Final, Bruins 4-3: That didn’t take long.
Torey Krug got open at the top of the offensive zone, he got an open shooting lane, and he did not miss it. He blasted the shot by Marc-Andre Fleury, and the Bruins get out of here with the win.
Overtime, 0:16, 3-3: Overtime is underway.
Sixteen seconds in, Jarome Iginla gets a chance right in front, but his backhander is stopped by Marc-Andre Fleury.
End third period, 3-3: Wow.Â
The Penguins just tied it up with 0.3 seconds to play. Chris Kunitz whirled in the slot and flung it toward the net where Sidney Crosby pushed it by Tuukka Rask to tie the game 3-3. Unbelievable.
Third period, 18:50, Bruins 3-2: The Bruins are going to take their timeout here. Looks like the Penguins have pulled the goalie.
Third period, 17:25, Bruins 3-2: The Bruins may be down a defenseman going into the final minutes.
Johnny Boychuk took a shot to the face and he went down the tunnel for repairs. In the time it took to type all of this, Boychuk returned. We’ll keep an eye on it regardless, though.
Third period, 14:45, Bruins 3-2: And all of a sudden, the Bruins first line comes alive and they take the lead.
That line did a good job of carrying the puck into the Pittsburgh zone where they moved it sharply around the offensive zone before it got to Zdeno Chara at the right point. The defenseman threw a wrist shot toward the goal that looked to have been deflected by Milan Lucic. However, the goal was credited to Chara. Either way, it’s a good job of generating the chance and good work by Lucic of getting some traffic in front, and the B’s have the lead again.
Third period, 11:09, 2-2: And we have a tie game.Â
The Bruins haven’t done nearly enough offensively, and they have let the Penguins hang around, which is a bad idea against a team that talented.
James Neal took a pass from Jussi Jokinen and just blasted a shot by Tuukka Rask for his second goal of the game, and it’s all tied up.
Third period, 10:52, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins’ second line has been the team’s best line here in the third period, and they had the best chance of the period for the B’s.
Brad Marchand started the breakout when he took a hit to move the puck along the far blue line in the Boston end, which allowed Loui Eriksson to get the puck through the neutral zone with speed. He eventually dropped it for Patrice Bergeron and headed to the net, but Bergeron’s shot was right into Marc-Andre Fleury’s bread basket.
Meanwhile, the B’s have received nothing out of the first line. They’ve combined for just two shots tonight and haven’t done much to build off the overtime game-winner on Saturday.
Third period, 5:17, Bruins 2-1: Tuukka Rask just came up with another big save.
James Neal’s impressive game continues, as he just got behind the Bruins’ defensemen and took a loose puck to the net. He fired a quick wrist shot and appeared to be aiming five-hole, but Rask made the save.
Third period, 4:09, Bruins 2-1: Just one shot on goal from both teams so far here in the third period.
The Bruins’ second line just had a strong shift in the Pittsburgh zone that led Marc-Andre Fleury to cover the puck. We’ll see if that jump-starts the Bruins offense, which has gone dormant since the first period.
Third period, 0:01, Bruins 2-1: The third period is underway here at the Garden.
End second period, Bruins 2-1: Brad Marchand had a chance in the final seconds of the third period, but he couldn’t get a good enough angle.
Loui Eriksson made a nice play along the wall to get the puck to a streaking Marchand coming into the zone, but the Pittsburgh defenseman was able to get back quick enough to cut off the angle and Marchand had to try a backhander from a bad angle that Marc-Andre Fleury easily stopped by cutting off the angle at the post.
The second period just ended with Boston holding the lead, and the Penguins holding a 20-13 edge in shots on goal.
Second period, 16:37, Bruins 2-1: Evgeni Malkin came close to tying the game.
He had a bouncing puck in front of the net that he tried lifting over Tuukka Rask. There was room, too, but the puck was moving too much for Malkin to get cleanly and he ended up shooting it over the glass.
Second period, 16:29, Bruins 2-1: The Bruins are lucky they still have the lead.
Evgeni Malkin, who has been fantastic so far in this one, just weaved into the zone before passing it off to James Neal. He fired a shot from the left wing that beat Tuukka Rask, but the shot rang the post before deflecting away from the net.
Malkin and Neal have been the two best Penguins on the ice so far.
Second period, 13:48, Bruins 2-1: Tuukka Rask just made one of his better saves of the evening with a really nice glove save.
James Neal carried it all the way around the Bruins net before passing to Matt Niskanen at the left point. Niskanen took a step or two and let loose a hard wrist shot that Rask made the glove save on. You could hear the glove pop from up here.
Second period, 9:30, Bruins 2-1: This game should be tied, but Sidney Crosby couldn’t quite whack home a puck in front.
There was a puck loose in front of the Bruins net with Tuukka Rask flailing and on his back that Crosby came in to try and jam home. However, Zdeno Chara might have gotten just enough of the puck or Crosby’s stick even to make it too difficult for Crosby to score what originally looked to be an easy goal.
Second period, 6:10, Bruins 2-1: Things have really tightened up since the James Neal goal just 37 seconds into the period.
