By: Andrew Bluestein | Follow Me On X (Formerly Twitter) @adbblue
The Boston Bruins were defeated 2-1 in overtime by the New Jersey Devils Wednesday night. It was the Bruins’ first game in four days and the first without Pavel Zacha and Charlie McAvoy, who are both day-to-day.
Boston played a solid defensive game supported by Jeremy Swayman, but they just couldn’t bury their offensive chances. They let New Jersey take control of the game towards the end of the second period and couldn’t solve Devils goalie Vitek Vanecek.
First Period
Both teams were jumping out of the gym to start this one, trading high-quality chances right after the opening face-off. It was very fast-paced hockey, and the Bruins had the edge early, generating plenty of zone time. Within that, they had a few good looks but couldn’t capitalize.
New Jersey regained momentum after Mason Lohrei went off for slashing, but the Bruins killed it off. The pace slowed slightly in the second half of the opening period, and the Devils caught up in the shot department. However, none were of the high-danger variety, as Boston defended their zone well.
The Bruins broke the ice, making it 1-0 with Morgan Geekie scoring after a tremendous shift. It wasn’t with Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak, with whom he started the game, but rather James Van Riemsdyk and Danton Heinen. The Bruins had the edge in shots on goal nine to seven, with Swayman stopping all of the Devils shots.
Second Period
Very early in the second period, the Bruins were awarded their only power-play of the game, but were sloppy without generating a shot on net. There were few open passing lanes in the first half of the middle frame, as a handful of passes deflected out of play. Geekie continued his solid play with another impressive shift.
He made a great effort play, keeping the puck in and then setting up Pastrnak for a great chance, but Vitek Vanecek turned it aside. The Devils got their legs and had some pushback after the Bruins controlled the play, but Swayman was up to the task.
He made 12 second-period saves, and his best came when Boston was shorthanded. The Bruins netminder ribbed Dawson Mercer on a point-blank one-timer, and they would successfully kill off the penalty. No goals were scored in the second, and New Jersey outshot the Bruins 12 to seven.
Third Period and Overtime
Boston had cement in their boots to start the third period, getting caught in their own end. New Jersey took advantage and tied the game 1-1 after Dawson Mercer knocked home a loose bouncing puck in front.
The Black and Gold responded with a couple of solid shifts but couldn’t find the back of the net. They then had three really good chances from the line of Van Riemsdyk, Heinen, and Matt Poitras, but again could not finish.
After some more back-and-forth hockey, regulation ended tied 1-1, and the two teams headed to overtime. It was all Devils in the extra period as they applied plenty of pressure, and Jack Hughes bested Swayman on a quick release to win it 2-1.
Up Next
The Bruins will head to the Island to take on the red-hot New York Islanders Friday night for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop. Boston defeated the Islanders 5-2 at TD Garden back on November 9th.
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