Boston Bruins 2019/20 Season Chatter

[Brewin Flames]

Hoffman scores in SO, Panthers rally to beat Bruins 5-4

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Game # 18

 

 4  5 SO

 

By

Associated Press

Updated: 6 hours ago

BOSTON -- Down four goals after two periods, Florida coach Joel Quenneville switched goalies and the Panthers responded with the biggest comeback in club history.

 

Mike Hoffman scored one of four Florida goals in the third period and added the winner in a shootout as the Panthers rallied from a four-goal deficit and beat the Boston Bruins 5-4 on Tuesday night.

 

"Obviously, you don't want to be down 4-0 at any point in the game -- especially with only one period left," Hoffman said. "But the guys in here stuck together, dug deep and just tried to chip away."

 

The Panthers continued chipping away and won a game they trailed by four goals for the first time since they joined the NHL as an expansion club in 1993-94.

 

Keith Yandle had a goal and two assists for Florida and Sam Montembeault didn't allow a goal after replacing Sergei Bobrovsky at the start of the third period.

 

Montembeault finished with 15 saves, six in overtime, and stopped Charlie McAvoy on Boston's last chance in the shootout as the Panthers completed the comeback and gave Quenneville career victory No. 899.

 

"It's huge. We never gave up. We talked to each other after the second," Montembeault said.

 

Aaron Ekblad and Frank Vatrano also scored for Florida. Jonathan Huberdeau added three assists for the Panthers, tying him with Stephen Weiss for the most assists in club history with 249.

 

Florida won its second straight game in a shootout and picked up four points on a three-game road trip against the Islanders, Rangers and Bruins.

 

"We found a way to come up with big wins and today was the biggest of them all," Quenneville said.

David Pastrnak scored his league-leading 16th goal for Boston, which broke a scoreless tie with four goals in the second, but could not hold off Florida.

 

The Panthers got two power-play goals in the third and scored twice at even-strength before prevailing in the shootout.

 

"Things got compounded," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. "It seemed like we took a lot of marginal penalties tonight and we didn't kill them."

 

Joakim Nordstrom, Anders Bjork and Zdeno Chara also scored for Boston, and Tuukka Rask made 25 saves.

David Krejci had two assists for Boston, which lost its fourth straight.

 

"We had some looks," Rask said. "Definitely if it's four-nothing going into the third you expect to win."

Pastrnak put the Bruins up 1-0 at 11:55 of the second on a wrist shot from the top of the left circle. Nordstrom beat Bobrovsky 2:07 later on a wrist shot from the right circle to make it 2-0 for the Bruins.

 

Boston added goals by Bjork and Chara, taking a 4-0 lead into the third. Florida regrouped after Quenneville pulled Bobrovsky for Montembeault.

 

Ekblad scored 50 seconds into the third, Vatrano cut the margin to 4-2 on a power-play goal 5:26 into the period and the Panthers weren't done.

 

Hoffman scored on a backhand 9:43 into the third and Yandle, who assisted on two of Florida's first three goals, completed the comeback when he scored with 1:39 left in regulation after a rebound drifted to him high in the slot.

[Brewin Flames]

Marchand scored twice in 3rd, Bruins beat Maple Leafs 4-2

Game # 18

 

 4  2

 

 

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By

Associated Press

Updated: 13 hours ago

TORONTO -- Toronto captain John Tavares smashed his stick against the post late in another loss in which a decent effort was undone by preventable errors.

 

That's been a recurring theme for the Maple Leafs this season.

 

Brad Marchand scored twice in the third period and the Boston Bruins defeated Toronto 4-2 Friday, handing their Atlantic Division rivals a fourth consecutive setback.

 

"We're just on the wrong side of it," Tavares said. "It was a pretty good hockey game other than a couple of mistakes that obviously hurt us."

 

Charlie Coyle had a goal and an assist, and Zdeno Chara added another score for Boston (12-3-4). Tuukka Rask made 29 saves for the Bruins, who snapped a 0-2-2 slide.

 

"It's a game that we get up for," said Marchand, whose team has eliminated the Leafs in the first round of the playoffs the last two springs. "A lot of history."

 

Auston Matthews and Kasperi Kapanen scored for Toronto (9-8-4), which got 30 saves from Frederik Andersen.

The Leafs have just six regulation victories this season, and only two in their last 14 games.

 

"There's a huge sense of urgency," Tavares said. "We're not where we want to be."

 

Boston snapped a 1-1 tie 11 seconds into the third when Marchand scored his 12th goal of the season, scoring off his own rebound after stepping around Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly.

 

"Just ends up in our net," Rielly said. "I don't know what you want me to say."

 

Toronto countered at 3:54 when Kapanen took a feed from Tavares and scored his sixth. Marchand silenced the crowd just 1:14 later, slicing between two Maple Leafs in the slot and again following up his initial shot.

"He really took (the game) over," Rask said. "He wanted to be the difference maker."

 

Neither side gave up much the rest of the way until Chara scored into an empty net with 1:33 left in regulation, prompting a frustrated Tavares to splinter his stick against the iron.

 

"It's not something I, personally, really want to do," he said. "Some emotion came out ... just kind of happened."

 

"We've got a lot of hockey left to play," Tavares added. "It's not going to change overnight. We've got to continue to put the work in and fix our mistakes and continue to find ways to be better -- and stay with it -- because it's going to be hard."

 

Without star winger Mitch Marner (high ankle sprain) and center Alexander Kerfoot (dental fractures), Jason Spezza was in the lineup for the Leafs. But Toronto's injury bug continued in the first when Trevor Moore took a big hit and didn't return.

 

The Bruins were minus defenseman Torey Krug, as well forwards Jake DeBrusk and Brett Ritchie, who are all nursing upper-body ailments.

 

Boston, which has eliminated its Atlantic Division rival in the first round of the playoffs the last two springs, led 1-0 after 20 minutes before the Leafs tied it midway through the second.

 

Jake Muzzin's shot from the point looked to be headed wide, but Matthews lunged his stick out in the slot for a redirection that fooled Rask at 9:20. It was Matthews' his 14th goal, withstanding a brief video review.

 

The Bruins had a chance to retake the lead moments later when Sean Kuraly fired high over Andersen's net on a breakaway.

 

Boston got a power play later in the period, with David Pastrnak just missing on a one-timer and Patrice Bergeron hitting the post on the rebound off the end boards.

 

Toronto nearly scored to grab its first lead when Kapanen put the puck through Bergeron's skates at the blue line and then slid a no-look, behind-the-back pass to Tavares, but the Leafs captain couldn't find the target.

Boston grabbed a 1-0 advantage at 13:48 of the first when Coyle scored his third of the season after another Toronto mix-up in the defensive zone.

 

Leafs blue-liner Travis Dermott was battling the Bruins center in front, but left his check to challenge Matt Grzelcyk, who promptly fed Coyle from behind Andersen's net.

 

Both goalies were sharp early, with Andersen stopping Marchand and Pastrnak, while Rask stymied Andreas Johnsson on a partial breakaway before Spezza misfired a loose puck with what looked like a sure goal. Matthews also hit the post from in tight.

 

Moore took a crunching, open-ice hit from Chris Wagner later in the period, went right to Toronto's locker room and was ruled out shortly thereafter.

