Boston Bruins 2018/19 Season Chatter

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 40

 4  2

Rask, Bruins top Blackhawks in Winter Classic

Makes 36 saves, Kuraly scores winner in third at sold-out Notre Dame Stadium; Chicago falls to 1-5 in outdoor games

by Dan Rosen / NHL.com Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Tuukka Rask made 36 saves and Sean Kuraly scored in the third period to lift the Boston Bruins to a 4-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic in front of a sold-out crowd of 76,126 at Notre Dame Stadium on Tuesday.

Kuraly scored the winning goal with 9:40 remaining for the Bruins, who improved to 2-1-0 in the Winter Classic. They defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in overtime in 2010 at Fenway Park, and lost in to the Montreal Canadiens 5-1 in 2016 at Gillette Stadium.

Kuraly, who scored in overtime at the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, scored his fourth goal of the season on a backhanded shot from the slot after Matt Grzelcyk's shot from the left point hit Chris Wagner in front and the puck bounced directly to Kuraly.

David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron each had a goal and an assist for Boston (22-14-4).

Brendan Perlini and Dominik Kahun scored, and Cam Ward made 32 saves for the Blackhawks (15-21-6), who lost in regulation for the second time in seven games since Dec. 18.

Chicago lost in regulation for the fourth time in as many Winter Classic games and is 1-5 in regular-season outdoor games

Perlini gave Chicago a 1-0 lead at 8:30 of the first period, when he scored on a one-timer from between the circles and below the hash marks.

Pastrnak's 24th goal of the season and 11th on the power play tied it 1-1 at 12:38.

The Blackhawks took a 2-1 lead at 11:24 of the second period when Kahun redirected Erik Gustafsson's shot from the point.

The Bruins tied it 2-2 at 18:48 of the second with their second power-play goal when Bergeron scored with a backhanded shot off a pass from Pastrnak that deflected off Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook.

Twenty-two seconds earlier, Bergeron stopped David Kampf on a breakaway by stripping the puck from him.

Brad Marchand scored an empty-net goal with 33 seconds remaining to make it 4-2.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 41

 6  4

DeBrusk, Marchand lift Bruins over Flames 6-4

Brad Marchand gives Boston the lead and David Pastrnak takes advantage of a power play for a second goal as they beat Calgary 4-3.

BOSTON -- The Bruins slowed down Johnny Gaudreau just enough Thursday night, and that got them past the high-scoring Calgary Flames.

Jake DeBrusk and Brad Marchand each had two goals, and Boston built off its Winter Classic victory by beating the Western Conference-leading Flames 6-4.

Boston has won three in a row and six of eight. Jaroslav Halak stopped 33 shots, and John Moore and David Pastrnak also scored.

"We have been offensively challenged for quite some time," Krug said. "We've had to win a lot of tight, low-scoring games, so it was nice to win one like this."

Even in a high-scoring game, Boston needed a few key stops on Gaudreau. The former Boston College standout scored from a tight angle with 9:27 left to cut Boston's lead to 4-3 and also had an assist, but he failed to convert on two breakaways. The diminutive All-Star was coming off consecutive four-point games.

"Gaudreau is a special player with his height and how he came into the league," DeBrusk said. "He's so nifty."

Mike Smith had 21 saves for Calgary, which has dropped five of eight. Michael Frolik, Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund also scored.

Pastrnak, David Krejci, Torey Krug and Patrice Bergeron each had two points for Boston. Krejci was all smiles after he and his wife had a baby boy Thursday morning.

"It was a special day," Krejci said. "They (Calgary) are really good and to get the two points was a cherry on top."

After Gaudreau's goal, DeBrusk quickly stretched the lead off a pass from Krejci with 6:14 to play. Backlund scored less than three minutes later to make it 5-4, but Marchand iced it with an empty-netter with 1:50 left.

"Caught him (Smith) off guard," DeBrusk said. "It was lucky, but I'll take it."

Frolik got Calgary going with a short-handed goal 7:46 into the game. He charged out of the box after he and Lindholm were called for penalties five seconds apart and beat Halak.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 42

 2 1

Wagner, Fourth Line Lead Bruins

Forward scores one day after grandfather's death as Boston beats Buffalo

by Eric Russo @NHLBruins / BostonBruins.com

BOSTON - Chris Wagner remembered back to the countless drives to the rink and the endless support, from his youth hockey days on the South Shore all the way up to his Winter Classic appearance on New Year's Day.

Whether it was from the stands or from a TV thousands of miles away, his grandfather was always watching.

So when Wagner's goal just 20 seconds into Saturday night's game with Buffalo was wiped off the board for goalie interference, the Walpole native had a pretty good idea of what his grandfather's reaction would be.

"He's probably laughing after that first goal was disallowed," Wagner said with a smile as he remembered his late grandad, Jim Phelan of Norwood, who passed away on Friday morning.

Wagner was, no doubt, playing with some added purpose and plenty of emotion, thus it was no surprise when the 27-year-old popped one in for real just under 10 minutes later to open the scoring in Boston's 2-1 victory over the Sabres at TD Garden.

"This was a special game for me. Maybe he was watching out for me, making the puck follow me around. Who knows? He would drive me around when my parents couldn't, went to all my games, watched all these games even up until the Winter Classic the other day, so it means a lot," said Wagner, who pointed skyward during both celebrations in tribute of his maternal grandfather.

"I was giving him a little tribute. He would probably be a little upset that I even acknowledged him. He was a humble guy and I'm going to miss him a lot."

From babysitting me, to driving me to school, practice and games when my parents couldn't, to just simply being there from the beginning and supporting me every step of the way... I enjoyed every second with you. You will be missed even more than you could have imagined. We love you Grampy R.I.P. Rom 14:8


Wagner certainly did his grampy proud. On the whole, it was one of the hometown boy's better games in Black & Gold since signing as a free agent in July, as the winger landed a team-high six shots on goal in 14:26 of ice time.

"Chris Wagner's effort tonight, in the rears of his grandfather passing is - that's a pretty special night. You couldn't be more happy for the guy," said David Backes, who notched Boston's other goal, the eventual winner just two minutes into the second. "You kind of clench your teeth a little bit when the first one gets called back…almost an identical shot on the second one and those are the things you can rally around."

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, looking to establish some early puck possession and energy against the Sabres, went with a different approach to start things off on Saturday night, opting to deploy his fourth line of Wagner, Sean Kuraly, and Noel Acciari for the game's first shift.

"I think we talked a little bit about trying to establish a little more consistency in the second half and maybe that's a line that starts games at home to establish puck possession early and tilt the territorial advantage," said Cassidy. "A lot of times it's [Patrice Bergeron's] line that gets the start, but maybe that's something we can look at going forward, and they certainly earned their keep tonight."

It was indeed a sound decision. The trio burst out of the gates and surged into the Sabres end off the opening draw, immediately seizing control when Wagner slapped home a Kuraly rebound just 20 seconds into the game.

But the goal was waved off for goaltender interference. Cassidy challenged, but the call on the ice was upheld after review.

"Luckily we got another chance. We kept getting chances, too," said Wagner. "I thought we played a pretty solid game tonight and it was nice getting off to a good start even though that goal didn't count."


The triumvirate was clearly unfazed by the disallowed goal and continued to cause havoc in the Buffalo end. And at 10:10 of the first period, they struck once again, this time for keeps.

With Buffalo attempting to exit the zone, Acciari forced a turnover and poked the puck back into the slot. Wagner was there to pick it up and unleashed a wrister by the glove-side of Buffalo goalie Linus Ullmark, putting the Bruins ahead, 1-0, with his fifth of the season, while also providing the perfect tribute.

"We knew he was hurting and it was really cool - unfortunately the first one didn't count - just being able to follow up with another one," said Acciari, who picked up his second assist of the season and landed six hits.

Overall, Boston's fourth line combined for 10 shots on goal and 10 hits, continuing their strong stretch of play, which included Kuraly's game winner in the Winter Classic against Chicago on New Year's Day.

"They were our best line. I don't think there's any doubt," Cassidy said of the trio's performance against Buffalo. "They've been real good together. I think Chris Wagner's game has really come along and Kuraly's as well. Noel's a good fit in there."

The success has coincided with Cassidy's tweak of the line's personnel, which had Kuraly switching to the wing and Acciari moving back to center.

"Noel's reliable back there. He is smart and in the right spots," said Kuraly, who also tallied the overtime winner in Buffalo last Saturday. "We know he is going to take care of our end, so when he is back there, personally I'm feeling good about the D side of it.

"When I get the puck it's got a little more energy than when I have played center so it's all about holding on to it and keeping the puck in their zone…I know when we are playing offense that they are not going to score on us. So, that's what we try to do and try to play downhill."

Cassidy believes that the grouping - which has seen time together at various points of the season - is beginning to read off of each other better, particularly on the forecheck, providing them with more opportunities and, thus, more confidence in the offensive zone.

"Earlier in the year I'm not sure they had that nailed down," said Cassidy. "[Wagner's] a good player in the league. I think maybe early on it took him a while to find his rhythm with his linemates. Maybe the puck's just finding him now and he's in one of those streaks where he's playing more."

