on showing that they are the surprise of the Western Conference.

Bo Horvat had two goals and two assists and the Canucks extended their winning streak to five games with an 8-5 victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.

"There is a lot of resiliency in this room," Horvat said. "We played a pretty good game in Detroit and after a tough loss like that to come back shows a lot. In preseason, people didn't think we were going to be that high-scoring of a team, but we keep proving people wrong and that's what we need to continue to do."

Canucks 2017 first round pick Elias Pettersson, despite notching an assist, built on his rookie scoring lead, giving him 17 points on the season. He is a big part of the reason the Canucks seemed to have made significant strides to start the season.

Loui Eriksson added two goals and an assist and spurred a five-goal outbust in the second period for Vancouver. Ben Hutton and Erik Gudbranson each had a goal and an assist, and Antoine Roussel and Jake Virtanen added goals for the Canucks, who have scored 26 goals in the last five games.

"I had some puck luck today probably," Eriksson said. "We know we have some young guys playing, and they are still learning, but they are handling their situations and responding well."

Jake DeBrusk scored twice, Patrice Bergeron, Matt Grzelcyk and Danton Heinen added goals, and David Krejci finished with three assists for Bruins. Boston lost for the second time at home this season and has dropped three of five overall.

Jaroslav Halak came into the game leading the NHL in save percentage, but was pulled after allowing five goals on 19 shots. His replacement, Tuukka Rask, didn't do much better, allowing three goals on the first eight shots he faced, including a misplay of a clearing attempt that led to the Canucks' seventh goal.

"I was just trying to keep it under 10," Rask said sarcastically. "Just trying to do damage control as it was kind of a crazy game."

Bergeron gave the Bruins their only lead of the game, 2-1 at 0:36 of the second, when he beat Jacob Markstrom. Markstrom made 23 saves in his sixth start of the season.

"Pucks just found a way tonight," Halak said. "Goalies have to have a short memory, so we need to regroup quickly and get ready for two tough games this weekend."

Eriksson and Hutton responded for Vancouver by scoring in a 1:26 span, and Vancouver moved ahead 3-2 at the 8:28 mark. After DeBrusk tied it at 3 at the 11 minute mark, Halak allowed another pair of goals 1:30 apart for a 5-3 lead at 14:53.

"The prior two years I don't know if we had the resiliency," Gudbranson said. "A goal goes in, something bad happens and doubt would creep in, but mentally we are much stronger this year."

Nikolay Goldobin and Markus Granlund each added two assists for the Canucks who swept the season series from Boston.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 16

 5  1

Pastrnak scores 3, Bruins beat Maple Leafs 5-1

David Pastrnak nets a hat trick to help the Bruins take down the Maple Leafs 5-1.

BOSTON -- David Pastrnak helped Boston escape a first-period onslaught with a lead, then turned the next two periods into a rout.

Pastrnak had three goals and an assist as the Bruins overcame a sluggish start and beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1 on Saturday night.

"We talked before the game that we need to be better than what we've shown the last couple of games," said Pastrnak, who was held without a point Thursday night in the Bruins' loss to Vancouver.

Pastrnak and the rest of Boston's top line bounced back nicely against the Maple Leafs.

Patrice Bergeron had a goal and two assists and Brad Marchand had two assists for the Bruins, who led 1-0 after the first despite being outshot 20-6 in the opening 20 minutes.

It was the second hat trick of the season and third career for Pastrnak, Boston's 22-year-old Czech phenom who is developing into more than just a scoring threat.

"He's obviously a great talent. He's got great smarts and he's so good at getting open," Bergeron said. "When you add being tenacious on the puck and winning battles that makes a big difference."

Pastrnak took sole possession of the NHL scoring lead with 15 goals after he entered in a four-way tie for the most.

Jaroslav Halak stopped 40 shots for the Bruins, who ended Toronto's three-game winning streak and handed the Maple Leafs their first road loss of the season.

John Tavares scored the only goal for Toronto, and Garret Sparks finished with 29 saves.

Pastrnak scored twice in the second period and added his third of the night with a one-timer from the left circle with 5:56 left to play.

Joakim Nordstrom scored again for Boston just 26 seconds later to seal it for the Bruins, who won the first meeting of the Original Six rivals after going 1/3 against the Maple Leafs last season.

"We didn't get it done when we had all those opportunities early," Toronto coach Mike Babcock said.

Halak got the start in the Bruins' first game since the club granted a leave of absence to Tuukka Rask for undisclosed personal reasons. Halak stopped all 20 shots he faced in the first period, keeping the Bruins in it despite a slow start.

"The shot count was in their favor by a big difference but I think in the second we evened it out pretty closely and we did a good job capitalizing on some scoring chances that we had," Boston captain Zdeno Chara said.

After Pastrnak set up Bergeron for the first goal of the game, Bergeron returned the favor 5:46 into the second with a pass from behind the net for a one-timer from the left circle to give Boston a 2-0 lead.

Pastrnak made it 3-0 on a power-play goal 10:24 into the second, tipping in a shot by Marchand after a cross-ice pass from Bergeron with 36 seconds left on a hooking penalty on Toronto's Martin Marincin.

Tavares scored for Toronto with 30 seconds left in the second period.

"We got off to a good start," Toronto's Mitch Marner said. "The second period, we gave up too many opportunities. We let them take the game to us.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 17

 1  4

Halak shuts down Golden Knights in Bruins' 4-1 win

Brad Marchand finds a bouncing puck and backhands it past Malcolm Subban to give the Bruins a 3-0 lead less than a minute into the 2nd period.

BOSTON -- After a rough couple of seasons, Jaroslav Halak is at the top of his game again.

Halak stopped 37 shots to help the Boston Bruins to a 4-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday night.

"We've seen it from Day 1," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said of Halak, who signed with the Bruins in July after four seasons with the New York Islanders. "I couldn't sit here and tell you that he would be leading the league in goals-against or save percentage, but the guys are just confident in front of him."

Halak had to play back-to-back games this weekend with Tuukka Rask on personal leave from the team and won both while allowing only two goals.

"I had a good sleep last night," Halak said. "It's different when you play at home and you can sleep in your own bed."

Halak was the odd man out for the New York Islanders two years ago and spent 27 games in the minors before being called back up at the end of the season. After two subpar seasons, he is in the top three in goals against and save percentage and has only one regulation loss.

David Pastrnak scored again, and Danton Heinen, Jeremy Lauzon and Brad Marchand also had goals as Boston won for the fourth time in six games. Halak has won all three starts against the Golden Knights while allowing a total of five goals.

Cody Eakin scored for Vegas and Malcolm Subban finished with 33 saves. The Golden Knights lost for the third time in four games on their road trip.

"It's tough, we got into penalty trouble there with all those 5-on-3's," Subban said. "We didn't get the results we wanted."

One day after his second hat trick of the season, Pastrnak scored on the power play for his league-leading 16th goal to cap the scoring with 3:52 left.

The Bruins had seven power plays, including three two-man advantages.

"I thought we played a couple of good games on this road trip, but tonight wasn't one of them," Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant said.

Heinen scored on a tip 2:54 into the game and Lauzon got the first of his career into an empty net as he took advantage of Subban's misplay off the end boards with 2:09 left in the opening period.

Marchand made it 3-0 just as a Bruins power play ended when he flipped the puck past Subban from his knees at the top of the crease 58 seconds into the second.

Eakin converted a pass from Alex Tuch with 9:05 remaining in the middle period to get Vegas on the scoreboard.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 18

 3  6

MacKinnon, Rantanen help Avs rally for 6-3 win over Bruins


Matt Calvert gets his own rebound to draw even with the Bruins, then Nathan MacKinnon rips a wrist shot past Jaroslav Halak to make it 4-3 Avalanche.

DENVER -- Mikko Rantanen got an assist for setting up the go-ahead goal. Nathan MacKinnon wanted to give him something more -- full credit.

"All Mikko there," he said.

MacKinnon scored the tiebreaking goal with 10:58 remaining on a nifty pass from Rantanen, and the Colorado Avalanche rallied past the Boston Bruins 6-3 on Wednesday night in a showdown between two of the top scoring lines in the league.

Semyon Varlamov made 20 saves and the Avalanche scored four times in the third period after trailing by two in the second.

"It's always good to beat a good team like them," MacKinnon said.

This is no line, either: Colorado took momentary bragging rights in boasting the most explosive unit in the NHL.

The Avs' top line of Gabriel Landeskog (goal), MacKinnon (goal and an assist) and Rantanen (goal and two assists) produced six points to give them a league-leading 75 for the season.

The squad outperformed the unit right behind them as the Bruins' top trio of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak combined for a goal and two assists. They ran their season total to 71 points.

From one top line to the other, Bergeron was certainly impressed.