[Brewin Flames]

Oshie ties it, Caps beat Bruins 3-2 in shootout

Game # 19

 

 2  3 SO

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By

Associated Press

Updated: 16 hours ago

BOSTON -- Jakub Vrana faked left, pulled the puck back toward his skates and then dragged it along the ice as he prepared to shoot.

 

 

Goalie Jaroslav Halak kept sliding the wrong way.

After T.J. Oshie scored with 59 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, Vrana faked Halak out in the fifth round of the shootout for Washington's first lead of the night and the Capitals rallied to beat Boston 3-2 on Saturday in a matchup of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.

 

"Nasty," said Travis Boyd, whose first-period goal was the only one Washington managed in the game's first 59 minutes.

 

"Ultimately, you've got to believe if you continue to do the right things you're going to continue to get those chances, and eventually one's going to go in. And sometimes it takes all the way to the last minute of the game."

 

Boston led 2-1 when the Capitals pulled goalie Braden Holtby for an extra skater with about 85 seconds left in the third period. They quickly established possession in the Bruins zone, then tied it when Oshie converted on Evgeny Kuznetsov's pass from behind the net.

 

Charlie Coyle scored to open the shootout for Boston, but Holtby stopped the next four tries.

 

 Nicklas Backstrom tied it on Washington's third try and then, after Halak's glove save on Alex Ovechkin went to a replay review, Vrana scored the winner.

 

"He had some big saves in the game. In a situation like this, I felt like you've got to do something different to put the puck through him," Vrana said.

 

"I had a chance to see how he reacted a couple shooter before me. I took advantage."

 

Holtby stopped 21 shots for Washington, which outshot the Bruins 44-23 in regulation.

 

David Pastrnak scored to break a second-period tie, and Coyle also had a goal in regulation. Halak made 42 saves for Boston, which has beaten the Capitals just once in 15 tries (0-11-4).

 

"He was our best player by far," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "He made a number of outstanding saves, and again in the shootout."

 

The Bruins are winless in five games that went to overtime or shootouts.

 

"We haven't been able to pull the win out of shootouts," Pastrnak said. "Usually shootouts are 50-50. These days it's probably 20-80."

 

Coyle gave Boston the lead midway through the first when he skated through the slot and one-timed a pass from Danton Heinen.

 

Washington tied it before the period was over on a double deflection of John Carlson's shot from the blue line that went first off Boyd's stick and then hit Bruins defenseman Urho Vaakanainen's before bouncing into the net.

 

But Pastrnak put Boston ahead with his 17th goal of the season, bouncing it off Holtby into the net with 3:30 gone in the second period.

[Brewin Flames]

Pastrnak, Grzelcyk score 2 each, Bruins beat Devils 5-1

 

Game # 20

 

  5     1

 

 

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By

Associated Press

Updated: 8 hours ago

NEWARK, N.J. -- After blowing a couple of late leads, the Boston Bruins got back to playing the right way with the game on the line.

 

They got stingy on defense, turned to old reliable David Pastrnak for offense, and got a little help from a couple of unexpected sources -- defensemen Matt Grzekcyk and Connor Clifton.

 

Pastrnak and Grzelcyk scored two goals apiece, and Brad Marchand added three assists to lead the Bruins over the New Jersey Devils 5-1 on Tuesday night.

 

Tuukka Rask made 25 saves and the Bruins scored three times in the third period to break open a one-goal game and beat the Devils for the eighth time in nine meetings.

 

The win was only Boston's second in the last seven games (2-2-3), and there were some ugly defeats. In recent shootout losses, the Bruins blew a four-goal lead in the final 20 minutes against Florida and allowed a last-minute goal to Washington.

 

"I thought we played fairly stingy and tonight we had a chance to extend the lead on the power play, we simplified, got it to the net and took advantage of our opportunities," coach Bruce Cassidy said. "I thought we did a good job of limiting them."

 

Pastrnak has an NHL-high 19 goals in 21 games, including 17 in his last 16 contests. Grzelcyk had six career goals in his first 149 games in the NHL.

 

The defenseman had his first two-goal game in No. 150.

 

"We wanted to learn from our mistakes from last game, so we wanted to make sure we came into that third period playing the right way and that's what we did," Pastrnak said. "We kind of controlled the whole period and that's why we won."

 

Blake Coleman scored for New Jersey, which was looking for its first three-game winning streak since December 2018. Mackenzie Blackwood made 23 saves in starting for the 12th time in 14 games.

 

"We weren't hungry enough. We were flat. No excuse," Coleman said.

 

"We talked ad nauseam how important this game was and we wanted to get some traction as a team. There is no excuse to lay that egg."

 

Marchand set up Grzelcyk and Pastrnak for goals 14 seconds apart in the first period for a 2-0 lead.

 

Coleman cut the margin in half late in the second, but the Bruins broke it open in the third.

 

Pastrnak drew a penalty from P.K. Subban at 3:11 and scored eight seconds later with a rising shot from inside the blue line that whizzed past Blackwood.

 

"We needed a big penalty kill there and we didn't get it done," Devils captain Andy Greene said. "That obviously gave them the momentum."

 

Grzelcyk stripped the puck from Subban at the Devils line and skated in to beat Blackwood in close for a 4-1 lead at 10:33.

 

"Amazing goals, especially the second one," Pastrnak said of Grzelcyk. "It's nice and we're happy for him. He was feeling it today."

 

Clifton got his second of the season on a point shot.

 

Boston top line center Patrice Bergeron missed his second straight game with an undisclosed injury. David Krejci centered for Pastrnak and Marchand, and the line finished with seven points.

 

Cassidy expects Bergeron back for the next game.

[Brewin Flames]

Marchand, Pastrnak lead Bruins past Sabres 3-2

 

0:26

 

 

 

0:12

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0:26

 

 

 

 

 

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Rask makes incredible save with blocker

Tuukka Rask lays out to stone a potential goal with his blocker, as the Bruins go on to defeat the Sabres 3-2.

 

Game # 21 

 

 3  2

 

 

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By

Associated Press

Updated: 15 hours ago

BOSTON -- Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak again showed they are one of the NHL’s most dangerous duos.

 

Marchand scored his 14th and 15th goals of the season, Pastrnak got his league-leading 20th and the Boston Bruins beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on Thursday night.

 

Marchand and Pastrnak became the first teammates with 15 goals apiece in their team’s first 22 games since Tampa Bays Steven Stamkos and Ryan Malone in 2009-10, according to Sportsnet Stats.

 

Even with 73 points between them, Pastrnak isn’t ready to declare themselves the sport’s best offensive tandem.

 

“Definitely not. I’m not thinking about that,” Pastrnak said. “We’re just having great chemistry. We’ve been playing together for a while.”

 

Tuukka Rask stopped 36 shots to help the Bruins win for the third time in four games (3-0-1) following a season-high four-game skid.

 

Rask’s night included a candidate for save of the year. The 2013-14 Vezina Trophy winner wowed the crowd with a diving blocker save across a vacant net on Evan Rodrigues’ shot with Buffalo trailing 3-1 in the third period.

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever made a save like that,” Rask said. “It could be (the save of the year). I don’t often make highlights like that too often like that because I try to be in position to make saves. It’s fun to make a save like that.”

 

Rasmus Ristolainen and Brandon Montour each scored and Linus Ullmark had 24 saves for the Sabres. Buffalo has dropped nine of 10 (1-7-2) after winning nine of its first 12 games.

 

“We played a little better but it’s another loss,” Montour said. “We’ve got to start winning some hockey games.”

