Final, Devils 4-3: And that is the game.
The Bruins can’t hold onto the lead, thanks in large part to lapses on the penalty kill, and the Devils improbably win their first road game of the season.
After the Bruins stole one Thursday against San Jose, they allow one to be stolen from them tonight.
Third period, 19:15, Devils 4-3: It took almost 60 minutes, but the Devils have their first lead of the game.
With Torey Krug still in the box serving his double-minor, Andy Greene scored to give the Devils a 4-3 lead here in the final minute.
Third period, 18:42, 3-3: The Devils have tied the game with their third power-play goal.
Marek Zidlicky just ripped a shot from the point. It was a 6-on-3 goal with the 5-on-3 and the goalie pulled, and they were able to score the equalizer.
Third period, 18:11, Bruins 3-2: Now it’s going to be really, really difficult for the Bruins.
Patrice Bergeron just went to clear the puck out of the zone, but he got it a little too high and the puck cleared the glass for a delay of game penalty.
The B’s will be down 5-on-3 for the rest of regulation.
Third period, 16:45, Bruins 3-2: It won’t be easy for the Bruins to finish this thing off.
Torey Krug and Damien Brunner went for a puck in the corner, and that’s where Krug got his stick up high. He caught Brunner in the face and that brought blood. It’s a four-minute penalty, which means the Devils will have a power play for the rest of regulation.
Third period, 15:00, Bruins 3-2: Just like that, the Bruins almost get the insurance goal.
The first line has been absolutely fantastic so far — the only Bruins line that has looked good — and they almost added another goal. Jarome Iginla found Milan Lucic coming down the slot and Lucic put a one-timer at the net, but Martin Brodeur made a pad save to keep it a one-goal game.
Third period, 13:00, Bruins 3-2: The Bruins seem more content with just hanging back and packing it in defensively right now, which is something the defensive-minded club isn’t afraid to do.
They haven’t had many scoring chances to speak of in the third period, but neither have the Devils, which is just the way Claude Julien likes it.
Third period, 8:00, Bruins 3-2: The Bruins’ penalty kill just stepped up its game even with Zdeno Chara sitting in the box.
The B’s were able to kill the penalty rather easily, and the Devils weren’t able to even get a shot on goal.
Boston got the best chance of the two minutes when Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron were able to manufacture a scoring opportunity that led to Bergeron walking in and putting a shot on Martin Brodeur that the goalie appeared to get a piece of.
Third period, 5:27, Bruins 3-2: New Jersey has made the most of its power-play chances, and now they’ll have an opportunity to tie the game on the man-advantage.
Zdeno Chara had his shot blocked, and the puck went bouncing into the neutral zone. Jaromir Jagr tried to run it down, but Chara got in his way. The Bruins captain was called for interference.
Third period, 1:49, Bruins 3-2: The Bruins have started the third period like a team that got yelled at during the intermission.
Boston almost scored in the opening minutes of the third period when Jarome Iginla found David Krejci on the doorstep, but it looked like Marty Brodeur got a shoulder on it to keep it out.
Third period, 0:01, Bruins 3-2: The third period is underway with the Bruins looking to hold onto this one-goal lead.
End second period, Bruins 3-2: The Devils got another scoring chance in the final seconds, but Tuukka Rask — laying on his back — was able to finally cover up a loose puck.
The Bruins lead 3-2 after two, but that period was far from impressive for the B’s.
Second period, 19:33, Bruins 3-2: This game is far from over.
Damien Brunner just scored the Devils’ second power-play goal of the game, as Tuukka Rask just couldn’t quite get post to post quick enough. Brunner scored with a backhander as he kind of just chipped at the puck on a rebound. The puck just barely squeezed by Rask’s right arm and then dribbled over the goal line.
Second period, 18:03, Bruins 3-1: Zdeno Chara is going to the penalty box, and the Devils will have a power play for the rest of the period.
Zdeno Chara went to make a play on a deflected puck in his own zone, and he ended up batting the puck over the glass with his stick. It’s an unfortunate break for the B’s, but it’s a delay of game penalty all the same.
Second period, 14:34, Bruins 3-1: The Devils have had a better second period, bu that’s not saying a ton given a pretty lethargic first.
However, Tuukka Rask looks like he is bringing the good stuff yet again. He made a nice save on a semi-breakaway chance for Steve Bernier a few minutes ago.
Rask now has eight second-period saves with the Bruins kind of coming unhinged a little bit in the last few minutes. Rask now has stopped 13 of the 14 shots he’s faced.
Second period, 10:12, Bruins 3-1: The Bruins killed off the penalty to Reilly Smith with no real issue.
The Devils did put some pressure on late in the man-advantage, but they could not convert.
Second period, 9:10, Bruins 3-1: The Devils’ lone goal came on the power play, and they’ll get another chance to get within one with a man-advantage.
Reilly Smith was just called for holding, and the Devils get another power play.
Second period, 6:49, Bruins 3-1: This might be David Krejci’s best game of the season.
The Bruins’ first-line center is all over the ice so far, and he was just responsible for the latest scoring chance for the B’s.
Krejci was able to break up a play in the neutral zone with the Devils looking to transition. Milan Lucic was nearby as he took off toward the offensive zone, and Jordan Caron also jumped into the play. That created a 3-on-1 rush into the attacking zone. Krejci passed to Lucic and Lucic passed it back, but the puck never settled. That caused Krejci to miss wide of the net.
Second period, 0:01, Bruins 3-1: The second period is underway with the Bruins holding a 3-1 lead.
End first period, Bruins 3-1: A dominant first period comes to an end for the Bruins, as they take the 3-1 lead to the room.
First period, 19:06, Bruins 3-1: Milan Lucic is having himself a night, and he’s having himself a season.