"All three of them are great players, no question about it," Bergeron said. "They see each other well. They're tough to defend and it was a great challenge, a good matchup. It was a fun game."

Jake DeBrusk scored twice for the Bruins. Jaroslav Halak finished with 19 saves.

Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara sustained a lower-body injury in the first period and didn't return. He finished a check on Carl Soderberg along the boards and appeared to favor his left leg. After that, the Bruins were down to five defensemen.

Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said the team would have more information about Chara on Thursday.

"It seems like we're losing a guy every game," Halak said. "We need to keep playing hard and whoever comes in the lineup has to step up."

Avalanche forward Matt Calvert tied the score at 3 early in the third when he banked in a shot off the skate of a Bruins defenseman. That set the stage for MacKinnon, who used his speed to get ahead of the defense and knock in his 12th goal.

"He gave me so much room. It was a great play by (Rantanen)," MacKinnon said.

Both teams scored power-play goals in the second -- DeBrusk to give Boston a 3-1 lead and Rantanen to trim the deficit.

Colorado led 1-0 midway through the first after Landeskog scored off a backhand pass from Rantanen. The Bruins hit three posts in the period, but found the net on a tip-in from Pastrnak and 2:37 later DeBrusk cruised in all alone and juked Varlamov for a goal. The breakaway was set up by a turnover from MacKinnon as he sent an errant pass right to DeBrusk, who was trailing the play because he dropped his stick.

"I've never seen anything like that in any league," DeBrusk said. "I didn't know what happened. I just saw the puck pop out and was at the red line already so I had a good head start."

Boston and Colorado were looking forward to this matchup, given the offensive firepower of the top lines. Each coach vowed to pit them against each other as often as possible.

They did, too.

"It's a good motivating factor for MacKinnon's line and for Bergeron's line to sort of want to put a stamp on being the best one," Cassidy said.

MacKinnon and Marchand know each other quite well. Both are from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and sometimes skate together in the offseason. But they work out separately.

"Nate can't keep up. He's got to work out with someone else," Marchand joked. "He's an incredible player -- very hard to play against."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 19

 0 :dstars 1 OT

Dickinson scores in OT to lift Stars over Bruins 1-0


Stars C Mattias Janmark's shot on goal bounces out to C Jason Dickinson, who flips it in the net to give the Stars the overtime win vs. the Bruins.

DALLAS -- Ben Bishop was as much a cheerleader as a goalie for Dallas in a scoreless overtime game.

"It's like, `C'mon, let's score, guys," he said.

Jason Dickinson obliged, burying a rebound 1:34 into overtime to preserve Bishop's 23-save shutout and lift the Stars over the Boston Bruins 1-0 on Friday night.

Dickinson and Mattias Janmark led a 2-on-1 against goalie Tuukka Rask. Janmark shot from the left side, and the rebound slid to Dickinson right in front. He lifted the puck in for his fourth of the season.

"I recognized that it was a 2-on-1 and I went to open up for (Janmark)," Dickinson said. "I noticed that he was shooting, and I figured I'd go to the side that he was shooting on because there might be a rebound.

"To be able to cap that off with an overtime winner from me, it feels really good."

Rask made 36 saves in his return from a week-long leave of absence for a personal matter. The Bruins have not elaborated on the reason for Rask's leave.

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy wasn't blaming Rask.

"Overtime hasn't been our friend," Cassidy said. "We don't manage the puck. We give up odd-man rushes. We don't deserve to win. Listen, you've got to defend when you don't have the puck."

Dallas won 1-0 in overtime or a shootout for the first time in franchise history. The Stars hadn't been in a scoreless overtime game since a 1-0 shootout loss to Los Angeles on March 26, 2009.

The Bruins had not ended regulation in a scoreless tie since April 12, 2012 -- a 1-0 win to open a first-round playoff series against Washington.

Bishop got his 26th career shutout. His biggest save came midway through the second, when he stopped Joakim Nordstrom's deflection.

Coach Jim Montgomery has been impressed with Dallas goalies Bishop and Anton Khudobin.

"It's a luxury," he said. "It's been the most consistent and the best part of our game. What a gritty effort"

Both sides were dealing with injuries to defenseman, so Boston had two players make their NHL debut in Jakub Zboril and Connor Clifton, and the Stars had one in Gavin Bayreuther.

"Obviously missing some bodies in the defense," Rask said. "Everybody battled. We played a solid game and resulted in one point.

Dallas almost scored 49 seconds into the game. A tip-in by Tyler Pitlick went under and behind Rask, but defenseman Torey Krug moved the puck off the goal line with his stick.

Boston's Brad Marchand had 16 of his 18 penalty minutes in the second period. He received a double minor for roughing in a fight with Radek Faksa at 7:45 and left the ice at 12:46 after drawing a slashing penalty and a misconduct.

"There were some fights out there, and guys sticking up for each other," Bishop said. "They're not all Picassos. This one was a little different."

Faksa's line held the Bruins' top line of Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak to six shots on goal.

Dallas pressured Rask with 13 shots in the third period and six more in overtime.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 20

 2  1

Karlsson, DeBrusk give Bruins 2-1 win over Coyotes

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Another "JFK" may be emerging in the Bay State.

Bruins rookie forward Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson -- coaches and teammates identify him by his initials -- scored his first career goal 1:12 into the game, and Jake DeBrusk's goal less than two minutes later was all Boston needed for a 2-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night.

"It's difficult to describe," said Karlsson, who was recalled from Providence of the American Hockey League on Nov. 9.

"It's a great feeling. It's nice to get the first one, just so you don't start thinking about it. It's nice to get that out of the way. Hopefully we can keep going from there."

Karlsson scored from near the crease after Noel Acciardi stole the puck from behind the net and flipped it in front.

"Noel made a great play," Karlsson said. "All credit to him. I just tried to put it in."

DeBrusk scored his eighth goal of the season and fifth in his last six games at 2:45 of the first period. He poked in a loose puck as it rolled into the crease off the stick of Brad Marchand for a 2-0 lead, and the Bruins made it stand up.
Jaroslav Halak made 31 saves for Boston after giving up six goals on 25 shots in a loss at Colorado on Wednesday. He is 9-3-2 in his career against the Coyotes.

Brad Richardson scored his sixth goal at 9:10 of the second period, and the Coyotes carried the play in for the rest of the period but couldn't get the equalizer.

"We had a bunch of chances and we just didn't score," Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said.

Arizona went on a power play with 1:46 remaining in the game, and goalie Darcy Kuemper left the ice 20 seconds later for a 6-on-4 advantage, but Halak was up to the task.

Halak saved four shots in the final 1:03, and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon saved a potential goal when he cleared a puck away from the crease in the final seconds.

"I was just ready for the rebound," Lauzon said. "I knew there were two guys in front. I turned around and the puck was right there."

Kuemper made 20 saves in his seventh consecutive start while Antti Raanta deals with a lower-body injury. Kuemper is 0-3 in three career starts against Boston.

Arizona outshot Boston 32-22, the Bruins' lowest shot total of the season. Boston had only three shots in the second period, the first coming with 5 1/2 minutes remaining.

The Bruins, who are 3-1-1 while playing five games in eight days, will remain in Arizona until Monday before traveling to Detroit for the final stop of a four-game trip.
"I want the guys to go sit in the sun and enjoy themselves and get vitamin D," coach Bruce Cassidy said.

Halak saved a short-handed wrist shot by Michael Grabner on a 2-on-1 break two minutes into the second period to preserve the lead. Grabner leads the league with four short-handed goals and the Coyotes lead the league with 10.

[Brewin Flames]

Today, 06:16 AM#22 

 

 

Game # 21

 2  3 OT

Athanasiou's OT goal give Red Wings 3-2 win over Bruins

Andreas Athanasiou ties the game in the third period and then gives the Red Wings a 3-2 win in overtime against the Bruins.

DETROIT -- ��� Andreas Athanasiou has become a more consistent player this season, and the score sheet is starting to reflect it.

Athanasiou tied it midway through the third period and scored 49 seconds into overtime to lift the Detroit Red Wings over the Boston Bruins 3-2 on Wednesday night.

The 24-year-old Athanasiou leads Detroit with nine goals, including five with three assists in his past six games.

"Early in the season he wasn't getting points, but he probably deserved more," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "I think from Day 1, he's been very engaged. I thought his first practice in training camp was excellent. I think he's carried that forward."

It was the Red Wings' fifth comeback win in their last seven games.

"I think our starts aren't very good and we know that. It's something we need to work on," said Tyler Bertuzzi, who also scored. "But it shows what we have in this room to bounce back from being down and come back in games like this."

Jimmy Howard stopped 34 shots for Detroit, which has won nine of 11 and is over .500 (10-9-2) for the first time this season.

Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and Chris Wagner scored for Boston, which lost for only the third time to the Red Wings in the last 18 meetings (15-1-2). Tuukka Rask made 24 saves.

"We had a lot of opportunities, but we didn't take advantage of them," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "There were too many times where we tried to make a pretty play or a fancy play instead of making the simple play and putting the puck on net."

Athanasiou got control of a loose puck in the slot during overtime, spun around and beat Rask.

"It was kind of just a scrum and the puck was just bouncing and I just turned and shot it," Athanasiou said. "I don't know where it went, but (I'm) happy it went in."

Athanasiou tied it 8:59 into the third when he put in the rebound of Gustav Nyquist's shot from the left circle off the rush.

Wagner made it 2-1 6:45 into the third when he tipped Sean Kuraly's shot. It was Wagner's second goal.

Forsbacka Karlsson gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead 4:08 into the second period when he put in a loose puck from a goal-mouth scramble. It was Forsbacka Karlsson's second goal.

Bertuzzi tied it at 1 9:48 into the middle period when he tipped defenseman Nik Jensen's shot between Rask's pads. It was Bertuzzi's sixth goal.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 22

 2  1 OT

Nordstrom scores in OT, Bruins beat Penguins 2-1


Joakim Nordstrom scores game winner in overtime to give the Bruins a 2-1 victory against the Penguins.

BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins were able to celebrate after overtime for just the second time this season.

Joakim Nordstrom tipped in a pass from Torey Krug 1:57 into overtime and the Bruins beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 on Friday night.

Jake DeBrusk also scored and Jaroslav Halak made 36 saves for the Bruins, who were coming off an overtime loss in Detroit on Wednesday and went to OT for the third time in four games.

"We talked about it. We gave up some points in OT," Halak said. "Going into OT tonight, we played hard and we played the right way."

Evgeni Malkin scored the only goal for Pittsburgh, which was trying to win back-to-back games for the first time in nearly a month.

Tristan Jarry had 35 saves for the Penguins, getting his first start of the season one day after being recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL after the Penguins placed Matt Murray on injured reserve Thursday.

Jarry played well, but had no chance on the game-winner when Nordstrom tipped a pass from Krug into the net to end it.

"I didn't have to do much more than keep my stick on the ice," Nordstrom said.

David Pastrnak also had an assist on the overtime goal, getting to a loose puck after the Penguins got caught on an extended shift in the OT and feeding Krug with a cross-ice pass.

"We've given ourselves chances and lost a few games," Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby said. "I felt like we could've come out of there we two points.

The Penguins lost in OT for the second time in three games and were more upset about the points they squandered than the points they picked up in three straight.

"I don't really look at it. We're looking for wins. We have higher expectations," coach Mike Sullivan said.

Malkin put the Penguins up 1-0 on a power-play goal 6:09 into the second as Boston's David Krejci sat out a tripping minor. Kris Letang and Phil Kessel assisted on the goal for Malkin, who has a point in six straight games.

DeBrusk tied it for Boston on a slap shot with 6:20 left in the second on a give-and-go with David Krejci. Kevan Miller also assisted.

The Bruins thought they had another goal with 2:35 left in the second, when David Backes raised his arms after trying to squeeze the puck between Jarry and the post, but the referee signaled no-goal. The call was upheld after a lengthy review, drawing the ire of Boston fans who booed the officials a second time when they skated out for the third period.

Pittsburgh got a late power play when Pastrnak was called for delay of game with 9:19 left in the third after flipping the puck over the glass in the Boston zone. Halak gloved a backhand by Crosby with 8:37 on Pittsburgh's best chance before Pastrnak returned.

"There could have been easily five goals against us. Jaro was huge," DeBrusk said.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 23

 3  2

Moore's late power-play goal lifts Bruins past Canadiens


John Moore scores a late power play goal to give the Bruins a 3-2 win over the Canadiens.

MONTREAL -- A bad penalty by Jonathan Drouin in the dying minutes crushed Montreal's comeback hopes.

With Drouin in the box for high-sticking, Boston's John Moore scored a power-play goal to give the Bruins a 3-2 victory over the Canadiens on Saturday night in a hard-hitting and penalty-filled affair.

"You can't take a penalty at that time of the game," coach Claude Julien said. "If he (Drouin) said that it's on him, well he's right. You have to be disciplined. We can't do those things if we want to win hockey games. "Montreal has lost four games in a row for the first time this season.

With less than six minutes remaining in a 2-2 contest, Drouin cross-checked David Backes in the face, cutting the Bruins winger below the bottom lip. The incident happened away from the run of play just minutes after the Canadiens came back from two goals down to equalize.

"He was coming at me," Drouin said about Backes. "I didn't mean to hit him in the face."

Moore scored his first goal of the season on the four-minute power play, at 17:03 of the third, and the Bruins held on for their third win in four games.

"A four-minute power play with five minutes left in a tie game is certainly a good thing to have," said Backes, who also scored and added an assist. "We made good on it. Kudos to the guys in here for staying with it. I don't mind bleeding. Bleeding's better than concussions to me. If that's what it takes to win, I'll take blood."

Jake DeBrusk also scored, Tuukka Rask made 32 saves, and David Krejci had two assists.

Drouin and Tomas Tatar scored in the third period for Montreal, and Carey Price stopped 32 shots. The Canadiens have lost four straight.

Boston finished 1 for 6 with the man advantage, while Montreal was 1 for 5. Both teams combined for 30 penalty minutes.

It was the second game of a back-to-back series for both teams. Boston beat Pittsburgh 2-1 in overtime on Friday, while Montreal lost 3-2 in overtime in Buffalo.

The Bruins took a 1-0 lead at 13:01 of the first period when Backes swiped the puck from Jesperi Kotkaniemi at the Montreal blue line before beating Price glove side for his first goal of the season.

With the teams playing 4-on-4, DeBrusk doubled Boston's lead at 14:42 when he got behind defenseman Brett Kulak and tapped in a beautiful pass from Torey Krug.

Drouin got one back for the home team at 6:46 for his ninth of the season. Drouin beat Krug with speed in the Boston zone before squeezing a shot between Rask's pads.

Tatar got the equalizer for Montreal on the power play at 10:09 of the third. With David Pastrnak in the box for slashing, Tatar took a pass from Andrew Shaw from behind the net and roofed a one-timer past Rask.

[Brewin Flames]

Marner has 3 assists as Maple Leafs beat Bruins 4-2

With the Maple Leafs on the power play, Josh Leivo gets the puck off a blocked shot and scores for the fourth time this season.

Game # 24

 2  4

TORONTO -- On a night when Patrick Marleau celebrated his 1,600th NHL game, Mitch Marner did what he does best: set up goals.

The 21-year-old winger had three assists and Marleau added another as the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Boston Bruins 4-2 on Monday.

"He has great vision out there," the 39-year-old Marleau said. "The way he skates and handles the puck, he can maneuver around guys and draw guys to him. He did that quite a bit tonight."

Igor Ozhiganov scored his first career goal, Travis Dermott netted his second and Frederik Andersen made 38 saves to earn his 13th win of the season. Josh Leivo and Zach Hyman had the other goals for the Maple Leafs (17-8-0).

David Pastrnak, who had a hat trick in a 5-1 win over Toronto on Nov. 10, scored twice for Boston (13-7-4).

Marner had two primary assists, upping his NHL-best total to 24 (he has 27 assists in all).

"He's found a nice groove here," Marleau said. "He's only going to keep getting better, I think. And that's pretty scary."

It was the 10th multi-assist game of the season for Marner, who also has six goals.

"With the puck, without the puck, he's definitely a slippery guy," said Dermott, who scored the first goal of the game off an assist from Marner. "And if you get open, he's going to find you and get the puck to you right on the tape and pretty flat. He's a guy you want to be out there with."

Each team scored twice in a frenetic second period as Boston outshot Toronto 18-9. With the Maple Leafs leading 3-2 in the third, Danton Heinen hit the post for the Bruins.

Hyman added an empty-net goal with 1:35 remaining to seal Toronto's fifth straight home win.

The Bruins lost Kevan Miller late in the first period after the defenseman took a puck to the throat off a shot by John Tavares. Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said Miller went to the hospital and was to remain overnight for observation, with some swelling in the throat area.

"Right now he's out of any danger, from what we've heard," Cassidy said.

"Looks like X-rays are negative," he added. "They're going to keep him overnight for observation, make sure his breathing stays normal. Hopefully he's able to fly back (Tuesday), that's the plan."

Both teams were playing their fourth game in six nights.

The Bruins, who won 3-2 in Montreal on Saturday night, had won two straight and three of four. Toronto was coming off a 6-0 win over visiting Philadelphia on Saturday night.