Bruins star center Patrice Bergeron had an assist in his return after missing two games with a lower body injury.

 

Marchand’s second of the game came on a power play with 5:15 left in the second period to put Boston up 2-1. Matt Grzelcyk skated into the slot and fired a wrist shot that bounced right to Marchand, who threw the puck in under Ullmark.

 

Pastrnak spoke glowingly of Marchand.

 

“He’s so smart and he’s been playing really well for us. Just an unbelievable player,” Pastrnak said. “I have a huge respect for him, the way he has become the player he is today. … He’s one of the best players in the NHL right now.”

 

Pastrnak’s second-chance, power-play strike made it 3-1 two minutes into the third. Rask helped seal the win with his save on Rodrigues at 4:51.

 

“It’s arguably the save of the year,” Rodrigues said. “You just tip your hat and move on. That was something else.”

 

Montour’s one-timer from the top of the left circle brought the Sabres to 3-2 with 7:02 remaining.

 

Buffalo led 1-0 after Ristolainen scored his first of the season on a rebound of Jack Eichel’s shot from the left circle 5:25 into the game.

 

The Sabres pelted Rask with 13 shots to open the game before Brandon Carlo logged the Bruins’ first shot with 7:49 left in the first.

 

Boston tied it on its second shot after Marchand tipped in Zdeno Chara’s shot from the blue line with 6:08 to play in the first.

 

“We’re lucky that we got out of there tied and not behind by five, so good thing we did have Tuuks there that first period,” Marchand said.

 

Buffalo finished the first with a 17-4 advantage on shots, but was outshot 20-19 after that.

 

“We played as good a first period as we could play and dominated in every, every area of the game, except the score,” Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said. “The guys deserved more from that.”

[Brewin Flames]

Bruins rally late, beat Wild 5-4 in OT on Krug's goal

 

Game # 22

 

  5   4 OT

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By

Associated Press

Updated: 17 hours ago

BOSTON -- It was only fitting the Boston Bruins got their first overtime win of the season after a comeback like that.

 

Torey Krug scored 2:41 into OT after David Krejci had two goals in the final two minutes of regulation, rallying the Bruins to a 5-4 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night.

 

The Bruins were 0-5 in extra time this season, losing once in OT and four times in the shootout.

 

"Might as well go down swinging if you're going to a shootout," Krug said, joking. "That's not our thought process, but looking at it you might as well think that way. We were in attack mode a little bit more."

 

Jake DeBrusk and Brad Marchand also scored to help Boston pick up at least a point for the seventh straight game (4-0-3). Tuukka Rask finished with 32 saves in place of backup Jaroslav Halak, who was scheduled to start.

 

"We fought through," Marchand said. "It's not always going to be pretty. You're not going to have your best every night, but we're finding ways to win games."

 

Rask stopped Jason Zucker on a breakaway with about three minutes to play in regulation and made a stop with the toe of his skate nearly doing the splits off a deflected shot in OT before Krug's game-winner.

 

"We had our chances to put the game away," Zucker said. "I've got to score on that. That's three goals up."

 

Victor Rask, Eric Staal, Kevin Fiala and Zucker scored for the Wild, who were on the verge of sending Boston to its first regulation loss at home this season but fell to 3-0-2 in their last five games. Alex Stalock had 34 saves.

 

The Bruins remained the only NHL team yet to lose in regulation at home (9-0-4).

 

"Sometimes coaches take it a little harder than players. I'll get over it tomorrow," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said.

 

"We played a team that's played 12 games in their building and hadn't had a regulation loss. Arguably the best team in the league and we played them shot-for-shot, hit-for-hit until the last five minutes. Once they got that feeling it was hard to stop them."

 

Krug cut between a pair of Minnesota players and slipped a shot between Stalock's pads for the winner.

"In overtime, I don't know what we were thinking," Boudreau said.

 

Trailing 4-2, Boston started its improbable comeback when Krejci scored his first with Tuukka Rask off for an extra skater with 1:55 to play. Then, with Luke Kunin off for tripping and Rask pulled again, Krejci one-timed Patrice Bergeron's pass by Stalock from the left circle with 1:07 left in regulation.

 

Trailing 1-0, Boston tied it when DeBrusk, cutting across in front of the crease, tipped Zdeno Chara's shot into the net at 4:14 of the second.

 

Minnesota moved back ahead exactly two minutes later on Victor Rask's second of the season. Skating in hard for the rebound of Jared Spurgeon's shot from the point, the puck went into the net off the center's right skate as he collided with Boston defenseman Steven Kampfer.

 

With Chara off on a double minor for high sticking, Staal chopped a rebound into the net from the edge of the crease, making it 3-1.

 

Marchand shoveled a short shot by Stalock with 3.1 seconds left in the second.

 

Fiala was credited with a goal when the puck went into the net off Boston defenseman Krug's stick, making it 4-2 at 5:19 of the third.

 

Minnesota opened the scoring at 8:53 of the first when Zucker, positioned just outside the crease, scored on a backhander off the rebound of Brad Hunt's shot from the right point 7 seconds into a power play.

 

As Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy's penalty expired later into the period, he jumped onto the ice and joined in to make a 2-on-none break with Marchand, who fed the puck over, but Stalock came across the crease to rob him.

 

McAvoy, still looking for his first goal this season, also charged in for a loose puck early in the third but fired it over the net on a shot that would have tied it.

[Brewin Flames]

Pastrnak records 2nd hat trick, Bruins rout Canadiens 8-1

 

Game # 23

 

  8   1

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By

Associated Press

Updated: 14 hours ago

MONTREAL -- David Pastrnak doesn’t care about a margin of victory. It’s getting the win that counts.

 

Pastrnak recorded his second hat trick of the season and the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins routed the Montreal Canadiens 8-1 Tuesday night.

 

Jake Debrusk, Brad Marchand, Anders Bjork, Charlie Coyle and Danon Heinen also scored for the Bruins (16-3-5), who have won four straight.

 

Marchand, Coyle, David Krejci and Torey Krug had two assists apiece, while Sean Kuraly had three.

 

“It’s good that a lot of guys got on the score sheet,” said Pastrnak, who has 23 goals in 24 games this year.

 

“Two points is two points, no matter how you get there. Whether you win 1-0 or 8-1, it doesn’t matter for tomorrow. But we can enjoy it tonight and get some confidence and wash it off tomorrow.”

 

Captain Shea Weber scored the only goal for the Canadiens (11-8-5), who have lost five straight.

 

“You have two choices right now,” Montreal forward Brendan Gallagher said. “You can continue to fight and battle as a group, or you can choose to shy away from little bits of adversity. That’s the opportunity that we have right now -- choose to fight and work our way out of this.

 

“It’s not fun, but it’s something that can be pretty rewarding if you’re able to do it. If you’re not, it’s frustrating and it continues to grow and grow.”

 

Bruins backup Jaroslav Halak made 36 saves and improved to 6-0-0 against Carey Price, his former teammate in Montreal.

 

Price gave up five goals on 11 shots before being pulled in the second period. Keith Kinkaid stopped 10 of 13 shots in relief.

 

“There’s always a way to turn things around” Price said. “Every team goes through tough scenarios throughout a long season and right now we’re in one of those funks.

 

“We can’t dwell on it for too long. I’ve been in this game long enough to know you can’t pout your way out of a situation like this one.”

 

Boston extended its points streak to eight games (5-0-3) and moved ahead of Washington atop the conference standings.