The bruising forward just scored his second goal of the period and seventh of the season on a breakaway with an assist to David Krejci and Jarome Iginla.
That line is absolutely clicking right now, and they are making the Devils pay dearly.
First period, 16:39, Bruins 2-1: Boston came real close to making a three-goal first period, but Torey Krug couldn’t quite hit the target.
The Bruins power play was unsuccessful in terms of scoring, but they generated some real good chances with suffocating pressure. The best chance came when Jarome Iginla found Torey Krug with a pass cross the slot, as Krug came down the right wing into the faceoff dot.
Krug blasted a one-timer toward the cage, but he ended up hitting the side of the net just missing the Bruins’ second power-play goal of the game.
First period, 11:58, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins are going to get a chance to add another power-play goal here.
Damien Brunner was called for interference after a collision in the neutral zone, a call that neither he nor Peter DeBoer were too happy about.
First period, 11:24, Bruins 2-1: The Devils are right back in this game.
Adam Henrique just scored a power-play goal to pull the Devils within a goal.
First period, 10:28, Bruins 2-0: Boston is now going to have to kill off a penalty.
Johnny Boychuk was called for interference, and New Jersey gets its first power play.
First period, 9:19, Bruins 2-0: The Bruins are rolling already.
Jarome Iginla is a goal scorer, which means he’s going to score some lucky goals and they’re going to come in bunches. He just scored his second of the season — thanks to another lucky bounce — and the B’s are up a couple of goals.
Iginla just threw the puck at the net from the corner and the puck hit a Devils skate and went through Martin Brodeur’s legs.
New Jersey coach Peter DeBoer called timeout following the goal.
First period, 7:52, Bruins 1-0: That didn’t take long.
The Bruins just needed 11 seconds of power-play time to score the game’s first goal. Milan Lucic appeared to tip home Torey Krug’s wrist shot from the right point.
If it stands as Lucic’s goal, that’s his sixth of the season. That’s quite the start for him.
First period, 7:41, 0-0: The Bruins have come out with another good start, and just the second whistle of the period signals a power play.
Zdeno Chara was working hard against a Jaromir Jagr in a puck battle down along the boards in the Boston end and Chara certainly got the better of that exchange. Chara’s ability to move his feet eventually led to a tripping penalty on Dainius Zubrus.
Neither team has registered a shot on goal yet, but the Bruins have had the better of the chances. That’s especially true of the first line, as they continue to play well as they develop more and more chemistry.
First period, 0:01, 0-0: The game is underway.
6:45 p.m.: It appears that the Bruins are going with the same lineup that they used Thursday night against the San Jose Sharks.
That means that Brad Marchand is skating as the second-line right winger in place of the injured Loui Eriksson with Jordan Caron on the right wing on the third line. Also, Dougie Hamilton is the sixth defensemen, meaning Matt Bartkowski is back in the press box yet again.
Here are the lines and defensive pairings.
Milan Lucic — David Krejci — Jarome Iginla
Reilly Smith — Patrice Bergeron — Brad Marchand
Carl Soderberg — Chris Kelly — Jordan Caron
Daniel Paille — Gregory Campbell — Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara — Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg — Dougie Hamilton
Torey Krug — Adam McQuaid
6:35 p.m.: The two teams have taken the ice for pregame warmups at the Garden, and as expected, Tuukka Rask versus Martin Brodeur will be the goaltending matchup.
5 p.m.: It’s been somewhat quiet, but Milan Lucic is certainly off to a nice start for the Bruins. The big winger seemingly had something to prove after a rough season after the lockout ended, and he has certainly come to play so far this season.
Lucic already has five goals and five assists through the Bruins’ nine games. To put that in some sort of perspective, at least compared to last season, he didn’t score his fifth goal until his 30th game during the 2013 campaign. While it’s unlikely he keeps up this pace, the power forward is on pace for 45 goals and 45 assists — or so. Lucic also has at least a point in seven of nine games this season.
Interestingly, he’s also staying out of the penalty box. Aside from the 12 minutes of penalties he was given for a skirmish with Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog a couple of weeks ago, Lucic’s season has been infraction-free.
He’s picked up right where he left off in the playoffs where did all he could to salvage that rough season with an impressive playoff run. When you add that to the fact that David Krejci is also playing well and Jarome Iginla is starting to get comfortable with his new surroundings, it’s easy to see why the first line has been the Bruins’ best so far.
3 p.m.: The Bruins had something of a slow start to the season with two losses in their first five games. As of late, however, the B’s have started to hit their stride and they’ll look to keep that going Saturday night at TD Garden.
The Bruins will welcome the New Jersey Devils to TD Garden where the B’s will attempt to win their fifth straight game. Despite having only played nine games on the young season, the Bruins are already atop the Northeast Conference with a couple of games in hand over second-place Toronto.
The Devils, on the other hand, are struggling. New Jersey comes into Boston having just one win this season in their first nine games. The Devils do already have four overtime or shootout losses, which indicates they’ve probably been a little better than their record, but they haven’t had much success this season regardless.
With the Devils in town, the Bruins will get their first look at now ex-teammate Jaromir Jagr. The future Hall of Famer, who was acquired at the trade deadline last season, signed with the Devils this season after years of terrorizing them as a member of the Penguins, Rangers, Capitals and Flyers. Jagr has already enjoyed about as much statistical success with the Devils as he did with the Bruins. He comes in with two goals and five assists in the team’s 10 games.
Speaking of Hall of Famers, Martin Brodeur is expected to get the start in net for the Devils. While he essentially declared the Devils were now Cory Schneider’s team, Schneider didn’t make the trip to Boston because of an injury. That means this could be Brodeur’s final appearance in Boston depending on how the goaltending workload shakes out the rest of the season.
Puck drop from the Garden is slated for 7 p.m.