Marleau became the 11th NHL player to reach 1,600 regular-season games. He has missed just 31 games over 21 seasons since making his debut on Oct. 1, 1997.

"Great, great human being," Toronto coach Mike Babcock said before the game.

"Hard worker, great pro, great person," he added. "So important for this team it's not even funny and I'm not even talking about what he does on the ice. He's fantastic."

Marleau received a standing ovation after a video tribute in the first period.

"That was amazing. It was unexpected, but it was greatly appreciated," he said.

Dermott beat Jaroslav Halak with a shot through traffic 17:44 into the game for his first of the season after the Bruins' top line couldn't clear the puck.

Boston, gaining momentum, outshot Toronto 10-0 to open the second before Toronto registered a shot midway through the period. Pastrnak, off a feed from Brad Marchand, tied it on the power play at 3:39

The Bruins hit another post on the power play later in the second. Seconds later, with the penalty over, a freewheeling Marner found Ozhiganov cruising in from the point and his shot banked in off a Boston body at 13:06.

Pastrnak tied it at 14:22, taking Torey Krug's nifty pass to the side of the net before slotting it past Andersen to increase his season total to 19.

Leivo put Toronto ahead 3-2 on the power play at 18:38, banging home Tyler Ennis' rebound after a rush by Marner.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 25

  1 SO

Donato nets shootout winner in return, Bruins best Isles 2-1


Ryan Donato fakes out Robin Lehner and backhands one home to give the Bruins a 2-1 win over the Islanders in a shootout.

BOSTON -- Ryan Donato knew he couldn't afford to let a golden opportunity to get himself back into the fold pass him by.

Donato, recalled Wednesday after a demotion to Providence of the AHL, grabbed the puck and charged toward the net on the Boston Bruins' fourth attempt in a shootout Thursday night.

The 22-year-old left wing deked right and tucked the puck past New York Islanders goalie Robin Lehner to give Boston a 2-1 win.

Donato hopes that will be enough to earn himself another extended look with the big club.

"It was big. You want to make sure you have an immediate impact on the game, show the coaches and staff that you developed in your time (at Providence)," Donato said. "I tried to do that to the best of my abilities, and hopefully I proved that to them today."

Donato was sent to Providence on Nov. 1 after a disappointing start to his second NHL season, scoring just one goal in 11 games. The former Harvard standout had five goals and four assists in 12 games a season ago.

"We know he can score, so he was going to be in the rotation. We just weren't sure where," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "Clearly Tuukka (Rask) obviously gave him that chance to go, and he took advantage of it."

Rask stymied the Islanders with 28 saves and Brad Marchand scored in regulation for the Bruins, who ended up in their first shootout this season.

Anders Lee had a goal and Lehner made 35 saves for the Islanders, who lost their second straight game.

Lehner allowed just one goal in regulation after giving up three or more in four consecutive starts.

"Tuukka had a great game and kept us out of it, but so did Lehnny," Lee said. "He played an incredible game. It comes down to the shootout, one of those things. Worst-case scenario, (it's) a point on the road."

New York had a goal waved off with 3:47 to play in overtime after Anthony Beauvillier fell behind Rask in the crease before Mathew Barzal flipped the puck over the goaltender.

Lee, the Islanders' captain, netted his eighth goal of the season with 7:43 left in the first period, poking a rebound through Rask's pads after Scott Mayfield sent the puck on net from the right circle.

Lee's goal came seconds after a delayed penalty drawn by Barzal.

Marchand tied it for Boston with 7:51 to play in the second following Nick Leddy's high-sticking penalty. Marchand rocketed a one-timer from the right circle off a feed from David Pastrnak.

Marchand's tally snapped a seven-game goal drought and was his first since scoring once in a 4-1 win against Vegas on Nov. 11.

The Islanders and Bruins meet twice more this season, next on Feb. 5 in Boston.

Game notes

The Bruins retired longtime right wing Rick Middleton's No. 16 before the game. Middleton, nicknamed "Nifty," spent 12 seasons (1976-88) with Boston and ranks third in team history in goals (402) and fourth in points (898).

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 26

  4

Nielsen, Howard help Red Wings beat Bruins 4-2

Frans Nielson finds the back of the net to put the Red Wings ahead in their 4-2 win over the Bruins.

BOSTON -- Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard looked like he had enough of Brad Marchand, looking to get at the Bruins' forward after getting slashed.

The rest of his Red Wings teammates had enough of losing in Boston, too.

Frans Nielsen scored his first goal of the season to break a tie with 8:07 left in the third period and Howard made 37 saves, lifting the surging Red Wings past the Bruins 4-2 on Saturday night.

It snapped Detroit's nine-game losing streak in TD Garden. It was the Red Wings' first win here since Oct. 14, 2013. Also, the Bruins had gone 15-1-2 in their last 18 games overall against Detroit.

"It's been a tough place for us to play; really to come up with a point," said Howard, who tried to square off with Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask after the exchange with Marchand.

Tyler Bertuzzi and Dylan Larkin had second-period goals, and Gustav Nyquist added an empty-netter for the Red Wings, who improved 11-4-1 in their last 16 games after opening the season with just one win (1-7-2) in their first 10.

"This team's done a lot where they've been physically intimadating over the years," Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said "We want to do that. We have some bigger bodies now."

The Bruins were still trying to match the Red Wings' hard checking despite missing two of their bigger defensemen: captain Zdeno Chara and Kevan Miller, both sidelined with injuries.

"Everyone's stepping up," Marchand said. "We've still got some guys that can throw their weight around."

Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said some teams "could be" more physical against his team with some of the tougher player sidelined.

David Backes and Ryan Donato had Boston's goals, and Rask stopped 22 shots. The Bruins lost for just the third time in 12 home games this season.

Nielsen, positioned in the slot, tipped Danny DeKeyser's shot from the left point for his first goal since March 27th.

Howard and Rask nearly squared off during a second-period scrum, but were stopped by the referees.

Trailing 2-1 with the Bruins on a power play, Donato took a perfect cross-ice feed from David Pastrnak and beat Howard with a wrister inside the left post.

Recalled from the minors before Thursday's win over the New York Islanders after being sent down on Nov. 1, Donato scored the lone goal in the shootout.

The Red Wings tied it 1-1 early in the second period when Bertuzzi tipped a shot over Rask.

They took a 2-1 edge with 2:24 left in the period on Larkin's power-play goal. Seconds after Anthony Mantha fired a shot squarely off the right post, Larkin scored off a rebound out of a scramble with Rask down in front of the crease.

The Bruins had jumped ahead 1-0 on a gift goal late in the closing seconds of the opening period when Backes backhanded the puck toward the goal from along the boards and it hit Detroit defenseman Dennis Cholowski's stick before bouncing over Howard into the net.

Play became chippy late in the second period and escalated to both goaltenders leaving the crease and trying to square off during the scrum in front of the benches.

It started when Marchand and Bertuzzi were jawing behind play and became heated when Marchand slashed at Howard's blocker as the goalie was skating off for a delayed penalty. At that point, Howard tried to get at Marchand and Rask attempted skate at Howard. Both threw off their gloves and blockers, but one referee each grabbed a goalie as the rest on the ice paired off without any punches thrown.

"I was just going to go to the bench and he kind of slashed Howie," Bertuzzi said.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 27

 0  5

Luongo gets 77th shutout as Panthers blank Bruins 5-0

Mike Hoffman nets two goals in the second period and the Panthers cruise to a 5-0 win over the Bruins.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers are glad to have Roberto Luongo back in goal.

Luongo, who returned to the lineup after missing five games with a knee injury, earned his 77th career shutout and the Panthers beat the Boston Bruins 5-0 on Tuesday night.

Luongo made 33 saves and passed Ed Belfour and Tony Esposito for sole possession of ninth place on the NHL's shutout list.

"It was great for Lou to be back in there," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "His rebound control was amazing. I'm happy for Lou -- he moved into ninth all-time and he did it in nice fashion."

Mike Hoffman scored twice. Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and two assists, and Mike Matheson and Evgenii Dadonov also scored. Aleksander Barkov had three assists and Keith Yandle added two.

"The boys did a great job," Luongo said. "There weren't a lot of breakdowns, a lot of odd-man rushes, breakaways, stuff like that. It really helps my game when we play like that defensively and it also translates in offense for our club. Take more of those, hopefully."

The return of Luongo was a game-time decision, and it turned out to be the right call.

"It was a huge boost for the team," Hoffman said. "He's a solid goaltender. He definitely was a big part of this win."

Jaroslav Halak made 39 saves as the Panthers had a season-high 44 shots on goal. The Bruins lost for the third time in four games.

"Tonight, it was men against boys at times, it looked like," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "Some of our younger players had their hands full."