Whatever the reasons, it all clicked on Saturday night. At the perfect time.

"It's been obviously a tough couple of weeks for my family. Going through some struggles," said Wagner. "Sports is a great outlet and [my grandfather] loved sports so [tonight] definitely meant a lot."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 43

 4  0

Rask stops 24 shots, Bruins shut out Wild 4-0


Patrice Bergeron shoots the puck from the point and it deflects off Jake DeBrusk's chest and into the net.

BOSTON -- Tuukka Rask was happy to share the credit after his first shutout of the season.

The veteran goalie stopped 24 shots for his 250th career win as the Boston Bruins beat the Minnesota Wild 4-0 on Tuesday night.

"Our team defense the past few games has been very good and I think it shows on the scoreboard and in the points," Rask said. "We're eliminating the offense of the opposing team very well and then getting rewarded at the other end. That's a great sign."

Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand each had a goal and two assists. Danton Heinen and Jake DeBrusk also scored as Boston won its season-high fifth straight game. John Moore and Torey Krug had two assists apiece.

Alex Stalock finished with 23 saves for Minnesota.

The Wild, who played Monday night in Montreal, managed just six shots in the first period and never recovered after Boston took a 2-0 lead on goals by Heinen and Marchand.

"You could tell that there was a little bit of fatigue," Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau said. "They had a good game plan. They came out right after us."

Rask earned his first shutout since blanking Tampa Bay on the road last March 17. He wasn't tested often, but did come up with a big glove save on Eric Staal with 5:42 left in the first. After stopping 12 more shots in the second period, Rask faced only seven from the weary Wild in the third and completed his 42nd career shutout.

Rask needs three wins to break Cecil "Tiny" Thompson's club record of 252.

"I've been lucky enough to be part of good teams," Rask said. "That's pretty much what it comes down to, I think. I've been fortunate to play here."

Boston jumped on Minnesota early and never let the Wild get much going offensively.

Heinen tipped in Moore's shot from the point 5:23 into the game and Marchand scored from nearly the same spot on a rebound off the end boards after a shot by Bergeron with 8:31 left in the period.

DeBrusk added a power-play goal with 45 seconds left in the first when the puck bounced off his chest. The assists went to Bergeron and Marchand, who combined again for Boston's next goal.

Minnesota's Zach Parise was called for tripping 6:05 into the second and the Bruins scored just 19 seconds into the power play when a shot by Marchand glanced off Bergeron's skate into the net.

Bergeron was credited with the goal, while Marchand and Krug both picked up their second assist of the night.

"Sometimes the puck luck comes in cycles and we'll take it," Bergeron said. "We got the bounces, but I thought we played really strong -- especially early in the game. We were on the puck and creating our chances."

The Wild, playing the second night of back-to-back games, wrapped up a 3-1 road trip.

"We're not going to make excuses. We've played some good teams," Staal said. "When you get behind against a solid team like the Bruins, it's going to be a tough night. We just didn't have enough momentum to carry us through."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 44

 2  4

Backstrom helps Caps win 14th straight over Bruins, 4-2

Ovechkin finds the back of the net twice in the Capitals' 4-2 road win in Boston.

January 10, 2019
BOSTON -- Nicklas Backstrom is a believer in puck luck, something the Capitals have had plenty of against the Bruins in recent years.

Backstrom and his teammates had luck on their side again Thursday night as he scored the third-period winner to help Washington win its 14th straight over the Boston Bruins with a 4-2 victory.

"Sometimes hockey isn't fair," Backstrom said after the Capitals won despite being outshot 41-22. "Even if they win the shots, we got the win. It's weird sometimes."

Backstrom, who sat out Wednesday's game against Philadelphia with an illness, glided in to the Bruins' zone and ripped a left-circle wrister past Jaroslav Halak for the go-ahead goal with 14:14 remaining.

Alexander Ovechkin netted his NHL-leading 31st and 32nd goals of the season, and also had the highlight hit of the game when he sent Zdeno Chara -- the NHL's tallest player ever at 6-foot-9 -- flipping head over heels into the Capitals' bench on a shove late in the first period.

The TD Garden crowd gasped, but play continued and there was no immediate on-ice retaliation. The Bruins captain tumbled back onto the ice quickly and rejoined the play.

Ovechkin declined to speak with reporters after the game about the hit.

Jakub Vrana also had a goal for the Capitals, whose streak against the Bruins dates to March 29, 2014.

"Didn't happen again against this team. Have to get over that hurdle," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. "A lot of nights that would be good enough for points, if not two points, but not tonight."

Ryan Donato and David Krejci each had goals for Boston. The Bruins suffered a season-opening 7-0 blowout loss at Washington on Oct. 3 when the Capitals celebrated last season's Stanley Cup title.

"That was a different night, but at the same time you know they're always coming out hard at home," Backstrom said. "I feel like they're way more physical at home than maybe on the road."

Halak had 18 saves for Boston, which had its five-game win streak snapped.

"I didn't make a save on the third goal. That's the bottom line," Halak said. "I got outplayed by their goalie, and you know, they got a win, so we just need to be better."

Washington led 1-0 after the first period despite being outshot 17-5. T.J. Oshie grabbed a giveaway by the Bruins and flipped the puck from the Capitals' end to a wide-open Vrana, who beat Halak with 13:22 to play.

Tensions boiled over in the second when Washington's Lars Eller and Boston's Brad Marchand got tangled up during a play. Eller, whose celebration in front of the Boston bench after scoring the Capitals' seventh goal in the opener drew postgame criticism from Marchand, was sent to the penalty box for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Donato tied it at 1 with 5:49 to play in the second. But, Ovechkin quieted the TD Garden crowd 39 seconds later when he converted after a feed from behind the net to make it 2-1.

Krejci ripped the tying power-play goal past Holtby from the right circle with 15:23 remaining in the third.

Ovechkin scored into an empty net with 1:35 left to seal the victory.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 45

Pastrnak's goal sends Bruins past Maple Leafs 3-2

 3  2


David Pastrnak scores in the 2nd period as Boston beats Toronto 3-2.

TORONTO -- A pair of miscues proved costly for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Boston Bruins.

Sean Kuraly and David Pastrnak pounced on mistakes by Toronto defensemen Jake Gardiner and Nikita Zaitsev late in the second period and turned a deficit into a lead as Boston grabbed a 3-2 victory Saturday.

"We came out and played the game we wanted to," said Toronto winger Mitch Marner, who scored his 17th goal of the season. "Just made a couple of mistakes and they didn't miss."

Kuraly set up both Pastrnak and David Krejci for the first three-point game of his career for Boston.

Tuukka Rask made 30 saves as the Bruins won the season series 3-1 and moved two points back of the Leafs for second in the Atlantic Division.

"Two big points," Kuraly said. "There was no other way to look at it."

Andreas Johnsson also scored for Toronto. Michael Hutchinson stopped 26 shots.

The Bruins beat the Leafs 5-1 at home on Nov. 10. Toronto countered 16 days later with a 4-2 victory at Scotiabank Arena. Boston won the third matchup 6-3 on Dec. 8 in a game that had 98 minutes in penalties.

It's only January, but it's there's a good chance the clubs could meet in a rematch of last spring's playoff series that went the distance -- a task Nazem Kadri said the Leafs would gladly welcome.

"We're always looking forward to playing these guys," the center said. "They're a great hockey team, they're well-coached.

"Tons of credit goes to them, but we're a good team, too."

Down 2-1 in the second, Boston got even at 14:47 when Gardiner fanned on a breakout attempt before having the puck stolen by Chris Wagner, who fed Kuraly, who scored his fifth.

Kuraly then intercepted Zaitsev's soft pass behind the net before feeding Pastrnak, who buried his 26th past a surprised Hutchinson with 13.7 seconds left.

Pastrnak, who took a puck off the cheek in warmup, now has 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) in 15 career regular-season games against Toronto -- including six goals and three assists in four outings this season -- after scoring five times and setting up eight against the Leafs in the 2018 playoffs.

Boston's top line of Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand entered Saturday with a combined 117 points in 122 regular-season contests against Toronto.

Hutchinson scrambled to stop a chance by Pastrnak early in the third to keep his team in it before Kadri missed the net from a difficult angle at the other end midway through the period.

Auston Matthews, who has just one goal in his last nine games, had Rask down with four minutes to go, but the puck rolled off his stick on what would be Toronto's best opportunity to tie.

"You've got to push through it," Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said. "A little struggle in your life never hurt anybody. Just dig in."

Boston led 1-0 after the first, but the Leafs got even at 7:37 of the second on a strange play. Johnsson's quick shot went off Rask, off Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller and dribbled into the net for the winger's 10th.

Toronto's dormant power play -- 1 for 36 over its last 13 games when removing a 3-for-3 effort against Florida on Dec. 20 -- came to life 1:53 later to give the Leafs their first lead when Marner blasted a slap shot past Rask on the short side.

Hutchinson, who spent three seasons in the minors with the Bruins after getting drafted 77th overall by Boston in 2008, got his fifth straight start for Toronto with No. 1 netminder Frederik Andersen -- sidelined since Dec. 28 with a groin injury -- out with the flu and backup Garret Sparks still recovering from a concussion.

