On a night that saw David Pastrnak etch his name into Bruins history, Boston let a late lead slip away and fell 4-3 in overtime to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Pastrnak was the engine behind all three Bruins goals, notching assists on each and hitting the 900-point milestone in the process. That number puts him sixth all-time in franchise scoring-a remarkable feat for a player still very much in his prime. But despite the personal achievement, the Bruins couldn’t close the deal.
Elias Lindholm found the back of the net twice, and Morgan Geekie chipped in with a goal of his own. Joonas Korpisalo turned aside 24 shots and continued his strong stretch of play, moving to 4-0-1 in his last five starts. But the Rangers had the final say, scoring the equalizer late in the third before Matthew Robertson buried the overtime winner.
Just like the last time these teams met, the Rangers were first on the board. Will Cuylle redirected a shot from Urho Vaakanainen-yes, the Bruins’ own 2017 first-round pick-beating Korpisalo glove side to open the scoring.
Then came a flash of brilliance from Pastrnak. The Bruins winger entered the zone with speed and fired a pass toward the crease. It took a fortunate bounce off JT Miller and landed near Elias Lindholm, who kicked the puck to his stick and finished it off to tie the game.
But the Rangers wasted no time responding. Just 26 seconds later, Gabe Perreault sent a cross-ice feed to JT Miller, who hammered a one-timer past a sprawling Korpisalo to put New York back in front.
Boston took a hit-literally-when Charlie McAvoy left the ice late in the first after absorbing a big check from Cuylle. Thankfully for the Bruins, their top defenseman returned to start the second.
The Rangers led 2-1 after one, holding a 10-7 edge in shots and an 18-6 advantage in hits. But the Bruins came out with more jump in the second.
It started with a JT Miller turnover that led to a sequence where McAvoy moved the puck to Pastrnak, whose shot was blocked. Lindholm was in the right place at the right time, scooping up the rebound and ripping it past Jonathan Quick for his second of the night.
About five minutes later, Pastrnak did what he does best-create. He found Geekie in the left circle, and the Bruins forward ripped a shot past Quick on the blocker side to give Boston its first lead of the game.
Pastrnak’s three assists extended his point streak to seven games (2 goals, 10 assists), and the 900-point milestone only adds to his growing legacy in Boston.
The Bruins were tested in the second period, taking three penalties against a Rangers power play that’s been red-hot since the calendar flipped to January. New York came into the game with the NHL’s second-best power play in that span (34.6%), just behind Boston’s own top-ranked unit (38.7%). But the Bruins’ penalty kill stood tall, going a perfect 3-for-3 in the second and adding another kill in the third.
Still, the Rangers kept pushing. They controlled much of the third period and finally broke through with 6:17 left in regulation. Will Borgen fired a shot from the blue line that deflected off Andrew Peeke and slipped past Korpisalo to knot the game at three.
In overtime, the Bruins never really got going. They failed to register a shot in the extra frame, and with just over a minute left, Robertson took matters into his own hands. The Rangers defenseman carried the puck from deep in his own zone, skated through the neutral zone with purpose, and beat Korpisalo five-hole to seal the win for New York.
It was a tough loss for a Bruins team that had been rolling-now 8-1-1 in their last 10 and winners of seven straight at TD Garden. They’ll look to bounce back quickly as they return home to face the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.