Huberdeau made it 3-0. His shot from the left circle was blocked by Halak, but the puck trickled through his pads at 15:14 of the second period. Huberdeau has six consecutive multipoint games, one short of the franchise record set by Pavel Bure.

"Everything is working right now. It's unbelievable," Huberdeau said. "I want to try to keep it simple out there and it's been working. I just want to keep doing that game after game."

Hoffman's second goal with five seconds left in the second on a power play made it 4-0. Hoffman has 26 points in his last 24 games.

"Tonight, we just didn't execute in the second period and that cost us the game," Halak said. "And we just have to regroup. That's the bottom line. We need to find a way to win."

Dadonov's power-play goal with 5:34 remaining in the third made it 5-0.

Hoffman scored the first goal of the night. With traffic in front, Halak lost track of the puck, which was sitting on his left side at the goal line until Hoffman poked it in at 4:21 of the second.

Matheson gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead when he brought the puck down the length of the ice and beat Halak on the stick side with a shot from the right circle at 13:13.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 28

 2  3

Lightning beat Bruins 3-2 for 5th consecutive win

Mathieu Joseph fakes right and scores left early in the third, and later Anthony Cirelli nets the third and final goal to give Lightning a 3-2 win over the Bruins.

TAMPA, Fla. -- It was a pair of players in their first full NHL season that sent the Tampa Bay Lightning to their latest victory.

Mathieu Joseph and Anthony Cirelli scored early in the third period and the Lightning won their fifth consecutive game by beating the Boston Bruins 3-2 on Thursday night.

"It's hard to play with a team with four lines rolling like this," Joseph said. "We're a team that has a lot of depth and it's huge."

After Joseph scored at 2:40, Cirelli put home a short-handed backhand 1:23 later to make it 3-1.

Lightning star Steven Stamkos didn't get an assist on Cirelli's goal but played a key role by swatting the puck out of danger in the defensive zone with his glove after losing his stick. The puck went to Cirelli off a Boston player.

"I just saw a chance and went for it," Cirelli said.

Boston pulled to 3-2 on David Krejci's goal with 1:45 remaining.

Brayden Point also scored and Louis Domingue made 33 saves for the Lightning, who have the NHL's best record at 22-7-1.

David Pastrnak had a goal for Boston, and Tuukka Rask stopped 27 shots. The Bruins have lost three in a row and four of five.

Boston was coming off a dismal 5-0 loss Tuesday night at Florida.

"Tonight is a little more disappointing (than frustrating), to be honest with you," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "We were right there."

Point got his 21st goal, including seven over his last eight games, to tie it 1-all with 5:01 left in the first. Nikita Kucherov set up the goal with a backhand pass and has 20 assists and 25 points in his last 12 games.

Pastrnak got his 20th goal in his 28th game this season on a rebound 2:04 in. Jaromir Jagr -- on four occasions -- is the only Czech-born player to reach the 20-goal mark in fewer games.

Domingue made a pad save on a late first-period breakaway by Pastrnak, who went to his backhand.

"I was pretty lucky," Domingue said. "I probably should have known that he didn't have the room to cut to his forehand. Sometimes you've got to be lucky to be good."

Pastrnak also had an assist.

Boston activated defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who had been sidelined since Oct. 20 due to a concussion. The injury-depleted Bruins are still without center Patrice Bergeron (ribs), and defensemen Zdeno Chara (lower body), Kevan Miller (throat) and Urho Vaakanainen (concussion).

"We weren't quite there yet, but much better than Florida," Cassidy said. "We had a few passengers. You can't afford that against the No. 1 team."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 29

 6  3

Krejci moves up Bruins' scoring list in 6-3 win over Leafs

Brad Marchand sends a pass to David Backes, who snaps a wrist shot past Frederik Andersen for the power play goal, giving the Bruins a 2-0 lead.

BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins were tired of being pushed around.

David Krejci had a goal and assist to move past Hall of Famer Cam Neely for 10th on the Bruins' all-time scoring list, and Boston snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

Earlier in the week, Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said teams "could be" playing more physical against his more skilled players with a pair of bigger defensemen -- Zdeno Chara and Kevan Miller -- sidelined by injuries. They seemed to respond.

"That's how we were going to win tonight," Bruins defenseman Torey Krug said. "We had that edge and I think it brought a lot to the table. You look at our lineup and I think that's what we need right now. We're bringing that to the table. We need that to win."

Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, David Backes, Ryan Donato, Danton Heinen and Krug also scored for the Bruins. Jaroslav Halak stopped 29 shots.

Toronto goalie Frederik Andersen was pulled early in the third after giving up six goals on 28 shots. He entered with an 11-1 record and 2.08 goals against in his career against Boston. Auston Matthews, Travis Dermott and Andreas Johnsson each had a goal.

The game became more heated after Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy took what the Bruins felt was a late hit by Zach Hyman midway into the third. McAvoy missed 20 games with a concussion before returning earlier this week.

"You hate to see that," said teammate Matt Grzelcyk, who fought with Hyman. "Hopefully Charlie's okay."

The Maple Leafs felt the extra hitting early.

"That's hockey, and it's our job to respond to that," Matthews said. "Obviously they made a push back and we didn't respond."

Leading 1-0, the Bruins appeared to be more physical and determined when they scored twice in the second period.

Less than a minute after McAvoy hit the post -- Boston's second shot off iron in about a 3 1/2-minute span -- Brad Marchand set up Backes in the slot, where he fired a rising shot past Andersen's glove and inside the right post for a power-play goal at 8:54.

Krug's first goal first of the season made it 3-0 just under nine minutes later. After a flurry of chances, he scored on a wrister from the left point.

Heinen collected a puck along the boards early in the third, split a pair of Toronto players before flipping a shot over Andersen to make it 4-0 at 1:47.

Dermott beat Halak with a shot from the mid-slot area 4:03 into the third, but Krejci made it 5-1 only 34 seconds later. Donato scored at 6:13, sending Andersen to the bench to a chorus of jeers and cheers. Garret Sparks replaced him and stopped all four shots he faced.

Toronto has allowed 11 total goals in its last two games.

"We talked about the importance of defending. It's just going out there and executing," center John Tavares said. "It's difficult to do it over 82 games. There's adversity you face."

The Bruins had taken a 1-0 edge 11:20 into the game when Forsbacka-Karlsson redirected a pass and tapped in his own rebound.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 30

 2  1 OT

Krug scores in OT to lift Bruins over Senators 2-1


David Krejci skates around back of the net and feeds Torey Krug for a game-winning goal to lift the Bruins past the Senators, 2-1.

OTTAWA, Ontario -- Torey Krug felt like the Boston Bruins were "still in their pre-game nap" during their game against the Ottawa Senators.

Tuukka Rask helped the Bruins stick around, and Krug gave Boston the jolt it needed for a road victory.

Krug took a cross-crease pass from David Krejci and beat Mike McKenna with a one-timer 3:07 into overtime to lift the Bruins over the Ottawa Senators 2-1 on Sunday night.

"It was a tough game for us," Krug said. "It took us a while to wake up there."

Krug deferred credit to Krejci on the winner.

"It's a highly, highly skilled player making a great pass," Krug said. "He sees things that other guys can't see, even from up in the press box. He made a great play and I was lucky enough to be on the receiving end of it."

Brad Marchand had the regulation goal for the Bruins (16-10-4), and Rask made 27 saves.

Mark Stone scored in regulation for the Senators (13-14-4), who got a career-best 42-save performance from McKenna, including a diving two-pad stack save against Sean Kuraly in overtime.

The third period finished with a frantic seven minutes, starting with a game-saving glove save by Rask against Stone on a 2-on-1 when the Senators were short-handed and a delayed penalty was coming to the Bruins.

McKenna stopped Marchand in close before turning aside David Pastrnak on a breakaway. McKenna stopped 14 shots in the third period as the Bruins outshot Ottawa 14-4.

"I felt like myself and I felt like I've had a lot of good work leading up to this to be ready for it," McKenna said. "Credit to our goalie coaching, credit to my teammates and all that, but I felt like myself out there. It might have been the most (saves) in the NHL, but I've had games like that in other places before."

Stone put Ottawa on the board 12:51 into the first who he one-timed a circle-to-circle pass from Colin White.

The Senators failed to capitalize on a 5-on-3 advantage for one minute, including the final 50 seconds of the first period.

Marchand tied it at 1, beating McKenna at 7:49 of the second period as the Senators played a man short following an instigator penalty to Ben Harpur.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 31

 4  3

Marchand has 2 goals, 1 assist as Bruins beat Coyotes 4-3


Brad Marchand finds the back of the net twice in the Bruins' 4-3 win over the Coyotes.