"We knew it was going to be a close, hard-fought game right," Hutchinson said. "It was just that."

Krejci opened the scoring with 1:39 left in a first period where Toronto carried the balance of play after an early Boston surge.

Kuraly turned back in the offensive zone and fed Krejci, who scored his ninth.

The Bruins had two golden opportunities to take the lead early, but Marchand missed a wide-open net and Bergeron fired wide on a 2-on-1 break.

Rask, who improved to 5-0-0 with a .955 save percentage and a 1.28 goals-against average in his past five starts, then stopped Kadri on a wraparound before Zach Hyman's deflection went just wide.

Kasperi Kapanen had another great chance for Toronto prior to Krejci's opener, but Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk blocked his effort.

"For the most part we were pretty dominant," Kadri said. "A couple costly mistakes that we just need to shake off."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 46

 2  3 OT

Petry swats in OT winner to lead Montreal past Boston 3-2

BOSTON -- Somewhere along the way, Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry must have learned a little baseball, too.

The son of major league pitcher Dan Petry scored the game-winner just 15 seconds into overtime on Monday night, batting the puck out of the air and past Tuukka Rask to give Montreal a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins.

"That bloodline of Jeff Petry in the baseball world," Canadiens coach Claude Julien said with a smile, "he showed his talent on that goal."

Carey Price stopped 41 shots for the Canadiens, but he allowed David Krejci's 6-on-4 goal with 38 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. Once there, Montreal didn't need a lot of time to regain the lead.

After winning the opening faceoff, the Canadiens gathered in their own zone before Max Domi carried the puck over the blue line and then waited for Petry to get into position in front of the Boston net. Domi's shot went off Rask's glove and into the air, where Petry swatted it into the net with his backhand.

"We lost the draw and then all of a sudden, we never touch it," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said.

Paul Byron scored a short-handed goal, and Brendan Gallagher also scored to help Montreal earn its third victory in four tries.

Rask made 19 saves but lost for the first time in his last six starts. A year after the Bruins swept their Original Six rivals in the season series -- winning six matchups in a row in all -- the Canadiens managed to split their four meetings this season.

"It's our No. 1 rival, lot of history here," Byron said. "And every time you come in this building and win, it's huge."

Brad Marchand scored for Boston, giving the Bruins a 1-0 lead about six minutes into the game. Julien said the turning point was when Nicolas Deslauriers and Boston's Kevan Miller dropped their gloves late in the first period.

Although it was the Canadiens defenseman who lost his helmet and wound up on the bottom when the two went to the ice, Julien said it gave his team a boost.

"I think it helped," Julien said. "We scored afterward, and I think when you look at the kind of fight it was, there's no doubt it gave us a spark. ... It's the kind of thing we don't see much anymore, but I think the players and the coaches appreciated what he did."

Gallagher tied it about two minutes later. Late in the second, with Victor Mete off for hooking, Byron outskated Boston's Patrice Bergeron to a loose puck at the blue line and went in on the net, switching to his backhand before flipping it past Rask's glove for the go-ahead goal.

It stayed that way until Montreal's Michael Chaput was called for delay of game for shooting the puck over the glass with 2:05 left. Rask came off 30 seconds later, and the Bruins worked their two-man advantage and got the puck to Krejci, who wristed it into the net to assure Boston one point.

"We got one. Krejci got a big goal there late to get us that point," Marchand said. "Would have been nice to get the second with Toronto losing tonight."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 47

 3  4

Couturier hat trick rallies Flyers past Bruins 4-3


Sean Couturier scores three unanswered goals, as Philadelphia edges Boston 4-3.

PHILADELPHIA -- The doors to the Philadelphia Flyers locker room opened and Lionel Ritchie's "All Night Long" was cranked at full volume. Raise the roof and have some fun? Sure, the Flyers could afford to cut loose for a change and enjoy a rare string of success in an otherwise waste of a season.

Heck, even Gritty shook his beastly belly and danced with NASCAR champion Martin Truex Jr.

Sean Couturier had his first regular-season hat trick and rookie Carter Hart stopped 39 shots in another bright outing to lead the Flyers past the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Wednesday night.

"It's not something I was thinking about," Couturier said. "The pucks find their way in. It's nice to have them."

Couturier scored twice within 90 seconds in the second period and sealed the win with his 19th goal late in the third. "Coots" gave the Flyers hat tricks in consecutive games for the first time in 16 years after James van Riemsdyk kicked it off in Monday's win. Couturier's only two previous hat tricks had come in the postseason.

The Flyers could open their own Lids franchise with the hundreds of hats collected this week.

The Flyers entered in 30th place in the NHL and got a rare comeback victory in front of another sparse crowd at the Wells Fargo Center. The fans that showed up caught a slice of franchise history: Claude Giroux got his 500th career assist and joined Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke (852) as the only Flyers to hit that milestone.

"I've been lucky to play with really good players and (am) lucky to be able to give the puck to all these players," Girous said. "It's a great accomplishment, but we just have to keep going here."

Hart, the 20-year-old rookie goalie, had another solid game as he tries to meet the hype that surrounded his call-up last month. Hart may not get the Flyers to the playoffs, but he at least helped them win consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 18-20.

"We still have to find a way to have some fun," Hart said. "When I got called up here, we were in a bit of a slide and things weren't going too well. But they welcomed me with open arms."

Peter Cehlarik scored in his first game of the season and David Pastrnak scored in the first period to stake Boston to a 2-0 lead. Pastrnak scored on the power play just 4:29 into the game. Cehlarik made it 2-0 on a slapper where no Flyer was anywhere near him.

The Flyers didn't even take their first shot until nearly 12 minutes into the game, and it seemed like it was shaping up to be another sorry game for the fallen franchise.

They salvaged a goal in the first period when Giroux snagged a loose puck at the blue line and fed to Oskar Lindblom for his fifth goal of the season. Lindblom scored for the first time in 31 games.

Couturier took over from there and sparked the Flyers to one of their more memorable wins of the season. He tied it on a tip-in past Jaroslav Halak and got the feed from Wayne Simmonds -- after Carter turned away the puck off an odd-man rush -- for the 3-2 lead.

"They were more opportunistic or the goaltending was better at their end. Sum it up either way," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said.

Hart made the lead stand in a ferocious third where the Bruins got a second goal from Cehlarik to make it 4-2 with 1:06 left.

"He's a mature kid. He prepares himself pretty well and does a lot of little things away from the rink that helps the team on the ice," Couturier said. "He's pretty calm back there. It's what you want from your goalie."

Halak had 15 saves.

"I had to make that one big save in the third and I wasn't able to," Halak said.

Couturier has 18 goals and is one of the few untouchables -- along with Giroux and Hart -- the Flyers have as they trudge toward the Feb. 25 trade deadline. Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher, hired in November, will surely look to shake up the team and perhaps undergo a true rebuild.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 48

 5  2

Rask ties Bruins record for wins in 5-2 victory over Blues


Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson springs Chris Wagner with a long pass, and Wagner outmuscles his defender for the goal in Boston's 5-2 win over St. Louis.

BOSTON -- Tuukka Rask always tries to focus on the next win. This time, he made an exception.

The 31-year-old goaltender tied a Boston record with his 252nd career victory as the Bruins beat the St. Louis Blues 5-2 on Thursday night.

Rask made 28 saves and matched the franchise mark set by Cecil "Tiny" Thompson, who was 252-153 with 63 ties. Rask, the 2014 Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL's top goalie, is 252-145-56 in 474 games over 12 seasons with Boston.

Thompson won his 252nd game in his 11th and final season with the Bruins in 1938-39. He died at age 77 in 1981, six years before Rask was born.

"It's an Original Six franchise. I've had the luxury to be here for many, many years, so it obviously means a lot," Rask said. "Many more to come, hopefully."

Chris Wagner scored 5:27 into the third period to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead. Brad Marchand and Sean Kuraly added some insurance after earlier Boston goals from Torey Krug and David Backes.

"We got the go-ahead goal and after that we were flying and didn't give them a whole lot," said Rask, whose team had lost three of four (1-2-1) after a season-high five-game winning streak.

Ryan O'Reilly and Carl Gunnarsson had the goals for St. Louis. Jake Allen made 22 saves.

Blues left wing David Perron extended his NHL-leading and career-best point streak to 13 games (six goals, 10 assists) with a secondary assist on O'Reilly's goal.

St. Louis had won four of six (4-1-1) and earned at least one point in each of its previous five road games. The Blues finished a 2-1-1 trip after starting it with back-to-back wins over Dallas and Washington.

"It's a disappointing loss," O'Reilly said. "We could have turned this into a great road trip and we didn't."

Wagner's tiebreaking goal came after Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson's pass from the opposite blue line put him a step in front of Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo. Wagner deked to put Allen off balance before tucking the puck under his glove.

"He kind of just chipped it to me, I tried to knock it around Pietrangelo and fortunately got by him and made a nice move and just tucked it in," Wagner said.

Marchand ripped in a rebound after Charlie McAvoy's wraparound attempt bounced off Allen's pads to make it 4-2 with 6:48 remaining.

