By: Andrew Bluestein | Follow Me On X (Formerly Twitter) @adbblue
The Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in overtime Saturday night. The win improved their record to 16-4-3, and it’s their second win in a row after dropping three straight.
This one was an incredible hockey game. Both teams traded grade-A chances all night long. It went back and forth all three periods and overtime in what felt like a playoff game.
First Period
It was a bit of a slow start for both teams, as they were feeling each other out. The game’s first shot wasn’t registered until about three minutes in by Toronto. The Leafs then stayed on the attack, getting the next four shots on goal. Boston didn’t get their first shot until there was 13:23 left in the opening period on a good chance from Jake DeBrusk.
The Bruins struck first despite being outplayed in the first half of period one. David Pastrnak beat Joseph Woll on an absolute laser beam from the top of the right face-off circle that went to the top shelf, blocker side. That made it a 1-0 game.
The Bruins turned it on a little and produced a few more quality chances but couldn’t finish. Toronto had the edge in shots on goal ten to seven in the opening frame. Linus Ullmark was solid, stopping all ten of the Leaf’s shots.
Second Period
There was a bunch of back-and-forth action in the second period. The Leafs had a few high-danger chances, highlighted by Auston Matthews hitting the post. Pastrnak had a chance of his own on a one-timer that just missed the net. The physicality intensified as well, with several big collisions.
Boston extended their lead to 2-0 when David Pastrnak made a tremendous cross-zone pass to Kevin Shattenkirk, who snuck one by Woll. It was Shattenkirk’s first as a Bruins. Toronto answered, cutting the lead in half when Auston Matthews put home a loose puck on the net mouth.
That made the score 2-1. The Leafs again had the shots on goal advantage 14 to 13. Ullmark remained solid, making 13 saves. All around, it was a very entertaining period of hockey.
Third Period and Overtime
Toronto tied the game just 2:11 into the third period. A mishandled puck by Shattenkirk at the offensive blue line created a breakaway chance for Max Domi, who beat Ullmark. That tied things up 2-2. Both teams continued to trade chances up and down the ice.
The Bruins jumped back in front after Derek Forbort threw a puck on goal from up top. Trent Frederic was battling in front and buried the loose puck for a 3-2 lead. The Bruins have had issues all season when their opponent pulls the goalie for the extra attacker.
It happened again in this one as Toronto tied the game with only six seconds left on the clock. Auston Matthews got his second scoring out of a net-mouth scramble, which made it 3-3.
The overtime period was complete mayhem. Both teams traded chance after chance. There was a combined 16 shots on goal, with Boston having the edge 11 to five. The Bruins got the last laugh as David Pastrnak had a breakaway in the final seconds.
Woll denied him, but Pastrnak stayed with it and got it to Brad Marchand in front, who finished it with just eight seconds left for a 4-3 overtime win. The goal was Marchand’s first point in six games.
Up Next
The Bruins will head back to Boston and play the second game of a back-to-back tomorrow night. The Bruins will host the Columbus Blue Jackets and look to get a little revenge after the 5-2 loss on Monday. The puck drop will be at 7:00 p.m.
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