Claude Julien made no changes to a Canadiens team that blew a four-goal lead and lost 6-5 to the New York Rangers on Saturday.

 

Price gave up six goals on 34 shots to the Rangers and struggled even more against the Bruins, who were without Patrice Bergeron (lower-body injury).

 

A nice give-and-go led to Debrusk’s opener on the power play at 8:03 of the first period. Weber tied the game at 12:41 on a rebound at the side of the net.

 

That’s when Pastrnak got to work on his seventh career hat trick.

 

The NHL’s leading goal scorer, Pastrnak beat Price with a one-timer on the power play at 14:24 for Boston’s second score on five shots.

 

Marchand made it 3-1 on a bad giveaway by Jeff Petry behind his own net with 37 seconds remaining in the first. It was the winger’s 600th NHL point. Price conceded three goals on eight shots in the first.

 

Pastrnak’s goal eight seconds into the second period sealed Montreal’s fate, and Bjork gave Boston a 5-1 lead on a breakaway a minute later.

 

Julien took a timeout and pulled Price -- the first time that has happened since Dec. 9, 2017.

 

Pastrnak completed his hat trick when he deflected Brandon Carlo’s shot past Kinkaid at 9:06 of the second.

 

Coyle made it 7-1 on a one-timer at 8:26 of the third as fans left Bell Centre. Heinen added an eighth for Boston with 2:02 left.

[Brewin Flames]

Chara scores go-ahead goal, Bruins beat Senators

 

Game # 24

 

 2   1

 

 

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By

Associated Press

Updated: 6 hours ago

 

OTTAWA, Ontario -- Zdeno Chara made himself right at home -- at the Ottawa Senators’ expense.

 

The 42-year-old former Ottawa star broke a tie midway through the third period in the Boston Bruins’ 2-1 victory over the Senators on Wednesday night.

 

Chara was given a standing ovation in the first period when the Senators congratulated the Boston captain for reaching 1,500 NHL games this month.

 

“It was something I didn’t expect, usually I get a little heads up before the game,” Chara said. “It’s such an overwhelming reaction. I only have great memories.

 

The fans are so supportive of this team and this city and I made a lot of close friends that I’m still in touch with until today. I can’t thank them enough. Every time I played for this team they showed 100% support. They’re great fans.”

 

Brad Marchand also scored and Tuukka Rask made 33 saves. The Bruins have won five straight and 10 in a row against the Senators.

 

Thomas Chabot scored for Ottawa, and Anders Nilsson stopped 19 shots. The Senators had won five in a row at home.

 

“I thought we worked really hard,” Senators coach D.J. Smith said. “We made a couple mistakes and they ended up in our net. Some real good players of theirs scored and we just haven’t found a way to score on our chances, but I dont know if we can play much better through two periods.”

 

Marchand tied it at 5:15 of the third with his 18th goal and Chara gave the Bruins the lead at 8:45.

 

Chabot scored 41 seconds into the third.

 

Ottawa has lost back-to-back games after winning three straight.

 

“We had them,” Chabot said. “I think we played real well and halfway through the game they only had like six shots or whatever it was on net. It was a good game. Obviously, we made a little mistake on that second goal in our own zone and it ended up in our net. I think we still did a good job (Wednesday)."

[IllaZilla]

@Brewin Flames curious on your thought about the Coyle extension. 

[Brewin Flames]

On 11/28/2019 at 11:32 AM, IllaZilla said:

@Brewin Flames curious on your thought about the Coyle extension. 

 

 

Just not a huge fan of the guy...for the hype/size, my delusional self expects more out of him...

 

Not a bad deal per say, but i want to see him way overperform it.

[IllaZilla]

17 hours ago, Brewin Flames said:

 

 

Just not a huge fan of the guy...for the hype/size, my delusional self expects more out of him...

 

Not a bad deal per say, but i want to see him way overperform it.

 

Ok. About my impression of Coyle when he was with the Wild. He would show flashes of scoring prowess and then disappear for weeks. However, he did seem to perform better at left wing, but for whatever reason the Wild kept yo-yoing him back and forth between center and wing and his performance fell off.

 

A lot of Wild fans think he got overpaid. Based on CapFriendly.com comparisons, it's about right, maybe even a bit of a deal for the Bruins. But a lot of Wild fans think every player is overpaid, unless you get a guy like Brad Hunt for league minimum and he performs WAY over his head, then "It's a good deal for the team."

 

Damn Midwestern "sensibilities".

[Brewin Flames]

Krejci's OT goal lifts Bruins over Rangers, 3-2

 

0:21

 

 

 

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Krejci buries overtime winner for Bruins

David Krejci ends overtime in a less than two minutes as he lifts the Bruins to a 3-2 home victory agains the Rangers.

 

Game # 25

 

 3  2 OT

 

---

By

Associated Press

1 day ago

BOSTON -- David Pastrnak believes good things come to those who wait.

 

The Bruins have done plenty of waiting lately. And plenty of winning.

 

Pastrnak scored his NHL-leading 24th goal and assisted on David Krejci's goal 1:40 into overtime, and Boston came from two goals down to beat the New York Rangers 3-2 on Friday.

 

The Bruins rallied for their sixth straight win after finding themselves in the familiar situation of a late-game deficit.

 

After Sean Kuraly made it 2-1 with 1:32 left in the second, Pastrnak tied it to force overtime on a one-timer from the left circle 4:27 into the third.

 

"We know after the second period if we're down by one, (we know) that we can score that one goal," Pastrnak said. "We have all 20 minutes to score one goal, and we know that if we play the right way, we will get it eventually."

 

Krejci's goal, his fifth of the season, came on a left-circle wrist shot against an out-of-position Henrik Lundqvist after a give-and-go with Pastrnak, who created space with a deke in the right circle before feeding Krejci through the slot.

 

"Just give the puck to a good player. I gave it to Pasta. He made a play. Pretty much an open net," Krejci said.

Jaroslav Halak made 26 saves for the Bruins. Boston matched its longest winning streak of the season and its longest point streak at 10 games (7-0-3).

 

"I thought we certainly pushed in the third and overtime," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "Just like to see it happen a little sooner."

 

Pavel Buchnevich and Filip Chytil scored for the Rangers. Lundqvist had 24 saves as New York's three-game winning streak was snapped.

 

"Maybe if you look at the schedule and say you're going to come out of Boston with a point you're going to feel good about it, but we feel like we pissed away a point," Rangers coach David Quinn said.

 

New York failed to record a shot during a 5-on-3 chance late in the second and also couldn't convert on an extended power play late in the third after Boston's Par Lindholm was assessed a double minor for high-sticking.

 

The Rangers finished 0 for 6 on the power play.

 

"It was almost like they were asleep for 35 minutes and after they kill off the 5 on 3, it's almost like they decided to turn it up a little bit," Lundqvist said. "The difference tonight and why they're winning is their PK and Pastrnak."

 

Buchnevich's fifth goal this season put New York up 1-0 with 5:46 to play in the first period. Buchnevich beat Halak high to the glove side on a shot from the low slot after Tony DeAngelo's pass from the sideboards.

 

Chytil's eighth of the season doubled the Rangers' lead at 6:21 of the second. Chytil charged into the slot and scored five-hole on Halak after Ryan Strome's shot from the right circle bounced off Halak right to Chytil.