Kuraly tacked on an empty-net goal with 51.5 seconds left.

"(We) still had a chance in the third there," Pietrangelo said. "I can't let that guy get behind me on the breakaway."

Krug's uncontested wrister from the slot gave Boston a 1-0 lead 3:31 into the second period.

St. Louis tied it 53 seconds later when O'Reilly tucked in his own rebound from the right of the crease after Rask got a glove on his first attempt.

Gunnarsson gave the Blues a 2-1 lead when he capped a give-and-go with Jaden Schwartz with a one-timer from the left circle with 6:24 to play in the second.

Backes, a former Blues captain, got a piece of Zdeno Chara's slap shot to tie it again with four minutes left in the period. Backes' goal came with four seconds left on a Bruins power play following Robert Bortuzzo's cross-checking penalty.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 49

 2  3

Zibanejad, Lundqvist lead bangers past Bruins 3-2


Mika Zibanejad scores two goals, including the go-ahead on a power play with a wrist shot from the top of the left circle.

BOSTON -- Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist hopes his teammates take some time to think about how well they've played going into a long break.

He'll also have some time to reflect on his climb up the NHL's career wins list.

Lundqvist made 27 saves to take over sole possession of sixth place in wins and New York beat the Boston Bruins 3-2 Saturday night.

"I'm very proud to be on that list," Lundqvist said. "It's not something you think about when you start your career or seven, eight, nine years into your career. When you reach top 10, that's probably the first time you look at that list."

Mika Zibanejad scored two goals and Filip Chytil had the other for New York, and Lundqvist got his 446th win to break a tie with Terry Sawchuk and move eight behind Curtis Joseph for fifth. It was New York's fourth win in five games, and its eighth in the last nine meetings against Boston.

The Rangers will now be off for nine days for their bye week and the All-Star break.

"I think it's good to get a break and reflect why did we have a good week here," Lundqvist said. "Maybe we can do that on the beach somewhere and come back recharged."

Danton Heinen and Brad Marchand scored for the Bruins, who lost in regulation for just the second time in 10 games (7-2-1). Boston also lost starting goalie Tuukka Rask to a concussion late in the first period.

"He's concussed and that's all I know, so he'll go into the protocol," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. "Best case scenario for those is next day he's up and running."

Rask was hurt in a hard collision with Chytil, who was sent flying into his head by Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy after scoring a goal charging the net at full speed with 1 1/2 minutes left in the opening period.

The hit sent Rask onto his back, where he was down for a while before being helped to the bench and down the tunnel to the locker room. He entered tied with Cecil "Tiny" Thompson as the winningest goaltender in club history with 252 victories and was 6-0-1 in his previous seven starts. Rask had six saves and backup Jaroslav Halak finished with 11.

"It was scary," McAvoy said. "He seemed down and out. You saw firsthand the force that the guy went right into him. It didn't look good right away. I just wanted to make sure he was OK. He came back to and we got him off the ice. Just hopefully he's feeling all right."

Zibanejad scored the go-ahead goal on a power play with wrist shot from the top of the left circle with 10:55 left in the third.

"You want to go into the break with a good feeling especially when you're sitting with this game for nine days," he said.

He became the second player in team history to score the winning goal in three straight games. Rod Gilbert did it in 1966.

New York coach David Quinn, who led Boston University the last five seasons and played at the school, was back in TD Garden for the first time with the Rangers. Hanging above the ice was the Hockey East tourney championship banner the Terriers won last March.

Trailing 2-1, Boston tied it on Marchand's goal when banged in a shot from the top of the crease off David Pastrnak's feed 3:24 into the third.

With both teams facing the long layoff, the first period was somewhat surprisingly lackluster with limited hits, chances and rushes until Boston took a 1-0 edge on Heinen's goal with 2 1/2 minutes remaining.

Chytil's goal tied it a minute later and Zibanejad redirected Brady Skjei's shot by Halak to give the Rangers the lead at 5:22 of the second.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 50

 3  4 SO

Connor scores twice, adds shootout winner as Jets top Bruins

Trent Frederic drops the gloves and wins the bout against Brandon Tanev with his parents cheering in the crowd.

BOSTON -- A pair of Connors helped the Winnipeg Jets avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season.

Kyle Connor scored back-to-back goals 34 seconds apart in the third period and delivered the only goal in a shootout as the Jets rallied behind goalie Connor Hellebuyck to beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Tuesday night.

Hellebuyck stopped 36 shots, shutting out the Bruins in the five-minute overtime and all three rounds of the tiebreaker.

"I had a couple lucky ones tonight. I will say that," said Hellebuyck, who stopped Brad Marchand on Boston's final chance in the shootout. "I'll definitely take some credit, but I'm not the only one out there and I think everyone out there did their part."

Josh Morrissey also scored for the Jets and Mark Scheifele had two assists as Winnipeg rebounded from a 3-1 loss Monday night at Philadelphia following a nine-day layoff that encompassed the All-Star break.

"It's always tough coming off a break, no matter how much you put into it and stay in shape. Nothing's like game shape," Connor said. "I think as the game got on, we started to get our legs under us and just got back to the way we play hockey."

Patrice Bergeron scored twice for the Bruins. David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist, and Marchand assisted on all three goals for Boston in its first game in 10 days.

"We just had some breakdowns," coach Bruce Cassidy said. "You've got to be careful you don't beat yourself and I think there was a little bit of that tonight -- no disrespect to Winnipeg. They're one of the best teams in the National Hockey League, but I think some of it was self-inflicted and the good teams don't do that."

Cassidy was particularly upset about a sloppy line change that allowed Connor to get free for a quick breakaway after a turnover in the neutral zone. He beat Jaroslav Halak to tie it at 2-all 4:27 into the third period.

Connor gave the Jets their first lead 34 seconds later on a one-timer from the slot. Scheifele and Blake Wheeler assisted.

Bergeron scored from the slot with 8:21 left in the third for his second of the night but Boston couldn't get anything else past Hellebuyck, who played college hockey just 30 miles away at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.

"He was great," Connor said. "It's good when you've got that type of goaltender back there."

Pastrnak put Boston up 2-1 on a power-play goal with 1:27 remaining in the first period on a one-timer from the left point. Bergeron's one-timer 9:49 into the game gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead.

Winnipeg tied it with 5:27 left in the first on Morrissey's slap shot from the blue line after the Jets won a faceoff during a power play with Zdeno Chara serving a slashing minor. It was only the fifth shot of the period for the Jets.

Trent Frederic made his NHL debut for Boston and picked up his first career fighting major in the second period after a scrum in front of the Winnipeg net.

Frederic and Brandon Tanev separated from the pack for a 1-on-1 bout that earned the kid a standing ovation from Boston fans -- including his parents, who were shown exchanging high-fives in the stands as Frederic headed to the locker room.

"I wasn't really going in trying to get one tonight but it just happened," Frederic said.

The fight occurred with 3:44 left in the second and less than a minute after Boston's Keven Miller and Adam Lowry exchanged a flurry of punches at the other end.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 51

 2  3 OT

Sanheim scores in OT, Flyers beat Bruins for 6th straight

With the man advantage, Travis Sanheim's wrister goes in to propel the Flyers to a 3-2 win.

BOSTON -- The Philadelphia Flyers's holiday slump is well behind them. Now they're trying to salvage what had been a dismal season.

Travis Sanheim scored a power-play goal 2:56 into overtime and the Flyers beat the Boston Bruins 3-2 on Thursday night to extend their season-best winning streak to six.

The Flyers went 2 for 2 on the power play -- improving to 14.1 percent for the season -- and won in overtime for just the second time this season.

"We played one of our best games," said captain Claude Giroux, whose breakaway goal with 44 seconds left in the first period tied it at 1-1 and jumpstarted the Flyers for the remainder of the game. "I think it's confidence. When you get a couple wins you start feeling better about yourselves"

There was little confidence for Philadelphia at the beginning of the month during a losing streak that hit eight straight before the recent turnaround.

"I can't say enough about the way the guys played tonight," coach Scott Gordon said. "That has to be the best game we played. A little bit of a slow start, but you know, nothing that we couldn't recover from."

Sanheim had a goal and an assist, helping setting up Oskar Lindblom's tying goal with 9:24 left in the third period, then beat Tuukka Rask with a long wrist shot in the final seconds of a power play after Brad Marchand was sent off for tripping.

Jakub Voracek had two assists and Carter Hart made 23 saves for the resurgent Flyers, who have won seven of eight to improve to 22-23-6 and took the season series against the Bruins 2-1.

David Pastrnak scored both goals for the Bruins. Rask, out with a concussion since Jan. 19, stopped 38 shots in his return. The Bruins lost their third straight, making costly mistakes at crucial times once again.

"We have to fix it. The guys have to decide if they're going to play the right way and buy in and understand what we are right now," coach Bruce Cassidy said. "If we're scoring five goals a night, you get a little different animal. You can overlook some of those things. We're not in that position right now."

Travis Konecny, who drew the penalty on Marchand in OT, assisted with Sean Couturier on Sanheim's winner from the left circle.

