Golden Knights’ Rally Falls Short After Bruins’ First-Period Barrage
The Vegas Golden Knights found themselves in a deep hole early and nearly climbed all the way out - but in the end, the Boston Bruins’ early offensive outburst proved just enough to hold them off in a 4-3 win at TD Garden on Thursday night.
It was a tale of two games: one where Boston did all the early damage, and another where Vegas tried to undo it, piece by piece, in a frantic third-period push. But a 4-0 deficit is a tough mountain to climb, even for a team with the offensive firepower Vegas brings to the ice.
Bruins Blitz Early, Vegas Stumbles Out of the Gate
From the opening faceoff, Boston came out with purpose - and Vegas simply couldn’t match the pace.
The Bruins poured in three goals in just 54 seconds midway through the first period, a flurry that featured two quick power-play conversions and a third at even strength from Tanner Jeannot. Vegas, meanwhile, was stuck in neutral, managing just four shots in the period while Boston peppered Akira Schmid with 15, including the final 10 attempts of the frame.
To Schmid’s credit, he was the reason the score didn’t get completely out of hand. He stood tall through multiple high-danger chances, including a pair of point-blank stops in the final minute that kept the game from spiraling into blowout territory.
Vegas didn’t do itself any favors. Penalty trouble - including a costly double minor - disrupted any chance of establishing rhythm.
And when they weren’t shorthanded, they struggled to cleanly exit the zone under Boston’s relentless forecheck. The period ended with a scary moment, too, as Shea Theodore took a hard hit and slammed his helmeted head on the ice.
He stayed in the game, but it was a bruising 20 minutes all around.
The Knights were lucky to escape the first down just 3-0. It could’ve been much worse.
Pastrnak Adds to the Lead, Vegas Fails to Capitalize
The second period didn’t start much better for Vegas. David Pastrnak extended the Bruins’ lead to 4-0 just past the halfway mark, finishing off a slick setup from Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm. It was a backbreaker at a time when Vegas was just beginning to find some footing.
There was a chance to swing momentum earlier in the period when Zadorov was whistled for hooking Mitch Marner, but the Golden Knights’ power play came up empty. The rest of the frame was more balanced - both teams registered eight shots - but Joonas Korpisalo was sharp between the pipes for Boston, especially during a late flurry from Tomas Hertl, who nearly broke through with a wraparound attempt.
Schmid continued to hold the line at the other end, giving Vegas a sliver of hope heading into the third.
Third-Period Surge Comes Up Just Short
If the first 40 minutes belonged to Boston, the final 20 were all Vegas.
Jack Eichel finally broke through just 31 seconds into the third, cutting the deficit to 4-1 and extending his point streak to 10 games. The goal came off a clean setup from Noah Hanifin and Kaedan Korczak - and it sparked some serious life into the Golden Knights’ bench.
A few minutes later, Marat Khusnutdinov was sent off for roughing, and Vegas cashed in. Tomas Hertl buried a power-play goal at 16:59, with Mark Stone and Eichel picking up the assists to make it 4-2.
From there, it was all Vegas. The Knights dominated the third period, outshooting the Bruins 20-5 and applying constant pressure. Schmid was pulled for the extra attacker with just under three minutes left, and Pavel Dorofeyev made it count, ripping home his 21st goal of the season with 2:35 remaining off feeds from Theodore and Marner to cut it to 4-3.
Vegas pulled Schmid again with 1:55 left, but the equalizer never came. Korpisalo stood tall in the closing moments, and the Bruins escaped with a win that felt much closer than it should’ve been.
What’s Next for Vegas
The Golden Knights won’t have much time to dwell on this one. They’re right back at it on Friday night in Toronto, where they’ll face the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena (7 p.m.
EST / 4 p.m. PT).
From there, it’s a Sunday stop in Ottawa to take on the Senators (5 p.m. EST / 2 p.m.
PT), followed by a road-trip finale in Montréal against the Canadiens on Tuesday (7 p.m. EST / 4 p.m.
PT).
If Vegas can bottle that third-period energy and start games the way they finish them, this road swing could still turn in their favor.