 

Jake DeBrusk's blue-line shot caught a piece of Kuraly's stick, bounced off the left post and trickled in to make it 2-1 after Lundqvist's inadvertent stick swat.

 

Krejci's feed through the slot set up Pastrnak's tying goal.

 

Boston was without Brad Marchand for the start of the third after he was pulled off the ice by a concussion spotter following an elbow from Jacob Trouba in the second.

 

Marchand was visibly agitated as he made his way down the tunnel before later returning.

 

"That's embarrassing," Marchand said. "Guy's up there busy eating pizzas and cheeseburgers and can't watch the game. Maybe next time he (won't) pull this out of his butt and watch the game."

[Brewin Flames]

6 hours ago, IllaZilla said:

 

Ok. About my impression of Coyle when he was with the Wild. He would show flashes of scoring prowess and then disappear for weeks. However, he did seem to perform better at left wing, but for whatever reason the Wild kept yo-yoing him back and forth between center and wing and his performance fell off.

 

A lot of Wild fans think he got overpaid. Based on CapFriendly.com comparisons, it's about right, maybe even a bit of a deal for the Bruins. But a lot of Wild fans think every player is overpaid, unless you get a guy like Brad Hunt for league minimum and he performs WAY over his head, then "It's a good deal for the team."

 

Damn Midwestern "sensibilities".

 

There are just some nights when you realize how much ice time he actually had, and yet you never even noticed he was out there....

[IllaZilla]

25 minutes ago, Brewin Flames said:

 

There are just some nights when you realize how much ice time he actually had, and yet you never even noticed he was out there....

Yup. That about sums him up...

[Brewin Flames]

Bruins win 7th straight, rally to beat Canadiens 3-1

 

Game # 26

 

 3  1

 

 

---

By

Associated Press

Updated: 6 hours ago

BOSTON -- David Backes couldn’t help but smile after scoring his first goal of the season in his first game in nearly a month.

 

The Bruins’ alternate captain picked a big moment against a big-time rival to accomplish the feat.

 

Backes scored the deciding goal with 9:31 left in the third period, David Pastrnak added his league-leading 25th goal, and Boston won its seventh straight game, beating the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 on Sunday night.

 

“You could see (the emotion) it on my face. That was elation,” Backes said. “I’ve been watching this team do this for a month, and now it’s great to be part of it.”

 

Backes’ goal came off a feed from David Krejci through the right circle. Jake DeBrusk added his sixth goal of the year on a give-and-go with Charlie Coyle a couple minutes later and the Canadiens’ season-high losing streak reached eight (0-5-3).

 

Backes was in the lineup for the first time since being injured during a scary collision with Ottawa’s Scott Sabourin on Nov. 2.

 

“We didn’t know what he’d have, to be honest with you,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He hadn’t played in a while. I thought he gave us some good energy, had a couple looks, was banging bodies.”

 

Tuukka Rask made 28 saves for the Bruins.

 

Boston extended its point streak to 11 games (8-0-3) and entered the third month of the season as the only team without a home regulation loss (11-0-4).

 

Joel Amir scored, and Carey Price had 31 saves for Montreal.

 

“For 45, 46, 47 minutes, we were playing solid hockey,” Montreal and former Bruins coach Claude Julien said.

 

“We needed that win desperately, and now we’ve got to go back home and find a way to win the next one.”

 

Montreal had allowed 24 goals in four prior games, including a season-worst 8-1 loss to Boston at home Tuesday that featured a hat trick by Pastrnak.

 

Price gave up five goals on 11 shots in Tuesday’s loss to the Bruins and has surrendered 19 total over his last four games.

 

But the Canadiens’ star saw improvement in his team’s effort.

 

“If we definitely play like (we did today), the majority of our games are going to be a better result,” Price said.

The Canadiens got off to a fast start this time after giving up three first-period goals in Tuesday’s matchup.

 

Armia’s backhand shot from the right circle deflected off Charlie McAvoy’s skate and into the net for his 10th goal of the year 1:58 into the game.

 

Play was stopped with 2:47 left in the second as a scuffle broke out involving all 10 position players on the ice after Shea Weber interfered with Pastrnak.

 

Pastrnak evened the score at 6:16 of the third after skating into the right circle and firing a one-time shot past Price high to the stick side.

 

“Twenty-five (goals) by December 1st, I wouldn’t have predicted that,” Cassidy said. “I know he’s certainly, maybe could have had 30. I don’t think he’s had a lot of freebies, let’s put it that way.”

 

Backes’ goal came with nine seconds left on a Bruins’ power play after Montreal’s Nick Cousins was whistled for holding Boston’s Torey Krug.

 

“It’s unfortunate. It was a bad call,” Julien said. “Krug’s stick was stuck under his own player. As a referee in a 1-1 hockey game, you’ve got to make sure when you make those calls. I was pissed off at the way that was handled.

 

The Canadiens beat the Bruins 5-4 in their first meeting on Nov. 5 in Montreal.

[Brewin Flames]

Coyle, Krejci score for Bruins in 2-0 win over Hurricanes

 

Game # 27

 

 

  2   0

 

---

By

Associated Press

Updated: 18 hours ago

BOSTON -- Jaroslav Halak celebrated his 500th career game with a shutout and the Boston Bruins extended their winning streak to eight in a row.

 

Halak stopped 24 shots for his second shutout of the season, and the Bruins scored twice late in the third period to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0 Tuesday night.

 

"In my opinion, he's a No. 1 goalie in this league. He's proven that," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said of Halak. "He plays great for us and gives us a chance to win every night."

 

Charlie Coyle broke a scoreless tie with 4:05 remaining in the third and David Krejci scored again for Boston just 1:08 later. It was more than enough offense for Halak, who faced only six shots in the third period as Boston controlled much of the final 20 minutes.

 

"We kept plugging away and got a big goal by Chuckie (Coyle) and after that it was a little bit easier," Krejci said.

James Reimer finished with 32 saves for the Hurricanes, who lost for the third time in four games.

 

"Tough lesson again. Unfortunately, we've had a few too many of those this year," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said

 

Both goalies took shutouts deep into the third before Coyle redirected a pass from Brad Marchand past Reimer.

 

Boston struck again quickly when Krejci tipped in McAvoy's shot from the point as the Bruins extended their longest winning streak of the season and improved to 9-0-3 in their last 12 games.

 

"It definitely wasn't easy, but it's good to know that we can win different ways," Krejci said.

 

Danton Heinen had an assist on Coyle's goal. McAvoy and David Pastrnak picked up assists on the goal by Krejci, who centered Boston's top line with Patrice Bergeron out of the lineup.

 

The Bruins haven't lost since falling at Detroit 4-2 on Nov. 8.

 

Jacob Slavin appeared to score for Carolina on a backhand with 2:08 left in the second, but the goal was waved off following a challenge by the Bruins.

 

Halak skated straight for the referees, arguing that the puck slipped under the goal when he bumped it. Replays showed Halak was correct and the game remained scoreless.

 

Halak said after the game the puck may have slipped through a hole in the side of the net.

 

"I was shocked because I sealed the post really well. In my head, I'm like there's no way that went in," Halak said.

 

Carolina had another great chance a few minutes earlier when Nino Niederreiter hit the post on a backhand from in front of Halak, who got his 49th career shutout.

 

"These ones sting. These ones are the ones that are hard to come back from, so we're going to have to pick the pieces up tomorrow," Brind'Amour said.