Pastrnak scored a power-play goal 3:05 into the game to put the Bruins up 1-0, beating Hart with a one-timer from the left circle off Torey Krug's pass with 42 seconds remaining on Giroux's tripping penalty.

Pastrnak reached 30 goals for the third straight season when he tipped in a shot by Bergeron 5:11 into the second, putting Boston up 2-1.

Giroux beat Rask on a breakaway with 44 seconds left in the first to tie it at 1. It was just the eighth shot of the period for the Flyers, who got their offense going in the second period and outshot the Bruins 17-7, then continued to pressure Boston in the third.

Rask stopped Scott Laughton on a penalty shot 6:22 into the third, but the Flyers tied it with 9:24 left on Lindblom's power-play goal from the slot off a pass from Voracek.

Rask entered the game tied with Cecil "Tiny" Thompson as the winningest goaltender in club history with 252 victories. He was playing in his first game since Jan. 19, when a collision with New York Rangers' Filip Chytil left him with a concussion in the Bruins' final game before the All-Star break.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 52

 1  0

Bruins shut out Capitals to end 14-game skid vs. Washington

David Krejci's goal is the only score in the Bruins' 1-0 win over the Capitals.

WASHINGTON -- Boston Bruins players could feel themselves making progress in recent games against the Washington Capitals even as the losses piled up.

All it took was finishing one play, a commitment to team defense and a handful of timely saves by Tuukka Rask for the Bruins to end their 14-game skid against the defending Stanley Cup champions with a 1-0 victory Sunday. Boston beat Washington for the first time since March 29, 2014, and its 14 consecutive victories against Arizona are now the longest active winning streak against one opponent in the NHL.

"We've had some tight games," said Rask, who made 24 saves for just his second career victory in 19 appearances against Washington. "It's one of those things that just happens in sports where you get into these streaks of either winning or losing and at some point they're going to snap."

Thanks to David Krejci's goal, the Bruins snapped their three-game skid and handed the Capitals their eighth loss in nine games.

Outscored 45-21 during their 14-game run of futility, the Bruins dominated the Capitals in almost all facets of the game and would have blown them out if not for the play of goaltender Braden Holtby, who made 37 saves. Holtby was helpless to stop Krejci's shot on a one-timer after a tic-tac-toe puck movement and a cross-ice pass from Torey Krug midway through the second.

Rask earned "TUUK!" chants rom Bruins fans in attendance, no louder than when he flashed the glove to snare a shot from Travis Boyd in the slot in the third period. The Finnish goalie picked up his 253rd career victory to take over first place on the Bruins' all-time list.

"He was in control all night," coach Bruce Cassidy said. "We were pretty clean in front of him there till the end, and when we weren't, he was there for us. Happy for him, I think the guys in the room are as well and hopefully he keeps building on it."

Boston defenseman Brandon Carlo didn't believe there was necessarily a theme or specific problem that led to such a lopsided stretch against Washington and thought his team was getting closer to breaking through. Afterward, captain Zdeno Chara said the Bruins "finally" got the win against Washington.

In many ways, the Capitals had themselves to blame.

Fed up by mental mistakes, Capitals coach Todd Reirden used ice time as a weapon to punish players. He benched Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitrij Jaskin for much of the first period after each took a penalty and Andre Burakovsky for the first few minutes of the second for a defensive-zone turnover that almost led to a goal.

Washington leads the league with 191 minor penalties.

"I think as you get past the All-Star break and you start making a push toward the playoffs, that's an area we have to get better in, as we've taken far too many minor penalties with our sticks," Reirden said. "We have to be more disciplined if we're going to have success moving forward from here, and I thought the last 30 games is a good time to implement that."

Alex Ovechkin returned to the lineup after being forced to sit out Friday against Calgary for skipping All-Star Weekend. Ovechkin powered around Chara for a scoring chance in the first period but couldn't crack Rask. He will need to wait at least one more game to pass Sergei Fedorov for the most points by a Russian player.

"I'm so happy he didn't get it on me," Rask said. "I didn't know that. That would've been in my head if I knew that. That's good. I'm not facing them again, so that's good."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 53

 3  1

Bergeron scores 2 in 1,000th game, Bruins beat Islanders 3-1


Patrice Bergeron scores off a rebound, then David Pastrnak lets Bergeron record the empty-net goal in the Bruins' 3-1 win vs. the Islanders.

BOSTON -- Patrice Bergeron told his Boston teammates that all he wanted in his 1,000th career game was for the Bruins to come out of it with two points.

The Bruins did, as did Bergeron, who scored twice in Boston's 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.

"It's been a fun ride. It was a special game that way," said Bergeron, only the fifth player in Bruins' history to play 1,000 games for the club.

Bergeron scored early in the second period and added an empty-netter in the final minute to cap off the night.

"Did you really expect anything else? That guy just steps up in every situation," said Brad Marchand, who assisted on both of Bergeron's goals. "You know he's going to have a big game on a milestone night like tonight. It was great to see. He's one of the top players in the game for a reason."

Marchand made sure Bergeron got a keepsake from the night when he skated out to the blue line and retrieved the puck after Bergeron's first goal put Boston up 1-0 at 2:32 in the first period.

David Pastrnak also assisted on both goals for Bergeron, passing up an empty-net opportunity and leaving the puck for Bergeron to tap in with 55 seconds left.

"I saw him look back and I was like `oh no, he's going to drop it,' but we were definitely alone and I very much appreciated it," Bergeron said.

Peter Cehlarik also scored and Tuukka Rask stopped 28 shots for the Bruins, who handed the Metropolitan Division-leading Islanders their first regulation loss in more than three weeks.

Jordan Eberle scored for the Islanders and Robin Lehner finished with 24 saves as New York's run of eight straight games with a point came to an end. The Islanders entered the game with a 6-0-2 stretch since a 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Jan. 12.

"We had a couple good looks and Tuukka made some good saves," Eberle said. "They're a good team over there. They don't give you much. We definitely had our opportunities, though."

The Islanders were just 1 for 5 on the power-play, failing to score on a great chance in the third when Boston's Matt Grzelcyk was called for two minors -- tripping and slashing -- on the same play with 11:41 left.

"At the end of the day we could've used another one, but give them credit. They killed it off," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said.

Cehlarik broke a 1-all tie 6:34 into the third on a rebound after Lehner stopped Kevan Miller's initial shot. It was the third goal of the season for Cehlarik.

Bergeron put the Bruins up 1-0 at 2:32 of the second period when he poked in the rebound after Lehner stopped a one-timer by Pastrnak but couldn't control the puck.

Bergeron was congratulating his teammates after the final horn when Bruins' captain Zdeno Chara, who's 6-foot-9, picked up the 33-year-old center in a giant bear-hug.

"I wanted to get back down, but I couldn't. He had a pretty strong grip," Bergeron said with a laugh. "That was pretty funny, but I don't know if I want to see that video."

The Islanders tied it on Eberle's power-play goal with 3:20 left in the second on a wrist shot that got through Rask on the stick side.

The Islanders appeared to take a 2-1 lead 4:52 into the third on a wrist shot by Cal Clutterbuck, but the Bruins challenged, believing Clutterbuck was already across the blue line when Casey Cizikas brought the puck into the zone.

Fans booed when they saw the replay and got louder as the review stretched past a few minutes. The boos turned to cheers when referee Chris Schlenker announced the play was offside and the goal didn't count.

Cehlarik put the Bruins up for good less than two minutes later.

"The second goal was a turning point because now you're chasing against a very good team that defends very well," Trotz said.

Game notes

Bergeron joined Ray Bourque (1,518), Johnny Bucyk (1,436), Don Sweeney (1,052) and Wayne Cashman (1,027) as the only players to play 1,000 games with the Bruins. .

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 54

 3  4 SO

DeAngelo gets deciding goal in shootout, Rangers beat Bruins

Tony DeAngelo roofs a goal in the shootout, then Alexandar Georgiev shuts the door with a save to seal a 4-3 Rangers' win over the Bruins.

NEW YORK -- Successful in his only previous shootout attempt, Tony DeAngelo tried the same approach. And he got the same result.

DeAngelo scored the decisive goal in the seventh round of the shootout and the New York Rangers rallied from two goals down in the third period to beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Wednesday night.

"I kind of did the same move as last time," said DeAngelo, who beat Jaroslav Halak with a forehand from the right side into the top right corner. "To come back, pick up two points coming back down two in the third is a big win for us."

Mika Zibanejad, Kevin Hayes and Filip Chytil scored for New York and Alexandar Georgiev finished with 27 saves. The Rangers won for the second time in five games (2-2-1) after a stretch in which they won four of five.

"We gave them too many opportunities in the second period," New York coach David Quinn said. "We talked about we just go to move past that, we can't let that bad second period get in the way of the third period. ... We did a pretty good job in the third."

Danton Heinen, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron scored for Boston, Brad Marchand had two assists, and Halak stopped 36 shots. The Bruins, who squandered a 3-1 lead in the second, had a two-game winning streak end, but earned a point for the fifth straight game (2-0-3).

Zibanejad and Marchand each scored in the third round of the tiebreaker. After DeAngelo gave the Rangers the edge, they won it when David Krejci missed on the Bruins' last attempt. That improved New York to 6-2 in shootouts this season.

