By: Andrew Bluestein | Follow Me On Twitter / X @adbblue
First Period
The Boston Bruins lost 4-3 in overtime Tuesday night in the second game of a back-to-back. Besides the defeat, the headline of the night was the team list of Matt Poitras and Linus Ullmark to injury. Both players did not return and appeared to be in significant discomfort.
This one was tough to swallow as the Bruins seemed in control for much of the game but couldn’t separate themselves. The Coyotes kept hanging around and did so long enough to earn the victory.
The Bruins took a penalty not even two minutes into the game when Trent Frederic was called for a questionable hold. Boston killed off the penalty with a strong kill, highlighted by a great effort from Jake DeBrusk. Just after that, the Bruins had their first power play of the game after Matt Dumba was called for hooking. David Pastrnak opened the scoring on the man advantage with a great shot top shelf past Connor Ingram, making it 1-0.
Boston got a little sloppy for a few minutes, committing multiple turnovers in their own end, leading to some Arizona chances. Linus Ullmark was able to hold things off, making two point-blank saves. Charlie McAvoy made his presence known, planting a big hit on Jack McBain against the neutral zone boards. Brad Marchand then got into it with Clayton Keller right in front of the benches.
Both received penalties: Keller got 2:00 minutes for roughing, and Marchand got 2:00 for roughing and 2:00 for unsportsmanlike conduct. Nick Schmaltz also received 2:00 for roughing, and the teams played even. The Bruins had a few more chances before the period ended but couldn’t capitalize. They were outshot 12 to six with Ullmark strings in the net without yielding a goal.
Second Period
Boston started the second with an almost two-on-one chance, but the puck went too far ahead of Danton Heinen. Trent Frederic then got into a quick scrap with Liam O’Brien, with O’Brien getting an extra 2:00 for roughing. The Bruins had a sloppy start to the power play, and even after a late push, they could not cash in.
Arizona tied it on the power play after Matt Grzelcyk went off for tripping. It was Keller who evened things 1-1 after burying his own rebound on the doorstep. The Bruins responded in the blink of an eye when Jesper Boqvist rifled a shot by Ingram from above the hash marks. It was Boqvist’s first as a Bruin, making it a 2-1 game.
The Coyotes had another couple of high-danger chances down low, but Ullmark again kept them out. During a Boston line change, a bad giveaway led to an odd-man rush where Dylan Guenther went top shelf, tying the game 2-2. Ullmark made nine second-period saves, with the Bruins having the edge in shots on goals 12 to 11.
Third Period
The third period seemed to start comfortably for the Bruins, but after Mason Lohrei oversimplified a keep-in, he lost his footing, leading to an Arizona breakaway. Ullmark made the initial save, but Matias Maccelli put home the rebound for a 3-2 lead. The Bruins got another power play after Lawson Crouse played the puck with a broken stick.
The Black and Gold showed great puck movement, and the second unit tied the game 3-3 on a great shot from DeBrusk off the right faceoff circle. Matt Poitras left the game after suffering an apparent upper-body injury and did not return. Marchand had a golden opportunity off a Coyotes giveaway in front of their own net, but his shot went wide.
The Bruins had one more chance before the end of regulation, with Coyle hitting the post, and the two teams headed to overtime. The extra period featured two breakaway chances by Pastrnak. Ingram robbed him on the first and rang the crossbar on the second.
An unfortunate situation occurred when Ullmark suffered an apparent lower-body injury and left the game without putting any weight on one of his legs. Swayman was beaten on the only shot he faced, which was by Nick Schmaltz, winning it in overtime 4-3.
Up Next
The Bruins will continue their Western road trip when they head to Las Vegas to take on the defending Stanley Cup Champion Golden Knights. It will be a late East Coast 10:00 p.m. puck drop and the first of two meetings between the teams this season.
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