[Brewin Flames]

Blackhawks, recover, beat Bruins 4-3 in OT

 

Game # 28

 

 3  4 OT

 

 

---

By

Associated Press

Updated: 18 hours ago

BOSTON -- The Bruins haven't lost in regulation at home yet, and there they were trailing the Blackhawks 3-0 in the third period -- Boston's first three-goal deficit of the season.

 

"Digging the hole 2-0, letting them score (17) seconds into the third," Bruins forward David Backes said. "It's not a recipe for success."

 

Jonathan Toews scored 54 seconds into overtime, and the Blackhawks recovered after blowing a three-goal, third-period lead to beat Boston 4-3 on Thursday night and end the Bruins' eight-game winning streak.

 

"This team always plays good in their building," Toews said. "It's unfortunate we kind of gave them the chances. ... It's nice to get the win, even though they turned the momentum their way in the third period."

 

The Bruins had not lost since Nov. 16. But their third-period comeback preserved another streak: No Boston pro team has lost a home game in regulation since the Baltimore Orioles beat the Red Sox on Sept. 28.

 

Neither the Patriots nor Celtics have lost at home this season, and the Bruins are now 12-0-5.

 

"That's just high standards, trying to keep up with everyone else," Bruins defenseman Torey Krug said. "We're very, very lucky to be part of such a great sports town. So we'll try to keep the momentum going."

 

Toews picked up the puck after a turnover by David Pastrnak and skated in on Tuukka Rask before backhanding it between the goalie's legs.

 

The crowd, which thought Pastrnak had been tripped, began showering the ice with garbage.

 

"I thought it was a penalty," Pastrnak said. "I had a free lane to the net."

 

Robin Lehner made 37 saves for the Blackhawks, who had lost six of their previous seven games. 

 

Ryan Carpenter and Dylan Strome scored 37 seconds apart at the end of the first period, and Alex DeBrincat scored off the opening faceoff of the third period to make it 3-0.

 

Tuukka Rask made 26 saves for the Bruins.

 

The Bruins thought they opened the scoring early in the first period when Matt Grzelcyk's shot, which may have been tipped by Jake DeBrusk, found its way under Lehner's right pad and came to rest behind him, about six inches from the goal line. DeBrusk -- and pretty much everyone else -- stopped, thinking it was a goal, but when no whistle came Calvin de Haan swept the puck away and play continued.

 

The Blackhawks, who went almost nine minutes before getting their first shot, took a 1-0 lead on a short-handed goal when Charlie McAvoy whiffed on the puck at the blue line and Carpenter skated off with it, passing to Zack Smith in the Bruins zone and then scoring on the rebound.

 

Just 37 seconds later, on the power play, Strome tipped a shot from Erik Gustafsson over Rask's shoulder to make it 2-0. DeBrincat made it 3-0 17 seconds into the third.

 

But that lasted just 1:32 before Joakim Nordstrom cut the deficit to 3-1. Chris Wagner made it 3-2 on an unassisted, short-handed wrist shot with 4:59 left, and then Krug tied it with 2:33 remaining in regulation.

 

"They have really good players, they're a good team, they're at home. They're not going to go away," Chicago coach Jeremy Colliton said. "They found a way to come back. That's disappointing. But it's a big point for us."

[Brewin Flames]

Avalanche send Bruins to 1st home regulation loss, 4-1

 

Game # 29

 

 

 1  4

 

---

By

Associated Press

Updated: 7 hours ago

BOSTON -- No matter how well the Boston Bruins are playing at home, it doesn’t seem to matter when the Colorado Avalanche come to town.

 

Ian Cole scored his first goal of season in his 500th career NHL game, backup goalie Pavel Francouz stopped all 16 shots he faced in relief and the Avalanche beat the Bruins 4-1 on Saturday night for their season-high sixth straight win.

 

“I guess Boston’s a special place. I like it,” said Cole, who made his NHL debut in the building on Nov. 6, 2010.

 

“We’ve had some success here in the past. That’s a great team over there; a really, really good team. It’s a measuring-stick game for us. Now we have to keep moving forward.”

 

Andre Burakovsky, Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog also scored for Colorado, which has won 11 of its last 14 games. The Avalanche posted their 11th win in their last 12 games in Boston, with their lone loss in the stretch coming in the last trip on Feb. 10 last season.

 

Francouz replaced starter Philipp Grubauer late in the first period. Grubauer left with an apparent injury after giving up a goal on four shots.

 

“You don’t really have time to think,” Francouz said. “You just grab your stuff and all of a sudden you’re on the ice.”

Avalanche coach Jared Bednar didn’t have an update on Grubauer after the game.

 

Chris Wagner scored for Boston, which lost its second straight and first in regulation at home this season after going 12-0-5. The Bruins were the NHL’s last team without a regulation loss on home ice.

 

“It’s a good run, but we’ll get right back at it on Monday,” Wagner said.

 

The Bruins are also the first professional local team to lose at home since the Red Sox lost to the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 28. The Patriots are 5-0 at home this season, and the Celtics improved to 9-0 at the same building -- TD Garden -- on Friday.

 

(The Revolution won their last home game on Sept. 29, and the Pride of the National Women's Hockey League are 9-0 at home.)

 

Jaroslav Halak had 16 saves for the Bruins.

 

Trailing 1-0, the Avalanche tied it when Nichushkin cut in alone, shifted around Halak and slipped a backhander that barely crossed the goal line ahead of Boston forward Par Lindholm’s diving attempt to knock it away with his stick with 2:35 left in the opening period.

 

Immediately after the goal, Grubauer came off the ice and was replaced by Francouz. Grubauer slammed his stick onto the bench after he skated off.

 

Cole then made it 2-1 at 9:17 of the second period when he beat Halak with a blistering slap shot inside the far post from the left circle.

 

“It’s playing with fire when you’re trying to chase the game,” Boston defenseman Brandon Carlo said. “It’s the not the position we want to put ourselves in.”

 

Burakovsky’s 12th goal of the season made it 3-1 late in the second.

 

The forward slipped into the Boston zone slightly ahead of Bruins defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk, who collided as they were trying to cut across the slot area. Burakovsky snapped off a shot from the left circle that slipped inside the right post at 18:21.

 

Seeking a spark from his lackluster team, Boston coach Bruce Cassidy juggled his lines in the second period. Colorado outshot the Bruins 14-8 through two periods.

 

Boston had taken a 1-0 lead when Wagner, cutting in front of the crease, tipped John Moore’s shot from the left point past Grubauer 13:14 into the game.

[Brewin Flames]

Duclair has 3-point game, Senators beat Bruins 5-2

 

Game # 30

 

 

  2    5

 

---

By

Associated Press

Updated: 6 hours ago

OTTAWA, Ontario -- Wins haven’t come easily for Ottawa this season. On Monday night, the Senators found a way to beat one of the top teams in the NHL.

 

Anthony Duclair had two goals and one assist, and Anders Nilsson made 38 saves as the Senators (13-17-1) beat the Boston Bruins 5-2 Monday night.

 

“We played a pretty solid game,” Nilsson said. “We came out and played a really good first period and that set the tone for the rest of the game for us.”

 

The win was Ottawa's (13-17-1) first over the Bruins (20-5-6) since April 6, 2017.

 

Chris Tierney, Artem Anisimov and Jean-Gabriel Pageau also scored for the Senators, who were playing their first home game since returning from a five-game trip (1-4-0).