Each team had chances as they alternated odd-man rushes in the 3-on-3 overtime, with Halak making a sensational save to deny Zibanejad with 1:06 left. Halak earlier thwarted Chytil in front. On the other end, Georgiev stopped Sean Kuraly's tip try with 1:23 to go.

"We let it slip in the third," Bergeron said. "That's where it was played out. That game shouldn't be going to overtime."

The Rangers pulled to 3-2 at 9:24 of the third when Jimmy Vesey sent a centering pass in front and Hayes poked it past Halak for his 12th.

Chytil then tied it on a power play, knocking in the rebound of Pavel Buchnevich's slap shot from the left side with 7:19 left for his 10th.

"We got the much-needed goals and kept working," Zibanejad said. "Had some good chances in overtime, and finished it off in a shootout. It was nice."

Boston was down 1-0 after one period, but took the lead with three goals about 4 1/2 minutes apart in the second.

First, Matt Grzelyck's slap shot from the left point deflected off Heinen and past Georgiev with 9:23 left. It was Heinen's seventh of the season.

Pastrnak then put Boston ahead with his 31st, deflecting a pass in front by Krejci into the right side with 8:11 remaining.

Bergeron, who played in his 1,000th game Tuesday night in a home victory over the Islanders, gave the Bruins a two-goal lead, tipping Torey Krug's pass in front for his 19th with 4:49 remaining. It was Boston's third power-play goal in 17 chances over the last six games.

The Rangers outshot the Bruins 12-8 in the first period.

Zibanejad gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead on a one-timer from between the circles with 2:15 left in the opening period. It was his 22nd goal of the season, and 11th in the last 12 games.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 55

 5  4 OT

Bergeron scores OT winner to lift Bruins past Kings 5-4


Patrice Bergeron scores a game-winning overtime goal in the Bruins' 5-4 victory over the Kings.

BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins honored Patrice Bergeron before the game. He made sure there was a celebration at the end.

Bergeron scored a power-play goal with 2:26 left in overtime, and the Bruins beat the Los Angeles Kings 5-4 Saturday after blowing a two-goal lead.

"The legend continues," Boston's Brad Marchand said. "It's great to see him have the game that he had. It was a great ceremony at the start. He deserves all the recognition that he's been getting, and he's gotten over the last few years."

The Bruins held a pregame ceremony for Bergeron, who earlier this week became the fifth player in team history to play 1,000 games with the club. During the first period, there was a video tribute that included congratulations from Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman and former Red Sox star David Ortiz.

"I had to kind of look away a few times," Bergeron said. "It was pretty special to hear from all these guys."

He had set up two other goals before beating goalie Jonathan Quick with a wrister from the right circle for the game-winner.

"To get the win was very special," he said. "That's what I said on the bench -- `We've got to find a way' -- and we did."

Marchand, David Krejci and Danton Heinen each scored a goal in a 3:22 span early in the third period to give the Bruins a 4-2 edge before the Kings came back. Los Angeles tied it on Oscar Fantenberg's slap shot from the point with 4:47 left in regulation for his first goal of the season.

"The guys battled back," Kings coach Willie Desjardins said. "Was a little disappointing to start the third. We could have been better at the start of the third for sure."

Nate Thompson's goal cut it to 4-3 with 10:41 to play.

Charlie McAvoy had the other goal and Tuukka Rask stopped 25 shots for Boston, including Adrian Kempe's breakaway in the first minute of OT. The Bruins have collected at least a point in eight of their last 10 games (4-2-4).

Alex Iafallo and Anze Kopitar also scored for the Kings, who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Quick made 28 saves.

Krejci gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead just 90 seconds after Heinen tied it early in the third. Skating in on rush, Torey Krug fired a shot off the right post before Krejci sent the rebound into the net.

Heinen had banged in a rebound from the edge of the crease 3:27 into the third.

The Bruins then took their two-goal lead when Marchand converted a perfect pass from Bergeron for a short-handed goal at the end of a 2-on-1 break.

Trailing 1-0 midway into the second period, the Kings scored twice in just under six minutes to move ahead. With Krejci in the penalty box for slashing, they tied it on Iafallo's power-play goal at 8:13, a shot from the right point that caromed in off Rask.

Kopitar made it 2-1 when he one-timed a pass from Dustin Brown from the bottom of the right circle at 14:02.

"We worked hard to get the 2-1 lead and we kind of feel asleep there," Los Angeles forward Brendan Leipsic said.

The Bruins had moved ahead 1-0 when Bergeron set up McAvoy's goal 4:38 into the second. Bergeron collected a pass down low, twisted his hands quickly and made an off-balance feed to McAvoy, who was coming hard down the middle toward the net.

Quick made a couple of nice stops late in the scoreless first. The best was when he came across the crease to block Peter Cehlarik's shot from the bottom of the right circle.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 56

 2  1 OT

Marchand's OT goal lifts Bruins over Avalanche 2-1


Brad Marchand knocks in a goal in overtime to break a 1-1 tie and carry the Bruins to a 2-1 victory over the Avalanche.

BOSTON -- Brad Marchand has a knack for the net in overtime. A lucky bounce helped him get another winner for the Bruins on Sunday.

Marchand scored 4:03 into the extra period after his shot deflected off an opponent's skate, extending Boston's points streak to seven games with a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.

Patrice Bergeron left the puck at the top of the right circle for Marchand, who skated into the slot and inadvertently used Matt Calvert's skate to get the puck past goalie Semyon Varlamov.

Marchand extended his franchise record with his 14th career overtime goal.

"We got a lucky bounce, and we'll take it," Marchand said.

John Moore also scored and Jaroslav Halak made 35 saves for the Bruins, who improved to 4-0-3 in their last seven.

Boston (31-17-8) moved one point ahead of rival Montreal for third place in the Atlantic Division and trails second-place Toronto by a point.

"It was a needed point for us," said Halak, who snapped a personal five-game skid. "The standing in our division, it's tight, and it's going to be a race until the end so we need to keep getting points right now."

Nathan MacKinnon scored his 29th goal for Colorado, tying Gabriel Landeskog for the team lead. Varlamov had 33 saves as the Avs lost their seventh in a row (0-3-3) but earned a point with a third straight overtime loss.

"Tonight's just a wrist shot that happens to hit our guy's foot and changes direction," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said.

Colorado (22-22-11) fell 4-3 in OT at Washington on Thursday before losing by the same score Saturday against the Islanders in New York.

"This is kind of the luck we've been having with it," Bednar said. "We're working on it, we're watching video on it, guys are paying attention to what we're saying and defending hard 3-on-3."

Bednar called his team's three-game points streak "a huge step forward," but the sentiment differed inside the Avs' locker room.

"It's just not good enough," Varlamov said. "We've got to find a way to win in overtime."

The Avalanche sit four points out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

MacKinnon gained control of the puck in the corner before charging the net and beating Halak high on the glove side for the game's first goal with 32.1 seconds left in the first.

Boston tied it on Moore's goal nearly four minutes into the second. The veteran defenseman's wrist shot from atop the left circle found its way past a screened Varlamov for his third goal of the season.

MacKinnon's perfectly-timed exit from the penalty box during a Bruins power play midway through the period resulted in a breakaway, but he hesitated and jammed the puck against Halak's blocker.

Moore nearly scored another when he dumped the puck into the Avs' zone, only to have it take a wild bounce off the glass and zip past an unsuspecting Varlamov with 24.1 seconds left in the second. The referees waved it off, saying the puck went out of play after hitting the curved glass next to Boston's bench.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 57

 6  3

Bruins beat Blackhawks 6-3, snap Chicago's 7-game win streak


David Krejci accounts for two of the Bruins' six goals as they defeat the Blackhawks 6-3 and defend home ice.

BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins needed someone to replace David Pastrnak's production while their leading scorer recovers from thumb surgery.

For one night, at least, they found the solution: just about everyone.

David Krejci, Danton Heinen and Brad Marchand each scored during a four-minute span at the end of the first period and the Boston Bruins beat the Blackhawks 6-3 on Tuesday night to snap Chicago's seven-game winning streak.

"We're going to need contributions from everybody with Pasta going down like that," Marchand said, singling out Heinen and Jake DeBrusk, who each had a goal and two assists. "It's great to see them add so much depth to our group. We need that to continue."

Krejci scored again in the third period, when Marchand picked up his third assist, to help the Bruins win for the fifth time in six games. Peter Cehlarik also scored for Boston and Patrice Bergeron had a pair of assists on the day that general manager Don Sweeney announced that Pastrnak would miss at least two weeks after injuring a tendon in his left thumb.

"It doesn't hurt (to score a lot) when your best scorer goes down," said Tuukka Rask, who stopped 23 shots. "Six goals, that's good for the goalie."

Collin Delia made 31 saves, and Alex DeBrincat and Duncan Keith scored for Chicago, which hadn't lost since Jan. 17. Patrick Kane had an assist for the 14th straight game, tying Stan Mikita for the longest assist streak in the history of the Original Six franchise.

