After the Bruins misplaced 4 of 5 video games, coach Jim Montgomery wished to see his staff up its desperation. He bought that and extra on Tuesday night time at American Airlines Arena in Dallas.
And in a recreation that featured playoff depth and drama, the B’s captured an exciting 3-2 time beyond regulation win over the Dallas Stars.
After the B’s killed off a Brad Marchand interference penalty in OT, David Pastrnak blasted a one-timer off a Charlie McAvoy feed to raise the B’s to the win. Pastrnak’s thirty ninth of the yr was began when Pavel Zacha, who scored the third interval equalizer, lugged the puck out of the B’s zone with the groups nonetheless skating at 4-on-4, After gaining the blue line, Zacha gave it to Pastrnak, who shortly dished it to McAvoy on the proper level after which headed for his workplace on the left circle. McAvoy took the puck deep earlier than making the cross-ice feed for Pastrnak, who ripped the winner previous Jake Oettinger on the B’s first shot of OT and celebrated it whereas flat on his again within the nook.
“It was a tough game, a playoff feel, and these are the games we’re going to see dwn the road,” Pastrnak informed NESN after the sport. “Obviously a big team win and a good way to start our road trip.”
Not every little thing went proper for the B’s. In a rarity, they have been dominated within the faceoff circle, dropping 50-of-62 attracts. And their energy play went 0-for-3, stretching their skid ot 0-for-20. But their league-leading penalty kill got here up big, killing the OT penalty in addition to a 5-on-3 late within the second interval.
“When you look at the struggles we’ve had here in the last five to six games, to have a game like that, it seemed like everythig was going against us. We had to kill off a 5-on-3, had to kill off a 4-on-3. But I loved the way we played hard for each other,” stated Montgomery, who notched his one hundredth NHL win. “We blocked shots, everyone was blocking shots, and we went to hard areas consisently and I thought our D-men were extremley active. That really helped out 5-on-5 offense.”
Linus Ullmark was enjoying his first recreation since February 1 and he did let in two five-hole objectives, however he made up for it, stopping 29 pictures, together with six in OT.
“Today was a statement game for us I think, and now we’re looking forward to go to Nashville and play another good team,” stated Ullmark, whose brother was among the many group of siblings on the journey. “A lot of the people traveled a long way and none of them have done this before. My brother is here and it’s very special for me as well. And it’s just fun. On this trip, we want to have two wins. We want to do it for them. We want to show how good we are and I would say we’re a little more motivated than usual when we have them with us.”
The B’s, trailing 2-1 in third interval, performed with dedication to even it. Montgomery blended up his strains, reuniting the Czech line, and that group tied it up with 9:48 left in regulation. Brandon Carlo handed to Zacha on the left wing and he merely smoked a wrist shot previous Oettinger, who’d been enjoying very properly. It was Zacha’s twelfth purpose of the season and, together with his helper on the GWG, it gave him a brand new profession excessive with 37 factors.
While the B’s wanted to return again to win, they supplied the form of begin for which Montgomery was wanting.
One of the most important points that hampered the B’s of their 2-1 loss to Washington on Saturday was being too cute and over-passing the puck. It didn’t take lengthy to see that that they had corrected the issue.
Within the primary couple of minutes of the sport, the B’s had a half-dozen pictures on Oettinger. They bought the primary energy play and, although their streak of futility stretched to 0-for-18, the B’s had higher offensive zone presence and Zacha almost gave the B’s their first lead however hit the put up from the slot.
The B’s did ultimately get the primary purpose on a reasonably play. Taylor Hall carried the puck by way of the impartial zone with velocity earlier than transferring it to David Krejci on the proper level. Krejci handed it off to an onrushing Hampus Lindholm, who took two Dallas defenders with him behind the online. Lindholm dished again behind him to a large open Hall, who beat Oettinger to the far aspect at 10:33. It was Hall’s sixteenth purpose of the season however simply his third in 22 video games.
“I had a similar opportunity in Toronto that Pavel Zacha passed to me and I put it right in (the goalie’s) chest,” Hall informed NESN after the primary. “I kind of thought of that as the play was happening and I wanted to get it as close to the post as I could and luckily it went in.”
While the B’s pelted Oettinger to a 15-6 shot benefit, they couldn’t get out of the primary interval with a lead because the Stars tied it at 13:11. From the fitting half wall, Joe Pavelski despatched a brief cross to Jason Robertson that bounced off the sharpshooter’s stick and into the excessive slot, from the place a hard-skating Roope Hintz swept a backhander below Ullmark’s pads.
Oettinger made a number of massive saves within the first, however none higher than the one he made on Patrice Bergeron within the last minute of the interval. With Nick Foligno and Pastrnak crashing the online, the puck squirted out to the slot for the captain, however he couldn’t raise it over the susceptible goalie’s pad.
Then, early within the second interval, the Stars took the lead on one other purpose off a first-line rush. Brandon Carlo couldn’t cease a Pavelski cross getting by way of to Robertson, who beat Krejci on the left wing and slipped the puck by way of Ullmark at 4:17 for his thirty fourth of the season.
The B’s have been fortunate they weren’t down by extra going into the second intermission. Charlie McAvoy and Connor Clifton took consecutive penalties, giving the Stars on a 57-second 5-on-3. But the B’s did a powerful job of killing the penalties off, after which Ullmark made a giant save on Robertson, who by some means broke in alone on his off wing late within the interval.
The B’s have been inside a purpose going into the third, however they desperately wanted to get again on the assault. They did simply that.
Source: www.bostonherald.com