 

Patrice Bergeron and Jake DeBrusk scored for the Bruins, who were playing the first of four road games. Tuukka Rask made 23 saves in his first loss in regulation since Nov. 8.

 

The Bruins are 0-2-1 in their last three and have lost back-to-back games in regulation for the first time this season.

 

“We’re going through a tough stretch in terms of getting our energy level where it needs to be,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “If you’re not competing hard on the puck, around the puck, on the puck in this league you’re not going to beat anybody. Ottawa was just better than us, they won more races and they were more competitive early on.”

 

The Bruins were 1 for 5 with the man advantage and are 2 for 17 through their last five.

 

“At the start of the year our power play was carrying us,” Cassidy said. “A night like (Monday) we probably get two on it early in the year and ends up being the difference in the game and maybe a timely save mixed in there, but now you put those two things not going in there and suddenly we’re in the loss column.”

 

Leading 3-1 to start the third, the Senators did a good job of containing the Bruins, who were pressing to close the gap.

 

With the Bruins on the power play, Rask was pulled for a 6-on-4 advantage, but Pageau was able to pick off a pass and break in for an empty-net goal to seal the win with just under three minutes remaining.

 

Nilsson gave lots of credit to those in front of him who blocked shots and found ways to cut lanes. In the end, the Senators had 29 blocked shots.

 

“It’s great as a goalie to stand back there and see when the guys are playing so hard and sacrificing themselves and blocking shots and battling through even when they’re really tired,” Nilsson said. “It was a great team effort and great job from everyone.”

 

DeBrusk scored a power-play goal 43 seconds later during a scramble in front of Nilsson, but that was as close as the Bruins got as Duclair added another empty-net goal.

 

Duclair now has five goals and one assist through his last three games. He was also on the ice late in the game and on the penalty kill, which is a new experience.

 

“I’m getting a big opportunity here and probably the most ice time I’ve gotten in my career, so I don’t want to take that for granted,” Duclair said. “I’m getting the confidence from the coaching staff and my teammates here, so I just want to continue doing that.”

 

Ottawa made it a two-goal game early in the second as Vladislav Namestnikov intercepted Rask’s pass from behind the net and found Tierney, who scored his fourth of the season and snapped a 22-game stretch without a goal.

 

Boston failed to capitalize on three power-play opportunities in the second, with Nilsson deserving much of the credit.

 

The Senators held a 2-1 lead after the first 20 minutes.

 

Ottawa opened the scoring 1:35 into the game when Dylan DeMelo made a pass to Anisimov, who broke through the defense and sent a backhander over Rask’s shoulder.

 

Duclair, with his 14th of the season, made it 2-0 when he took a pass from Tierney in the slot and beat Rask to the glove side.

 

The Bruins cut the lead in half as Bergeron, who was making his return after missing the last seven games with a lower-body injury, took a cross-ice pass from David Pastrnak and scored into an open net.

[Icechipper]

Watching NHL best Bruins at Caps. Bruins skate low with high sticks. Warroad product TJ Ohshie two highlight reel goals 2-1 Caps in 2nd

 

[Icechipper]

16 below zero but I'm watching warm at a BDubs in Fargo......

[Brewin Flames]

Capitals beat Bruins in showdown between NHL's top two teams

 

Game # 31

 

 2  3

---

By

Associated Press

Updated: 17 hours ago

WASHINGTON -- Tom Wilson and Zdeno Chara traded punches, the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins exchanged scoring chances and goals and a showdown between the NHL's top two teams more than lived up to its billing.

 

T.J. Oshie scored twice in under four minutes and John Carlson got the go-ahead goal in the third to extend Washington's longstanding domination of Boston with a 3-2 victory Wednesday night in a thrilling back-and-forth game between two hockey heavyweights.

 

"Both teams were flying around, going that extra step to hit someone all the time," Carlson said. "It was a fun game. It was fun to play in. Still not playoffs, but it was a nice way to get into it after the performance we had on Monday."

 

Each of these teams laid an egg in a loss Monday night, but the Capitals avoided the slide currently befalling the Bruins. Boston has lost four in a row with three of those defeats coming in regulation.

 

"We've got to keep going," Chara said. "I think it's easy to get frustrated. We realize it was obviously a good hockey team we played tonight. It was a good hockey game. We did a lot of things well. We've just got to continue to perform and keep getting better."

 

The Capitals have won 16 of their past 17 games against the Bruins. It's a stretch that dates to December 2014 during which Boston won only a close game last Super Bowl Sunday.

 

"These last couple years has been a grind," said Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby, who made 30 saves. "They have a tough team to play against. Our team usually plays better against teams like that, teams that work hard, play an honest, hard game structurally. It's fun for us to play in those games."

 

This one was supposed to be more fun than a typical regular-season game. These teams entered with the most points in the league, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin trailed only David Pastrnak in the goal-scoring race, the Bruins are coming off another trip to the Stanley Cup Final and Washington won its first title in 2018.

 

"It's always fun to play (when) the two best teams right now in the league play against each other," Ovechkin said. "You can see how tough the game was. We play hard, they play hard. It's always nice to get two points. We knew it's not going to be easy game because they have a very good team out there. It was a challenge for us."

 

After all the talk about this being a mid-December measuring stick for a couple of perennial playoff contenders, the skill level matched the hype.

 

Pastrnak ripped a perfect shot over Braden Holtby's left shoulder midway through the first for his league-best 26th of the season. It looked like the Bruins had a two-goal lead on a Patrice Bergeron power-play goal, but Capitals coach Todd Reirden challenged for offside and video review showed Jake DeBrusk was into the zone just before the puck.

 

"I kind of knew it, though, as soon as I saw the replay," DeBrusk said. "It was one of those things where it had no effect on the play, but obviously it's not a goal."

 

Oshie, who had just one goal in his previous 10 games, made the most of nothing but empty ice around him to score off his own rebound on the power play early in the second. Soon after, he turned Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton into a human pylon and beat Jaroslav Halak with a backhander for a highlight-reel goal.

 

"It felt pretty lucky for the puck to squeak through there," Oshie said. "You just try to put it upstairs with a couple sticks on you so happy it went in.

 

Kuraly and Carlson traded goals, and these two rivals traded shoves and unpleasantries plenty before the final buzzer. They meet again two days before Christmas.

[Brewin Flames]

Stamkos scores 2 to lead Lightning past slumping Bruins 3-2

 

Game # 32

 

 2  3

 

 

---

By

Associated Press

Updated: 16 hours ago

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Boston Bruins came up just short on back-to-back nights.

 

Steven Stamkos had two goals to extend his recent tear and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the suddenly slumping Bruins 3-2 on Thursday.

 

Patrice Bergeron and John Moore scored for the Bruins, who have lost four straight in regulation and five in a row overall (0-4-1). Tuukka Rask stopped 28 shots.

 

The Bruins, coming off an intense 3-2 loss Wednesday night at Washington in a matchup of the NHL's top two teams, hadn't dropped four consecutive games in regulation since March 2017. The five-game losing streak is their longest since an 0-5-0 stretch in March 2016.

 

"The most part, we were playing the right way and you just lose these tight games," Rask said. "You don't want to let it snowball. If you start getting down on yourself and doubting yourself, then you're going to lose more games in a row and I don't think we have that in this room."

 

Stamkos has scored six times during a four-game goal streak.

 

"They played a big, physical, heavy game in Washington last night," Stamkos said. "If anything, we had the fresh legs and we took advantage. It doesn't always work out that way, but tonight we were able to play our game and it worked."