"We had a really good run. I think we built a lot of confidence within ourselves," Keith said. "We know what we were doing well and what we were doing to have success, and tonight we only did that in spurts. Against a good team like Boston, they're going to make you pay. And they did."

DeBrincat scored about four minutes into the game, wristing a long, seemingly harmless shot that trickled through Rask's pads. The Bruins killed off a 5-on-3 power play and then Krejci tied it with about five minutes left in the period.

Heinen gave Boston the lead less than a minute later, and another 3:23 later Marchand made it 3-1. DeBrusk gave Boston a 4-1 lead late in the second.

"When you kill a 5-on-3 I can tell you your whole bench gets picked up," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "The skill guys want to go out there and reward the (penalty) killers."

Boston failed to capitalize on a two-man advantage of its own, but the Bruins did have two power play goals -- even without Pastrnak, who was tied for ninth in the NHL with 66 points and is seventh with 31 goals.

General manager Don Sweeney said earlier Tuesday that the 22-year-old forward was injured when he fell Sunday night after attending a team sponsorship dinner. According to Sweeney, the doctor will re-evaluate the injury and the timetable in two weeks, but Pastrnak is expected to return this season.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 58

 3  0

Bruins beat Ducks 3-0 for 4th straight win

Jake DeBrusk scores a power-play goal in the second period as the Bruins shutout the Ducks 3-0.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Boston Bruins have been trending in the right direction for a while.

Jaroslav Halak is starting to round into form again.

Halak made 30 saves in his fourth shutout of the season, and the Bruins beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-0 on Friday night for their fourth consecutive victory.

"It's a team effort all the time," Halak said. "Like anytime we win a game or I get a shutout, it has to be everybody on the same page and I think tonight we were for 95 percent of it, and that makes you successful. We opened up the trip on the right note."

Noel Acciari and Jake DeBrusk scored for the Bruins, who have earned at least a point in nine consecutive games. Chris Wagner added an empty-netter with 1:31 remaining.

Halak has won consecutive starts since a 1-4-2 stretch during which he allowed 23 goals. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy attributed the rough patch to the defense's inability to clear traffic from in front of the net and give the Slovakian goalie a chance to see the puck.

"He had a real hot streak at the start, cooled off a little," Cassidy said. "A product of both those streaks is usually the team in front of you. You play well, they keep the net clear, the goalie is going to look good."

Halak did his part, denying Corey Perry on an odd-man rush that was set up by Rickard Rakell's stellar backhand pass in the opening minute of the second period.

Halak also got some help when defenseman Brandon Carlo deflected Brandon Montour's follow-up shot of a breakaway by Ducks rookie forward Max Jones late in the first period.

Jones didn't have the angle he wanted initially and hesitated to shoot after racing past three Bruins at the blue line, allowing Halak to square up and make the initial save.

"A couple of times I got help from my D by clearing the puck or making a save for me, but I think it was a good effort," said Halak, who got his 46th career shutout.

Acciari put the Bruins in front 5:31 into the first period when he tipped Carlo's powerful slap shot past Boyle, ending a 16-game scoreless streak.

The Bruins made it 2-0 on DeBrusk's power-play goal 5:07 into the second. Anaheim goalie Kevin Boyle got caught out of position after challenging David Krejci, who easily skated past the rookie and fed DeBrusk for an easy tap-in. DeBrusk scored for the second straight game.

"Yeah, I was grinding for that one, that's for sure," DeBrusk joked. "It was pretty much lying in the crease and I had a front-row view to it, and it was just nice to be in the right place at the right time and help the team."

The Ducks have dropped 20 of their past 23 games. They have been shut out three times in their past nine games and scored a total of nine goals in that span.

"You can't expect to shut teams out every night," Ducks defenseman Josh Manson said. "It's unfortunate, but we know we have to score. It doesn't change anything for us."

Boyle made 26 saves.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 59

 4  2

Bruins knock off Kings 4-2 for 5th straight win

Alex Iafallo thinks he has a goal, but Tuukka Rask makes the highlight-reel save to keep the game tied.

LOS ANGELES -- Charlie McAvoy and the Boston Bruins made one last push in the third period.

It worked.

McAvoy scored with 1:13 remaining, and the Bruins beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 on Saturday night for their fifth consecutive victory.

McAvoy scored on a backhand after Alex Iafallo tied it for Los Angeles 15:37 into the third period. Patrice Bergeron added an insurance goal at 19:23.

"You've got to win in a lot of different ways if you want to be a good hockey club so tonight, it was not that we were behind but it looked like the game was going to get away from us late there and a quick turn of events it goes our way," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said.

The Bruins improved to 7-0-3 in their past 10 games. Jake DeBrusk scored for the third consecutive game, Brad Marchand got his 23rd of the season and Tuukka Rask made 23 saves.

Ilya Kovalchuk had a power-play goal for the Kings, who have lost four straight. Jack Campbell, a surprise starter with Jonathan Quick out because of an illness, made 20 saves.

Los Angeles appeared to have the momentum after Rask's kick save of a shot by defenseman Paul LaDue went right to Iafallo for his 12th goal of the season, and Marchand was whistled for a hooking penalty on Kings center Jeff Carter 23 seconds later. But the Bruins did not allow a shot on the ensuing Kings power play.

"Very proud of how we played in the third," said Rask, who won his fifth straight start. "Even after they tied the game, a few minutes left and then we get a penalty, we did a great job with that penalty kill. It just shows how resilient our group is."

Kings captain Anze Kopitar shattered his stick over the crossbar of his own net after McAvoy scored, which he attributed to anger over his defending on the play and frustration from the team's inability to produce with the man advantage.

"With four minutes left and having a power play in a tie game, we have to find a way to score," Kopitar said. "We didn't even get in the zone. That's embarrassing."

Rask did his part to stifle the Kings, making a brilliant save on Iafallo late in the second period. Rask is 11-0-2 in his past 13 starts.

"He was the biggest reason why we won the game tonight, obviously," DeBrusk said. "He was holding the fort down and it was impressive to watch."

Game notes

DeBrusk set a career high with his 17th goal of the season. ... Bruins F Karson Kuhlman played 9:47 in his NHL debut. Kuhlman was captain of Minnesota-Duluth's 2018 national championship team and named most outstanding player of the NCAA tournament that season.

[Guest grabby]

On 10/6/2018 at 7:37 PM, BluPuk said:

If the Boston Bruins are not competing for first place in their division I will be very, very surprised. They haven't got the talent they have had in past years, but they still have 'guts'. My second favourite team to watch. 

Boston Bruins really have the guts and it's disappointing if they won't join. They make the competition worth to watch.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 60

 6  5 OT

McAvoy's OT goal sends Bruins to 6th straight win

Joe Thornton records his first hat trick since 2010 in San Jose's 6-5 loss to Boston.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A controversial non-call helped the Boston Bruins avoid what would have been a dispiriting loss. Then an unexpected source extended their winning streak.

Charlie McAvoy scored the game-winning goal in overtime and the Boston Bruins beat the San Jose Sharks 6-5 on Monday night in a game featuring two of the NHL's hottest teams.

McAvoy's fourth goal of the season came with 1:01 left in overtime.

After blowing an early three-goal lead, the Bruins trailed 5-4 with 1:49 left in the game when Chris Wagner tied it with his eighth goal of the season.

The Sharks said Wagner should have been called for high sticking in front of the net just before he slipped the puck past Sharks goalie Martin Jones.

"I think I got it shoulder length," Wagner said. "They didn't call a high stick so I knew it was good. It was a good break for us. It's pretty cool, we score six goals and we're on a roll."

The Bruins won their season-best sixth straight game and extended their point streak to 11 games (8-0-3).

"There were some funny goals and some lucky ones. In the end, let's take the two points," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said.

Boston moved three points ahead of Toronto for second place in the Atlantic Division.

"We saw the replay and it's just unfortunate the refs can't (review) it," Sharks center Joe Thornton said of Wagner's goal. "Tough break, but definitely an entertaining game tonight."

The Sharks lost despite Thornton's fifth career hat trick.

San Jose had won seven of their previous eight games and 14 of 18 going into Monday. They fell out of a tie for first place with Calgary, which defeated Arizona.

Thornton's hat trick was his first since Oct. 27, 2010, against the New Jersey Devils. Thornton's first two hat tricks came when he was playing for Boston, the team with which he spent his first eight seasons.

"It was a spectacular night for him, considering it's his first NHL team, the history behind that," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "Couldn't have written a better script other than winning the game."

Thornton's third goal and 13th of the season broke a 4-4 tie at 13:32 of the third period.

Tuukka Rask had 38 saves for Boston. The Bruins scored three goals in the span of less than five minutes to take a big early lead.

Torey Krug got the Bruins with a power play goal (his sixth) at 13:49 of the first period.

Zdeno Chara followed it with his fourth goal and rookie Karson Kuhlman scored his first career goal with 1:34 left in the period.

Jones had 20 saves.

"It was one of those games that went back and forth. Some missed calls, things happen that affect the game," Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk said. "It was big to come out on top of this one."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 61

 3  2 SO

Backes scores shootout winner, Bruins top Golden Knights 3-2

David Backes scores in the sixth round of the shootout, as the Bruins top the Golden Knights 3-2.

