Former coach Bruce Cassidy made his triumphant return to Boston on Monday night time, however the Bruins made him sweat it out. And one other former Bruin helped him obtain it.
Cassidy’s Vegas Golden Knights blew a three-goal lead after which survived a Bruin energy play in time beyond regulation earlier than Reilly Smith scored the lone shootout objective within the abilities competitors for the 4-3 win.
It was the primary loss on Garden ice all 12 months for the B’s (14-0-1).
After Vegas went up 3-0 early within the second interval, the B’s scored two objectives within the interval after which tied it up early within the third when the Knights took two fast penalties, giving the B’s a prolonged 5-on-3. They couldn’t rating on the two-man benefit however simply after the primary penalty was up, Taylor Hall adopted up his personal rebound to even the sport at 3:08 of the third.
From there, the groups went forwards and backwards for the remainder of regulation however couldn’t finish it there.
Whether the Knights had any extra motivation to win for his or her new coach or not, they had been clearly the higher workforce within the first interval as they took a 2-0 lead. They had been extra targeted and disciplined in all three zones of the ice
Vegas struck first simply 1:36 into the sport. Paul Cotter took Brandon Carlo for a brief trip behind the Bruin internet with the puck earlier than earlier than drifting out into the slot space. There he stood on their lonesome to obtain William Karlsson’s return move and rood it over Jeremy Swayman’s glove shoulder.
Then at 5:04, the B’s shot themselves within the foot. On a breakout, David Pastrnak tried a cross-ice move from the left boards. Jonathan Marchessault picked it off and had a clear break-in. Swayman made the save on Marchessault’s preliminary shot, however the Knight ahead was so on their lonesome that he had loads of time to gather his personal rebound and rating into the open internet.
Before the Garden recreation presentation of us might play the welcome again video for Cassidy on the Jumbotron through the first TV timeout – as anticipated, he obtained a robust ovation, which an emotional Cassidy acknowledged with a wave and hand to his coronary heart – his workforce was up by a deuce.
The B’s did have some probabilities – the photographs had been 8-8 within the first – however most of the time, the higher alternatives by no means obtained to goalie Logan Thompson because the Knights had their sticks within the good passing lanes. And generally, the B’s simply made the flawed choices with the puck, like when Tomas Nosek turned down a large open shot from the excessive slot, choosing a move that by no means obtained to its vacation spot.
It obtained worse earlier than it obtained higher.
On the primary shift of the second interval, the B’s kicked across the puck till Derek Forbort made a backhand clear try to nobody. It finally went to Shea Theodore on the Vegas blue line and he pushed the puck again up ice, creating a fast 2-on-1. Mark Stone fed Cotter, who scored his second of the sport shortside on a shot Swayman may need needed again, although it was nonetheless a primary scoring probability that ought to not have occurred.
The B’s began to indicate some life after Pastrnak buried Zac Whitecloud on a verify. Shortly after that, they earned their first energy play. That went for naught, however the B’s obtained on the board at 13:46 when Patrice Bergeron made a fantastic move to Brad Marchand for a redirect objective, Marchand’s eighth of the season.
Then, with time winding down within the second interval during which the B’s outshot Vegas 15-6, Pastrnak made it a recreation a terrific play. Working on his off wing, the sniper picked the puck off the kick plate and gave himself some open ice with a fantastic spin transfer earlier than beating Thompson with a tough wrister with 24.4 seconds left within the interval.
Source: www.bostonherald.com