 

Tampa Bay, which had dropped four of five at home, also got a goal from Brayden Point. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 27 saves for the win.

 

Not long after Stamkos gave the Lightning a 3-1 lead at 15:13 of the third period, Moore got his first goal since returning from shoulder surgery with 3:15 left.

 

Point put Tampa Bay ahead 2-1 on a power play 4:07 into the third from the slot.

 

Stamkos also scored from the slot during a power play, tying it 1-all at 12:35 of the second. The Lightning star tied Bernie Nicholls and Yvan Cournoyer for 46th place on the NHL list with 152 career power-play goals.

Boston went up 1-0 at 4:26 of the first when Brad Marchand skated along the left wing boards and went around the net before making a nice pass to Bergeron in the low slot.

 

"I think we know the kind of team we are," Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. "We know we're a special group. Right now it's sour. We don't want to lose, but the sun comes up tomorrow."

 

Marchand become the fourth NHL player to reach 30 assists this season. He has four assists in the last three games.

Both goalies made several strong saves in the second.

 

Vasilevskiy stopped two shots from the left circle by NHL goals leader David Pastrnak, and a chance in close for Jake DeBrusk.

 

Rask turned aside a quality opportunity for Stamkos after his power-play goal.

[Brewin Flames]

Pastrnak scores 2 goals, Bruins snap winless streak

 

Game # 33

 

 4   2

 

 

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By

Associated Press

Updated: 17 hours ago

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Boston Bruins ended their four-game trip on a positive note.

 

David Pastrnak scored two goals and the Bruins snapped a five-game winless streak, beating the Florida Panthers 4-2 on Saturday night.

 

"It looks like we're getting back to more Boston Bruins style of hockey the last three games," coach Bruce Cassidy said. "Only one win to show for it, but if you play that way this week at home, I see good things for us, especially if all four lines are able to contribute."

 

David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk each had a goal and an assist for the Bruins, and Torey Krug had two assists. Jaroslav Halak stopped 31 shots.

 

The Bruins return to home ice for their next four games.

 

"It hasn't been what we wanted here on this road trip," DeBrusk said. "Now, we're going home not necessarily happy with how the road trip went, but you kind of go as your last game goes. Coming back home feeling good about ourselves is always a good thing."

 

Keith Yandle and Mark Pysyk scored for the Panthers, who lost their third straight. Sergei Bobrovsky made 38 saves, including 21 in the first period.

 

"They came out hard. You could feel it in the first period when they got so many shots," Bobrovsky said. "At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter who's desperate, who's not. It's a hockey game. Unfortunately, we lose two points again."

 

Florida's Aleksander Barkov had to be helped off the ice by teammates late in the third period with an apparent leg injury after being forced into the boards by Boston's Charlie McAvoy.

 

"He should be fine," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said.

 

Pysyk closed the score to 3-1 when he poked in a loose puck from in front at 2:46 of the third.

 

The Panthers trimmed the lead to 3-2 when Yandle shot from the point and the puck went over Halak's glove and into the net with 10:47 left in the game.

 

Quenneville took little solace on the third-period comeback.

 

"We scored early and got a little excitement off that," Quenneville said. "Then we got a second one and all of a sudden you've got plenty of time. We got a couple decent looks, but not enough. You can't think that was good enough and accept it. That was tough to watch for the majority of the game."

 

Pastrnak's second goal was an empty-netter with 2:10 left.

 

The Bruins went ahead 2-0 on Krejci's shot from the high slot that was initially blocked but trickled under Bobrovsky's pads at 3:14 of the second.

 

Pastrnak's power-play goal stretched Boston's lead to 3-0. Brad Marchand passed from the left circle to Pastrnak on the right side of the crease for an easy tap-in at 7:30 of the second. Pastrnak has scored seven goals over the last 11 games.

 

Pastrnak was awarded a penalty shot at 13:31 of the third when Aaron Ekblad was called for hooking, but his attempt was blocked by Bobrovsky.

 

DeBrusk gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead after he got a loose puck in the slot and fired it over Bobrovsky at 14:41 of the first.

[Brewin Flames]

Kopitar scores in OT, Kings beat Bruins 4-3

 

Game # 34

 

  3  4 OT

 

 

By

Associated Press

Updated: 4 hours ago

BOSTON -- Jonathan Quick preserved a tie just long enough for Anze Kopitar to win it for the Los Angeles Kings and extend their best stretch of the season.

 

Quick stopped 37 shots, three of them in overtime before Kopitar beat Tuukka Rask on a wrist shot at 3:23 of OT to give the Kings a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.

 

"Any overtime is a good opportunity," Kopitar said. "We gave up a couple of chances. Quickie was good. He was able to stop them and we cashed in on the win."

 

After outshooting the Kings 16-8 in the third period, only to allow the tying goal with 2:01 left in regulation, the Bruins were dominating again in overtime but Quick continued coming up with saves.

 

Quick stopped Anders Bjork alone in front midway through the overtime, then got Patrice Bergeron to shoot wide of the net on a breakaway less than a minute later. Kopitar gathered a loose puck near his own blue line, took it straight up the ice and beat Rask with the game-winner.

 

"I couldn't be happier for the guys. They had to put a lot into that game to win," Los Angeles coach Todd McLellan said. "There's a lot of happy Kings in the locker room after. They deserve to celebrate."

 

Los Angeles, which entered the game with 31 points -- the lowest total in the Western Conference -- won for the fourth time in five games, five games and extending their best stretch of the season (4-0-1).

 

"We just kept playing, kept plugging away and at the end of the day it worked for us," Kopitar said.

 

Blake Lizotte had a goal and an assist for the Kings, who couldn't hold on to leads of 1-0 and 2-1 before rallying for a thrilling finish. Down 3-2 late in the third, the Kings pulled Quick for an extra skater and tied it on Matt Roy's slap shot with 2:01 left in regulation.

 

Adrian Kempe also scored for Los Angeles.

 

Danton Heinen had a goal and assist for Boston, which fell to 1-5-1 in its last seven and has lost two straight at home.

 

"I thought we certainly played well enough to win. Not very happy getting only one point tonight," coach Bruce Cassidy said.

 

Patrice Bergeron and Brandon Carlo also scored and Rask had 23 saves for the Bruins.

 

"You're out there. You've got to give your team a chance to win and make those timely saves," Rask said. "Today, I didn't make any so that's the result."

 

Bergeron tied it at 2-all 10:44 into the second on a wrist shot from above the right circle, his third goal in five games.

 

Carlo's goal 1:24 into the third gave Boston its first lead at 3-2. He scored from inside the blue line on a wrist shot that Quick got a piece of but couldn't control after Heinen dug the puck out of a scrum in the corner.

 

Heinen was credited with an assist, his second point of the night after snapping a six-game scoreless streak on a power-play goal with 59 seconds left in the first to tie it at 1-all.

 

The Bruins were caught with too many men on the ice one minute into the game and Lizotte made them pay with a power-play goal at 2:17, deflecting a shot by Jeff Carter past Rask to put the Kings up 1-0.

 

Kempe sprung free for a short-handed breakaway and put the Kings up 2-1 at 2:45 of the second after Quick stopped a one-timer by Marchand.

 

"It's huge. It won us the game, essentially," Lizotte said of the Kings' special-teams play. "It's hard to score 5-on-5 in this league."