LAS VEGAS -- David Backes didn't know what to think when Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy called his number in the sixth round of a shootout Wednesday night against the Vegas Golden Knights.

So, he didn't.

Instead, Backes took instruction from teammate Brad Marchand, skated in stick side on veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and scored the game-winner low-glove side to lift Boston to a 3-2 win over the Golden Knights for the Bruins' season-high seventh straight victory.

"I was still in shock when he called my name with some of the guys that hadn't gone yet," Backes said. "I thought there was at least a handful before me, but got the call and went out there, I'm a shooter by nature ... I tried low glove and it worked out and good ending to the fourth game of our trip. He's an all-world goalie altogether, but in shootouts he's lights out."

Jake DeBrusk and Brad Marchand scored in regulation for Boston, which is 8-1-1 in its last 10 on the road -- including wins in the first four games of a western trip. The Bruins' win streak is their longest since a 12-game run in 2014.

Jaroslav Halak stopped 31 shots and has now won his last three starts, allowing just three goals along the way.

"It was a battle, I thought the first period they were better than us, but I think as the game went on, we started playing better," Halak said. "I think we battled through it. I was happy going into overtime, at least we get a point. And that extra point for us, I think, is huge."

The Bruins, who are 9-0-3 in their last 12 overall, haven't lost in regulation since a 3-2 setback to the New York Rangers on Jan. 19. Boston improved to 11-2-2 against Pacific Division opponents and 18-4-4 versus Western Conference foes.

"I thought it was a good hockey game, it could have went either way, similar type teams I think," Cassidy said. "The whole month we've been good, consistent. Part of that is to do with our lineup has become consistent because our injured guys are back. They've got some time under their belt. We had a lot of different guys in and out, so we're gaining some chemistry again."

With the win, second-place Boston increased its lead in the Atlantic Division over Toronto to four points.

Meanwhile, Vegas fell to 3-6-1 in February and 3-8 since Jan. 21. The Golden Knights, who have been outscored 40-27 during their 11-game skid, are 1-5-1 in their last seven games at home.

Reilly Smith and Nate Schmidt scored for Vegas, while Fleury finished with 25 saves. Fleury has lost four in a row and seven of his last nine starts. He has allowed 19 goals in last five starts, and 28 in the nine-game span.

"We got one point and played a great game," Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. "I'm tired of saying the (other team's) goalie was the first star, but he played great and we hit a couple posts. I think if we played the game over, we'd probably win it. But it was a great hockey game. I thought it was a playoff atmosphere against a great team. Were we disappointed we didn't get two points? Definitely. But I'm not going to fault our group for that effort. They played real well and worked hard. They did exactly what I wanted."

DeBrusk scored for Boston in the first round of the shootout and William Karlsson tied it for Vegas in the second.

DeBrusk got things going for the Bruins 11 minutes into the game, when he put a nifty spin move on Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore as he collected a pass from David Krejci and fired a wrist shot past Fleury to give Boston a 1-0 lead. Smith tied it late in the first period when he punched home a rebound from Cody Eakin's shot from the point.

Marchand gave the Bruins a brief lead, as he took a pass from Danton Heinen and beat Fleury with a blast 69 seconds into the third. Schmidt raced past McAvoy, collected the puck and snapped a backhand over Halak to tie the game just 27 seconds later.

"I think just in general our team knows, this time a year you gotta play together, play the right way and I think that's a credit to the leadership and that's why we've won games," Cassidy said. "It's not just one thing, it's a combination of playing solid hockey."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 62

 1  2 SO

Blais scores shootout winner, Blues beat Bruins 2-1


Sammy Blais waits for Tuukka Rask to commit, then roofs what would be the deciding goal in the Blues' 2-1 shootout win over the Bruins.

ST. LOUIS -- Sammy Blais didn't expect his name to be called in the shootout. He was ready when the opportunity came.

Blais scored in the sixth round of the tiebreaker to lift the St. Louis Blues to a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

"I thought they would choose someone else," Blais said. "But it worked out, so I was pretty happy about that."

Blais, who was recalled from San Antonio of the AHL on Thursday, was not even sure he would dress for the game. He took regular shifts in regulation and overtime, but was stunned when interim coach Craig Berube selected him as the shootout grinded along.

"You have a feel," Berube said. "He's got good hands, he can score."

Alexander Steen scored in regulation for St. Louis, which had a franchise-record 11-game winning streak snapped on Thursday in Dallas. Jordan Binnington stopped 31 shots through overtime and then five more in the shootout to improve to 14-2-1.

"This was fun," said Binnington, who has four shutouts but was in a shootout for the first time. "It was big game for us, so we're happy for that extra point."

Chris Wagner scored for the Bruins, who had a seven-game win streak snapped but earned a point for the 13th consecutive game. Tuukka Rask made 28 saves.

Tyler Bozak also scored for St. Louis in the shootout, and Charlie Coyle had a goal for Boston.

Blais patiently waited out Rask, holding the puck until the goalie went down before lifting it high from a wide angle.

"When he went down a little bit, I saw an opening," Blais said. "It worked."

Rask waited until the very last second before making his move.

"I thought I had my leg there," Rask said. "But I couldn't get it close enough. He made a great shot."

Steen scored for the first time in 27 games to give St. Louis a lead in the first period lead. He whipped a wrist shot from the faceoff circle past Rask on the Blues first shot of the contest at 7:15.

Wagner tied it in the second by converting off a past from Kevan Miller.

Coyle was making made his debut for the Bruins. He was acquired in trade with Minnesota for Ryan Donato and fifth-round draft pick on Wednesday. Coyle played 16:36 and won eight of 12 faceoffs.

The Bruins went without a regulation loss during the five-game road trip that including three consecutive one-goal games.

"The guys had some fun together, they bonded," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. "At the end of the day, I'm happy with the we played."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 63

 4  1

Marchand has goal, 2 assists as Bruins beat Sharks 4-1

Brad Marchand has no help, but is able to deke out Erik Karlsson and go 5-hole for the shorthanded goal in Boston's 4-1 win vs. San Jose.

BOSTON -- After an even first period, the Boston Bruins dominated San Jose in the second and outslugged the Sharks in the third.

The Bruins continued to surge in the Eastern Conference standings with a 4-1 win over the Sharks on Tuesday night, Boston's eighth victory in nine games and 14th straight with at least one point.

"It's nice to get those plays here and there, but it's really just off of playing strong, good hockey," said Brad Marchand, who had a goal and two assists.

Charlie McAvoy and Jake DeBrusk scored 37 seconds apart in the second period and David Krejci had a goal in the first for the Bruins, who were back at home for the first time in two weeks.

The win set up a showdown Thursday with the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning, who still hold a 17-point lead over the second-place Bruins in the Atlantic Division.

The Bruins outscored the Sharks 3-0 in the second and held San Jose to just four shots in the period.

"We take a lot of pride in our game, especially the defensive part of it," said captain Zdeno Chara, whose fight with San Jose's Evander Kane early in the third set the tone for the final period.

Logan Couture scored for San Jose, and Martin Jones stopped 28 shots. The Sharks, who lost to the Bruins for the second time in eight days, wrapped up a 2-2 Eastern Conference swing.

"I thought the first 10 minutes of the second, we started to get some legs and grab some momentum. I liked our game, then within a minute and a half, we're down 3-1 after a couple mistakes," San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said. "But that's what a good team does to you and I think the game ran away from us from there."

The Bruins, who had won seven straight before a 2-1 shootout loss at St. Louis on Saturday, broke the game open in the second, scoring three times and just missing on several more opportunities during a flurry late in the period.

McAvoy scored 9:09 into the second to put the Bruins up 2-1 on a wrist shot from the slot. DeBrusk scored 37 seconds later after forcing a turnover at the blue line and starting a 3-on-1.

Marcus Johansson, traded to Boston from New Jersey on Monday, assisted on DeBrusk's goal in his Bruins debut.

"It means a lot, especially this time of year. We can't always rely on the same guys," Chara said. "It's very important that we have other guys stepping up and making plays."

Marchand made it 4-1 when he split a pair of defenders in the San Jose zone and got in alone on Jones for a short-handed goal 12:28 into the second.

Couture put San Jose up 1-0 on a power-play goal 12:47 into the game. Krejci tied it on a power play less than two minutes later with a one-timer from the left circle. Torey Krug and Marchand assisted.

Things got chippy early in the third period, when Kane received a game misconduct after a fight with the 6-foot-9 Chara. The 6-foot-2 Kane took an elbow from the Boston captain and went directly after him for a one-sided bout that left him bleeding from a facial cut.

Kane said he was upset when he didn't see a penalty was being called on Chara, then jumped him from behind.

"It was a hit right to my face," Kane said. "If I'm going to be officiated in a different way, what am I supposed to do beside defend myself?"

Chara was called for elbowing, Kane for instigating and both received 10-minute misconducts and fighting majors. Kane spent 29 seconds in the penalty box before something he said got him tossed from the game 3:51 into the third.

Boston's David Backes and San Jose's Michael Haley dropped the gloves five seconds later.