BOSTON -- In a span of five minutes, the Boston Bruins turned a two-goal deficit into a two-goal lead.

David Krejci was just happy to be along for the ride.

Moving up to Boston's top line to fill in for the injured Patrice Bergeron, Krejci assisted on three of Boston's four goals during a second-period flurry that put away the Arizona Coyotes 4-3 on Tuesday night.

Brad Marchand scored twice, and David Pastrnak had a goal and two assists for the Bruins -- all during the five-minute span midway through the second.

"Those are two world-class players," Krejci said. "They make lots of skilled plays, so they kind of make it easy for you. ... I've just got to be at the right time at the right place, and the puck will find you."

Arizona led 2-0 before Danton Heinen and Pastrnak scored 33 seconds apart. Marchand gave the Bruins the lead two minutes later, and then added another two minutes after that to make it 4-2.

"It was those three minutes. We played a good hockey game for 50," Arizona coach Rick Tocchet said. "Two-nothing, there, we backed off."

Tuukka Rask stopped 30 shots for Boston, which beat the Coyotes for the 14th time in a row. The Bruins have won three in a row after snapping a three-game losing streak.

Coach Bruce Cassidy said the victory over Toronto on Saturday night was key.

"It can go in a hurry," he said. "Three can turn into five or six, and all bets are off and it's panic mode."

Nick Schmaltz and Nick Cousins scored 40 seconds apart for Arizona in the first period, and Darcy Kuemper made 22 saves for the Coyotes. Michael Bunting, who was making his NHL debut, scored an unassisted goal cut the deficit to 4-3 with 5 minutes left in the second.

"The guys bounced back really well," Bunting said. "You can feel bad for yourself and pack it in. We didn't do that."

The 2014 fourth-round draft pick admitted to jitters before the game, and snapped out of it during the national anthem.

"I was like, `All right, I'm in an NHL game now," he said. "It's pretty special. It's something I'm going to remember for the rest of my life."

The Coyotes had a shorthanded breakaway midway through the third period, but the Bruins got back to keep them from getting a shot off. Arizona also pulled the goalie with 75 seconds left but managed just one shot on net, as time expired.

BLOOD ON THE ICE

Bruins forward David Backes rushed himself off the ice after taking a skate blade to the face in the first period. Backes was to the side of the net when he pushed Oliver Ekmann-Larsson aside and the Arizona defenseman went to the ice, kicking up his left skate on the way down.

It caught Backes in the face and he went down before skating on his own quickly to the Bruins bench and out the tunnel. He returned for -- and won the opening faceoff to start the second period.

Backes did not speak to reporters after the game, but he told The Boston Globe that he had a cut on the side of his nose that needed a few stitches and some ointment.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 32

 3  5

DeSmith shines with 48 saves as Penguins slip by Bruins 5-3


Zach Aston-Reese has a two-goal night against the Bruins to fuel the Penguins to a 5-3 win on their home ice.

PITTSBURGH -- Casey DeSmith is not the highest-paid or most accomplished goaltender on the Penguins. Yet he's playing like it, a development that's helped Pittsburgh keep its season from unraveling.

The backup thrust into a starting role while two-time Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray recovers from a lower-body injury and shaky play stopped a career-high 48 shots as Pittsburgh fended off a third-period Boston rally to slip by the Bruins 5-3 on Friday night.

DeSmith improved to 7-2-1 in his last 10 starts, keeping his cool even after the Bruins erased a two-goal deficit in the third period by scoring twice in 54 seconds. Jake Guentzel restored Pittsburgh's lead by tipping home Kris Letang's point shot with 9:13 to go, and DeSmith did the rest.

"It's always fun, though, when you're getting peppered as long as you come out on the right side of things," DeSmith said. "It was a little (chaotic) there at the end but glad we pulled it out."

The Penguins appeared to be firmly in control after Zach Aston-Reese's short-handed goal -- Pittsburgh's first down a man in 57 games -- with 58 seconds to go in the second period made it 3-1.

Boston's Chris Wagner and David Krejci drew the Bruins even when they beat DeSmith less than a minute apart in the third. But the Penguins executed perfectly on a faceoff in the Boston zone, with Sidney Crosby winning the draw and then sending the puck back to Letang. He shot it and Guentzel extended his stick to get a piece of it. The puck slid by Jaroslav Halak for Guentzel's 13th of the season.

"I know he's going to shoot it," Guentzel said. "I just put my stick there and hit it. We run that (play) in practice. Sid kind of gave the nod so we knew it was coming. Obviously a great play by Sid."

Brandon Carlo scored for the first time in 115 games for Boston and Halak stopped 24 shots but the Bruins had trouble with DeSmith, who has filled in capably with Murray spending most of the first two months of the season dealing with injuries or a serious dip in form.

The team activated Murray on Wednesday but coach Mike Sullivan has chosen to stick with DeSmith, though Murray is likely to make his first start since Nov. 17 on Saturday night when the Kings visit. DeSmith insists he won't change his approach now that he's engaged in a full-on competition battle for playing time.

"I think when I get a game, I go out there, try to win, try to play my best," DeSmith said. "(Just) keep working hard in practice, doing all the same things. That's the way to keep having success is to not change anything once you get a hold of it."

The Bruins dominated for long stretches thanks in part to sloppy play by the Penguins, but DeSmith managed to keep Pittsburgh in it.

"He's a good goalie, but I thought our scoring chances weren't A scoring chances, especially in the first period," Krejci said. "But that's how it goes sometimes."

DeSmith's flashiest stop came in the first. He was sliding to his right when Brad Marchand picked up a bouncing puck and moved to DeSmith's left. The goaltender reached back with his glove and plucked a shot out of midair to keep the game scoreless.

"I just kind of fell over and stuck something over there and thankfully it went in my glove," DeSmith said. "That was not technique."

Derek Grant gave the Penguins the lead shortly after DeSmith's save on Marchand. Phil Kessel, playing in his 277th consecutive game with the Penguins -- the fourth-longest streak in franchise history -- and 723rd straight overall, doubled Pittsburgh's advantage 1:56 into the second period.

The Bruins responded by pressing Smith, who eventually relented when Carlo fired a laser from the top of the right circle 11:53 into the second for just the seventh goal of his career and first since March 4, 2017, against New Jersey.

"It had been a long while," Carlo said. "But I feel like with the way that I'm starting to put the puck to the net a little bit more, the opportunities were coming for me to shoot the puck, tonight especially."

Though Boston eventually pulled even, Pittsburgh still ended up pulling away, with Aston-Reese putting in an empty-netter with six seconds left to ice it.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 33

 2  4

Skinner, Eichel score twice as Sabres top Bruins 4-2


Jack Eichel finds Jeff Skinner for the game's first goal, then Eichel and Skinner connect again late in the 3rd period to give Buffalo a 3-2 lead.

BOSTON -- Jack Eichel fondly remembers sitting with his dad in the TD Garden stands, watching his favorite hockey players.

The 22-year-old from nearby North Chelmsford was the star attraction Sunday night, and he didn't disappoint.

Eichel had two goals and two assists, including the primary helper on Jeff Skinner's winning goal with 3:13 remaining, to lead the Buffalo Sabres past the Boston Bruins 4-2.

"I just picture myself in the crowd watching guys that I loved watching when I was a kid," Eichel said. "You know, coming here to watch Sid (Crosby) or (Alex Ovechkin). I picture myself in the same situation. It's always special coming back home."

Eichel set up Skinner's second goal of the night and his team-leading 24th of the season with a feed behind the net. He added an empty-net goal with 24.2 seconds left to help Buffalo salvage its two-game road trip after a 4-3 shootout loss Saturday at Washington.

"It's a big win for our group in the point of the season that we're at," said Eichel, who played at Boston University before being drafted No. 2 overall by the Sabres in 2015. "I thought we played a really good game after less than 24 hours."

Linus Ullmark had 35 saves for the Sabres (20-9-5), who had dropped five of seven before taking three of four points on the road.

"(It says) that we're a terrific team. Top of the league," Ullmark said. "So we've got to stick with it."

Steven Kampfer and Torey Krug scored, and Tuukka Rask made 23 saves for the Bruins (17-12-4). Boston has allowed three or more goals in three straight games, including Saturday's 5-3 loss in Pittsburgh.

"To be honest, maybe we're giving up a little bit more (chances)," Krug said. "But it's just big momentum shifts in the game where we need a big play, and all of the sudden it's a big play for the other team."

Eichel drew cheers from some hometown fans after his wrist shot beat Rask to give Buffalo a 2-1 lead with 14:17 remaining. He has five goals and five assists in six games as a visitor to TD Garden.

"I just couldn't match up his speed," Rask said of Eichel's first goal. "He was coming so fast and I don't know if I got flat footed or what, but he's a good player."

