The Bruins spent most of Saturday night getting pushed around at the Garden, then found just enough life late to steal two points from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Elias Lindholm finished the comeback in overtime, scoring the winner in a 5-4 Boston victory after the B’s erased a two-goal deficit in the third period. Charlie McAvoy sent a long pass to Lindholm at the Chicago blue line, and Lindholm fought off Oliver Moore before slipping the puck under goalie Arvid Soderblom.
Boston did not look sharp for long stretches, but it kept hanging around and eventually made Chicago pay.
The final push started with 10.2 seconds left and Michael DiPietro pulled for an extra skater. McAvoy found Morgan Geekie in the left circle, and Geekie unloaded his familiar one-timer for his second goal of the season. That tied the game and capped a frantic finish for a Bruins team that had been badly outplayed for much of the afternoon.
Earlier in the third, the Blackhawks had twice stretched the lead to one goal. At 9:38, Ryan Greene turned a 3-on-1 into a goal, taking the puck himself and beating DiPietro shortside. Then at 12:20, Connor Bedard jumped on a loose puck after James Hagens couldn’t corral it at the Boston blue line and buried a breakaway with a backhander.
Boston answered quickly after each one. JJ Peterka spun free behind the Chicago net and fed Mason Lohrei for a shortside finish at 13:06, and Geekie’s late blast forced overtime.
The Bruins were coming off a rough 4-1 loss in St. Louis, and the first period suggested they had not cleaned much up yet. Chicago outshot them 14-7 in the opening frame and controlled a lot of the action, but the teams still went to the first intermission tied 1-1.
The Blackhawks opened the scoring on the power play after a Will Borgen delay of game penalty. Right off the faceoff, Patrick Kane slipped a diagonal pass to Anton Frondell in the left dot, and Frondell ripped a one-timer past DiPietro at 6:04.
Boston found an answer despite being under siege. Pavel Zacha lifted a backhanded pass out of his own zone to David Pastrnak, who broke in alone and beat Soderblom glove side at 13:05.
It was Pastrnak’s eighth goal of the year and the 428th of his career, moving him past Patrice Bergeron for third place on the Bruins’ all-time goals list. Only Johnny Bucyk, with 545, and Phil Esposito, with 459, remain ahead of him.
Chicago regained the lead early in the second, and this one came with a little luck. After Mark Kastelic rang a shot off the post - the second of three Boston posts in the first 23 minutes, along with attempts from Morgan Geekie and Marat Khusnutdinov - Tyler Bertuzzi sent a shot from outside the left circle that deflected off Frondell’s shin pad and slipped past DiPietro at 3:31.
The Blackhawks nearly made it a two-goal edge when Mason Lohrei was stripped behind his own net by Oliver Moore, who set up Kane in front. DiPietro bailed Boston out with a strong glove save on the veteran winger.
Still, the Bruins kept clawing back. Casey Mittelstadt and James Hagens forced a turnover from Bedard in the neutral zone, Hagens carried the puck in on the right side, and then fed Mittelstadt through the middle. Mittelstadt snapped a wrist shot past Soderblom at 12:34 for his fifth goal.
The period got chippy late when Alex Vlasic took exception to Mittelstadt’s finish on a check. Vlasic knocked him down from behind, then came after him at center ice.
Nikita Zadorov jumped in to back up his teammate, and both players received double minors for roughing. Zadorov also drew an extra 10-minute misconduct.
Even with the score level at 2-2, the Bruins were being outshot 28-13 heading into the third. They were not in control. They were just close enough to pounce when the game finally opened up.
In Other News...
Bruins Just Got A Goalie Performance They Couldnt Ignore
Bostons comeback win over Chicago had plenty of moving parts, but Michael DiPietros night was the kind that tends to linger with a coaching staff. The Bruins erased a 4-2 deficit late in the third period and finished off a 5-4 overtime victory on Elias Lindholms winner, yet the goaltending was a major reason they were even in position to steal it after a rough start.
DiPietro has been getting his chance in Boston since the Bruins moved Joonas Korpisalo to the New York Rangers, and he made the most of this one with 37 saves. In a game that could have slipped away quickly, he gave Boston the steadiness it needed to hang around long enough for the rally to take hold, which is exactly the sort of performance that can complicate the conversation in net. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Have A Growing Nikita Zadorov Problem Again
Nikita Zadorovs discipline is back in the spotlight after another roughing incident, this time against Chicago defenseman Alex Vlasic on Oct. 31. The Bruins blueliner was involved in a second-period scrum and then punched Vlasic, drawing penalties and putting Boston in an uncomfortable spot with one of its most physical defensemen.
Marco Sturm has already addressed the issue, pointing to Zadorovs discipline and what the Bruins need from him going forward. For a team that leans on Zadorov for size, edge and toughness, the challenge is finding the line between playing hard and giving away momentum, especially when those lapses keep drawing attention. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins About To Face The Stretch That Will Define This Start
The Bruins have given themselves an early cushion with a strong start, and now comes the part of the schedule that can tell whether it means anything. A tight overtime win over Chicago kept the momentum going, but the next stretch is a different kind of test, with Vegas, Pittsburgh and Florida all waiting in line as Boston tries to hold onto its place atop the Atlantic.
What makes this run so important is the way the Bruins want to win it, not just the results. The emphasis has been on offensive balance, defensive consistency and dependable goaltending, and those are the ingredients that tend to get exposed when the schedule stiffens. If Boston can keep those areas steady through this stretch, it will say plenty about how real this fast start is. [Read more 🡒]