Krug tied it with 6:49 to play, scoring his third goal in five games off David Krejci's pass through the slot.

Moments after Ullmark's diving glove save on Ryan Donato astonished the crowd, Skinner scored his first goal with 16:42 left in the second period off Eichel's pass from behind the net.

The Bruins tied the game exactly 2 minutes later after Joakim Nordstrom wrapped around the Sabres' net and fed a charging Kampfer for his first goal since rejoining the Bruins in an offseason trade.

Brad Marchand appeared to give Boston a go-ahead goal with 8:02 left in the second after poking the puck past Ullmark during a scrum, but the refs had blown the whistle and deemed it a non-reviewable play.

Donato drew a penalty shot with 3:29 left in the opening period after Matt Hunwick tripped him on a breakaway. On the penalty try, Donato slipped and jammed the puck against Ullmark's pad.

"If I got it up, I would have scored," Donato said.

[Brewin Flames]

 

Game # 34

 4  0

Halak gets third shutout, Bruins beat Canadiens 4-0


Joakim Nordstrom scores on a wrister in the first period and Brad Marchand find the net on the power play in the Bruins' 4-0 win over the Canadiens.

MONTREAL -- Jaroslav Halak had a strong game against Montreal and former teammate Carey Price, and helped the Boston Bruins get a big road win.

Halak stopped 22 shots for his third shutout of the season as the Bruins beat the Canadiens 4-0 on Monday night.

Halak got his 45th career shutout and improved to 5-0-0 when facing Price.

"It's always nice to get a shutout," Halak said. "From the drop of the puck, we played pretty good. For 60 minutes, we didn't give them much. Our (penalty kill) did an outstanding job not to give them anything. ... It was a team effort from top to bottom."

Joakim Nordstrom, Colby Cave, David Krejci and Brad Marchand scored for the Bruins, who snapped a two-game skid and leapfrogged the Canadiens for the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Boston was on the second game of a back-to-back after losing 4-2 in Buffalo on Sunday.

Price, vying for his 300th career victory, finished with 31 saves as the Canadiens lost for just the second time in seven games. Montreal was shut out for just the second time this season, and first time since Oct. 11 against Los Angeles.

"I don't think there's a whole lot that needs to be said," Price said. "There's no excuse for that. It was a perfect opportunity to get a big win for our team but we're going to have to park that one real quick."

The Canadiens failed to capitalize on three power plays, extending their slump to 0 for 25 over nine games dating back to Dec. 1. Montreal turned the puck over 24 times and their 22 shots on goal were a season low.

"I don't think we were good anywhere on the ice tonight," Canadiens captain Shea Weber said. "There's no excuse for that. We're letting each other down. Guys have to look at each other in here and know that we all have to be better for each other."

The Canadiens looked sloppy in the first period, turning the puck over 11 times over the first seven minutes.

The Bruins responded with their first goal at 2:21 after Michael Chaput's turnover in his own zone. What followed was a give-and-go between Cave, David Backes and Nordstrom, who beat Price from the slot for his fifth.

Boston made it 2-0 late in the second period when Cave scored his first NHL goal with 26 seconds left. The 23-year-old, playing his 16th career game, was left alone in the slot with the teams playing 4-on-4.

The Bruins' David Pastrnak scooped up the puck after the goal and brought it to the bench.

"It feels really good, especially in a winning effort," Cave said. "We played an unreal game as a team tonight. We rolled four lines, all three defensive pairings played good and Jaro was a brick wall back there. A recipe for success."

The Bruins picked up right where they left off in the third, scoring 46 seconds in. A defensive collapse by the Canadiens gave Krejci time and space at the side of the net for his sixth.

The Bruins added to their lead when Marchand scored Boston's fourth, on the power play, at 5:06. David Pastrnak made a clever pass on the goal, his second assist of the game

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 35

 3  1

Halak, Pastrnak lead Bruins to 3-1 win over Ducks


David Pastrnak gets a nice pass from Torrey Craig and follows up by scoring a quick goal.

BOSTON -- Playing without two key injured stars, the Boston Bruins have relied on their goaltending to get wins lately.

Jaroslav Halak stopped 24 shots, and David Pastrnak had a goal and two assists to lead the Bruins to a 3-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.

"I really wanted him to get another shutout," David Krejci said. "Both goaltenders have been really good with (Zdeno Chara) and (Patrice) Bergeron out of the lineup."

Bergeron has missed the last 15 games and is anticipating a return this weekend. Chara has missed the last 16 games while Boston has gone 9-6-1 in that span.

Torey Krug had a goal and an assist and Krejci also scored to help Boston snap a nine-game losing streak to Anaheim and win for the fifth time in seven games.

"We don't see them too often so it was nice to flip the script," Krug said.

Ducks defenseman Josh Mahura got his first career goal with 4:16 remaining to spoil Halak's bid for a second straight shutout. John Gibson finished with 28 saves as Anaheim lost its second straight after winning nine of 10.

"We didn't play anywhere near we were capable of," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "Didn't think we had much pushback in the third which was disappointing."

Pastrnak's power-play goal broke a scoreless tie when he one-timed Krug's pass past Gibson at 7:19 of the second period. With his assists on the other two goals, he has 14 points in his past eight games.

Halak made the save of the game with 6:31 remaining in the second when he stoned Brandon Montour robbing him with a glove save.

Krug increased Boston's lead to 2-0 on the power play when he converted a feed from Brad Marchand past Gibson with 1:55 remaining in the second.

"We didn't have the same intensity as we've had," Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano said. "No excuse.We are a few games away from Christmas break and we let a few games get away after we had a good thing going."

Krejci added an insurance goal 5:21 into the third to cap the scoring for Boston, which shut out Montreal in its previous game.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 36

 5  3

Bergeron scores twice in return as Bruins beat Predators 5-2


Patrice Bergeron scores two goals and adds an assist in the Bruins' 5-2 win over the Predators.

BOSTON -- Patrice Bergeron explained to his teammates they should be thankful anytime they're able to play.

And they should be even more grateful he's back with them.

Bergeron scored two goals to reach 300 for his career, returning to the lineup Saturday after missing 16 games and leading the Boston Bruins past the Nashville Predators 5-2.

"When you're in it for a while, it's game whatever," he said. "You don't appreciate it as much. I told them to be thankful because I've been missing it for so long."

He also set up Brad Marchand's tie-breaking score and finished with two assists to help send Boston to its sixth win in eight games.

"This shows why," said Marchand, who called Bergeron one of the game's best players. "It's tough to jump in after five weeks and feel good. He's an incredible leader and player and showed that again."

David Pastrnak had his team-leading 23rd goal and added two assists. Marchand had two assists and defenseman Charlie McAvoy set up Bergeron's first goal

Making his third straight start for the Bruins, Jaroslav Halak stopped 28 shots and assisted on Sean Kuraly's empty-netter.

Ryan Johansen and Kyle Turris scored for Nashville, which lost its fourth straight (0-3-1) for the first time this season. Pekka Rinne made 27 saves.

"We came in to get a win and go into the break on a good note, and obviously that didn't happen." Johansen said. "We'll take this break for some much-needed rest and get back to what makes us successful."

The Predators completed a winless four-game road trip.

"I think right now, where we're at, especially on the road, it's about those one or two or three extra things in the course of a game that we could clean up," Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said.

With Ryan Hartman off for tripping, Bergeron sent a pass to Marchand, who one-timed a shot into the net with 8:37 left in the game. Pastrnak completed a 2-on-1 break with Marchand for a goal with 5:51 to go.

The Bruins had a two-man, power-play advantage for 65 seconds to start the third period. At the end of the first penalty, Rinne made a pad save on Torey Krug and stuffed Marchand's rebound bid.

But on the ensuing shift, Bergeron scored out of a scramble from just outside the crease, lifting puck over the goalie to make it 2-1 at 1:44 of the period.

"He just gives an emotional boost around practice yesterday knowing he's going to come back in the lineup," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said.

Turris fired a shot from the top of right circle that caromed into the net off the left post, making it 2-2 with 10:53 left in the third.

Sidelined because of a rib injury since mid-November, Bergeron had pushed the Bruins ahead 15:10 of the opening period. McAvoy fired a pass to Bergeron in the slot, where the center cut toward his left, stopped and shifted quickly before flipping a shot under the bar.

Boston had a goal overturned midway into the second period. A replay review for goaltender interference prevented the Bruins from going up 2-0.

In a second period filled with steady end-to-end play, Nashville tied it at 13:01 when Johansen fired a wrister from the right circle that appeared to hit Boston defenseman Matt Grzelcyk's stick and change direction before slipping into the net through a small space between the post next and Halak's left arm.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 37

 3  5

Aho leads Carolina past Bruins 5-3 on Whalers Night


Sebastian Aho records his fourth career four-point night and his second in five games to lead the Hurricanes to a 5-3 win over the Bruins.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes brought back the Hartford Whalers for a night, and two of their younger stars kept "Brass Bonanza" seemingly playing on repeat.

Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen each had two goals and two assists and the Hurricanes beat the Boston Bruins 5-3 on Sunday while wearing Whalers uniforms for the first time since moving 21 years ago.

Aho, a 21-year-old who was born three months after the Whalers' final game, had his fourth career four-point night and his second in five games, while it was the third for his linemate Teravainen. They assisted on each other's two goals.

"Obviously, when you're scoring, you get more confidence. That's how it goes," Aho said. "It's maybe a little bit easier to score when you get a couple of goals. I'm feeling pretty good right now, but it's not just me. My linemates are helping me out a lot."

The Hurricanes scored four straight goals -- three in the second period -- to erase an early 2-0 deficit and snap a two-game losing streak that had left them two points out of last place.

"You could see from the start, they were engaged, even when we got down," coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "That was nice to see the level of engagement for 60 minutes. ... (The Bruins are) going to have their moments, and they did, but I felt like we just kept battling, and we got the win."

Justin Faulk also scored for Carolina, which scored two short-handed goals for the first time since 2013.

Ryan Donato had two goals, Steven Kampfer also scored and Brad Marchand had two assists for the Bruins, who had won three straight and six of eight.

Tuukka Rask made 32 saves for Boston, which pulled to 4-3 on Donato's blast with 3:55 left in the second period. But the Bruins goalie made a critical miscue in the third, turning the puck over near the left post, and that led to Teravainen's short-handed goal that put Carolina back up by two with 12:40 remaining.

"Huge mistake by me, and there's the game," Rask said. "The way I see it, it was just an early Christmas gift to the fellow Finns."

Petr Mrazek stopped 27 shots for the Hurricanes, who broke out the throwbacks to celebrate their Hartford Whalers heritage, donning jerseys with the whale-tail logo for the first time since they moved to North Carolina in 1997 and left plenty of hurt feelings back in Connecticut.

While former owner Peter Karmanos Jr. preferred to leave the Whalers in the past, his successor, Tom Dundon, has fully embraced the organization's old identity -- stating his desire for a turn-back-the-clock game within weeks of buying the team in January.

And when Teravainen cut the Hurricanes' deficit to 2-1 with 7:05 left in the first, they piped "Brass Bonanza" over the PNC Arena speakers.

"We wanted to just put everything out there, and work as hard as we can, and thank God we made it happen this time," Teravainen said.

That catchy tune blared again three times in the second, twice courtesy of Aho. He tied it with a short-handed goal 89 seconds into the second, then scored the go-ahead goal with a kneeling-down shot from the slot at 7:11.

The nostalgia ran deep throughout this one, with chants of "Let's go Whalers" occasionally breaking out during the game. And the latest twist to the Hurricanes' post-victory celebration on the ice -- after their coordinated claps, the players flopped to the ice as if they were beached whales.

"You're laughing, so I guess (the idea) was good," Aho said.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 38

 2  5

Blackwood stops 40 shots in 1st win, Devils beat Bruins 5-2


Damon Severson beats Jaroslav Halak, Blake Coleman scores on a breakaway and Nico Hischier scores just a few minutes later in New Jersey's 5-2 win.

BOSTON -- Mackenzie Blackwood hardly looked like a rookie in net for New Jersey.

Blackwood stopped 40 shots for his first NHL victory, Blake Coleman scored twice and the Devils beat the Boston Bruins 5-2 on Thursday night.

Blackwood had plenty of help, even with leading scorer Taylor Hall out of the lineup, as the Devils took the lead 25 seconds into the game on a goal by Damon Severson.

"The team played awesome for me -- really made my job a lot easier," said Blackwood, who was making his second career start and playing in his fourth NHL game.

Kyle Palmieri added his team-high 19th goal for the Devils, who won on the road for just the fourth time this season.

Nico Hirschier had a goal and an assist and Andy Greene had a pair of assists as New Jersey got its first win in Boston in five years.

"We did a good job for the most part playing with the lead and I thought we were pretty consistent throughout the game," Devils coach John Hynes said. "It was nice to see Blackwood get his first win."

Hynes said Blackwood, who's 6-foot-4, covers a lot of area and has shown tremendous composure in his limited duty.

"Now you have a big mountain of a man who's in the net and has great athleticism but also plays with poise and is in good position. That's tough to beat," Hynes said.

Patrice Bergeron and Chris Wagner scored for Boston, and Jaroslav Halak had 28 saves.

Severson's early goal on a wrist shot from the right circle gave Blackwood a lead the Devils never relinquished.

"Obviously we didn't want to start the way we started, giving up a goal in the first minute of the game," Halak said. "It's always hard to keep the focus after that."

Hall, who has 11 goals and 26 assists, was out with a lower-body injury and did not make the trip. The Devils were outshot 42-33 but adjusted to his absence.

The Bruins had their biggest advantage in the second period with 19 shots to New Jersey's nine, but only Wagner got one past Blackwood -- a one-timer 15:07 into the period to pull Boston within 2-1.

"When they had some pushes, he made some big saves so it was great to see," Hynes said.

Coleman got the two-goal lead back for the Devils after he blocked a slap shot by Torey Krug at the blue line and outraced Brandon Carlo to the rebound for a breakaway, getting Halak with a backhand 4:15 into the third.

Hischier scored 12:43 into the third and Coleman scored into an empty net with 46 seconds remaining.

"We just need to learn from this one," Halak said. "We kind of kept chasing the game and when you're doing that, it's usually losing hockey."

The Devils went up 2-0 with 4:35 left in the first on a power-play goal by Palmieri, whose slap shot from the right point bounced off Halak and hit Carlo, then bounced back over Halak into the net.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 39

 3  2 OT

Kuraly scores in OT to give Bruins 3-2 win over Sabres

Sean Kuraly rebounds his own shot and scores to lift Boston to a 3-2 win vs. Buffalo.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Looking for a rare comeback victory, the Boston Bruins swarmed the Buffalo Sabres in the third period on Saturday night.

In overtime, an unlikely source did it all by himself.

Sean Kuraly scored 3:44 into the extra session to give the Bruins a 3-2 win. It was Boston's first victory this season when trailing through two periods after going 0-11-1 previously.

"I just wanted to get it on net, really," Kuraly said. "I got more on it than I really thought."

Kuraly's third goal of the season came on a terrific one-man effort. His initial shot from the top of the left circle led to a big rebound, and Kuraly followed up with speed to chip the loose puck into the net with one hand on his stick.

"I saw it was a forward I was coming down on," Kuraly said. "I just wanted to get there first. ... I was just going on like, whatever, intuition I guess."

Jake DeBrusk and Noel Acciari scored in regulation for Boston, which improved to 21-14-4 ahead of Tuesday's Winter Classic against the Chicago Blackhawks at Notre Dame Stadium. Tuukka Rask made 26 saves.

"To be able to come back, that's another feather in our cap for being able to do it that way," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "We needed it a lot. We wanted to enjoy these two days. Let's face it, for a lot of guys it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go up to South Bend. ... You want to go there and enjoy it."

Johan Larsson and Marco Scandella scored for Buffalo. Carter Hutton stopped 38 shots.

"I thought we played a very strong 60 minutes," Sabres coach Phil Housley said. "You can't fault our effort. We attacked the game. It's going to be like this for the rest of the season where it's going to be tight."

The Sabres had a prime opportunity to win with a power play in overtime but were unable to test Rask in the extra session.

"It goes to overtime and it can go either way," Larsson said.

The Bruins poured it on in the third, outshooting Buffalo 18-5, and were rewarded with DeBrusk's power-play goal with 2:29 remaining. With Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen in the box for kneeing, DeBrusk capped a critical Bruins power play by tipping home Torey Krug's long shot from the point to make it 2-all.

Scandella opened the scoring 4:40 into the game after a big effort by Sabres leading scorer Jeff Skinner. He raced around Zdeno Chara for a partial breakaway, which was stopped by Rask before Scandella buried the rebound.

A giveaway by Skinner, however, led to Boston tying it five minutes later. Acciari's ensuing shot was off target but ricocheted off Ristolainen for Acciari's first goal of the season.

Buffalo regained the lead on a short-handed goal 5:43 into the second. With Jack Eichel in the penalty box, Evan Rodrigues connected with Larsson on a 2-on-1 for Larsson's fourth goal.

It was the eighth short-handed goal allowed by the Bruins this season, most in the NHL. It was also Buffalo's first short-handed goal.

The teams split the final two periods of regulation, with Buffalo dominating the second and Boston dominating the third.