Both clubs have three shots apiece since then, but both defenses have done a good job of limiting quality chances and keeping everything to the outside. That almost wasn’t enough to keep Sidney Crosby off the score sheet, though. The Penguins captain came down the right wing with pressure on him and put a shot toward the net that just missed the top-left corner and rattled around the boards.
Second period, 0:37, Bruins 2-1: The second period begins with a strong start from the Penguins, and they were able to cash in this time.
James Neal just beat Tuukka Rask after taking a great pass from Jussi Jokinen. The Bruins left Neal all alone in the slot and he ripped it by Rask for the Pens’ first goal.
Second period, 0:01, Bruins 2-0: The second period is underway.
End first period, Bruins 2-0: The first period just came to an end with the Bruins leading 2-0. The B’s were badly outplayed for the first 10 minutes or so, but they made the most of their few chances, and they have the two-goal lead after one.
Carl Soderberg and Loui Eriksson were fantastic in that period. They both collected two points, and both look like they’ve got a good jump in their step right now. Soderberg has been especially good as of late, and he now has six points in his last five games counting this one.
Pittsburgh outshot Boston 10- in the first.
First period, 15:43, Bruins 2-0: Golly, that was pretty.
The Bruins wasted no time scoring on the power play. The B’s needed just 9 seconds to score on the man-advantage, thanks to an absolutely gorgeous goal from Carl Soderberg, who found Reilly Smith coming in the back door. Smith one-timed it by Marc-Andre Fleury, and the B’s lead 2-0.
First period, 15:34, Bruins 1-0: Now the Bruins will go on the power play.
Pascal Dupuis is being sent off for hooking after he took down Carl Sodeberg behind the Pittsburgh net.
First period, 12:27, Bruins 1-0: Despite being outplayed for much of the first, the Bruins have the game’s first goal.
Loui Eriksson just scored a highight-reel goal, that started with a misplay from Brooks Orpik. The Pittsburgh defenseman couldn’t get good wood on a shot from the right point, and Carl Soderberg blocked it before advancing up the ice. Soderberg carried it into the neutral zone and to the Pittsburgh blue line before getting it to Eriksson.
Eriksson kicked the puck to himself through his legs before walking in and scoring a backhanded goal through Marc-Andre Fleury’s legs.
First period, 11:00, 0-0: Tuukka Rask has been sensational so far. Everyone else in a black jersey? Not so much.
Rask has stopped all 10 shots he’s seen, but he hasn’t received much help from anyone else. The Penguins are making the breakout look very, very easy, and they’re doing some good work in their own end as well. There really aren’t any chances for the Bruins right now, and that’s thanks in large part to how solid the Pittsburgh defense has been so far.
First period, 7:29, 0-0: The Penguins couldn’t score on the power play, but they certainly had some chances.
Evgeni Malkin had the best opportunity when he danced through the defense to get right in front where his backhanded chance was stopped by Tuukka Rask.
Rask has made nine saves in the early going.
First period, 4:42, 0-0: The Penguins will have the first power play of the game.
Brad Marchand just caught Sidney Crosby with a high stick as the two went into the corner in the Penguins zone. Marchand will sit for two.
First period, 3:37, 0-0: The Bruins’ third and fourth lines just hemmed the Penguins in for about a minute or so as the two teams continue to feel each other out.
First period, 1:03, 0-0: Pretty poor first shift from the Bruins, which leads to a fantastic chance in front for Chris Kunitz.
Tuukka Rask made an incredible right pad save to keep it scoreless in the opening minutes.
First period, 0:01, 0-0: And we’re off. The game is underway here at TD Garden.
7 p.m.: We’re just moments away from the puck being dropped. The Patrice Bergeron line will start for the Bruins, while Sidney Crosby’s line gets the start for Pittsburgh.
6:40 p.m.: The Bruins’ lineup will remain the same, according to the warmups.
Adam McQuaid and Dennis Seidenberg are out, so that means that Matt Bartkowski and Kevan Miller remain in the lineup. Up front, no changes, which has been the case for quite some time now.
In case you’re new around these parts, here are the Bruins’ lines and defensive pairings based on the pregame twirl.
Milan Lucic — David Krejci — Jarome Iginla
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bereron — Loui Eriksson
Carl Sodeberg — Chris Kelly — Reilly Smith
Daniel Paille — Gregory Campbell — Shawn Thornton
Zdeno Chara — Dougie Hamilton
Torey Krug — Johnny Boychuk
Matt Bartkowski — Kevan Miller
6:30 p.m.: The Bruins and Penguins just took the ice for pregame warmups. Tuukka Rask, as expected, gets the start for the Bruins, while Marc-Andre Fleury goes for the Penguins.
Adam McQuaid is not on the ice for the Bruins, so it appears as if he will indeed miss his eighth consecutive game with a lower-body injury. Dennis Seidenberg isn’t on the ice, either. Less of a surprise there, but he’s going to miss another game as well.
6 p.m.: Good evening and welcome into a frigid TD Garden. With the weather as it outside and how cold it is in here, there should be no issues with the ice for this one.Â
It might come as a bit of surprise given the fact that the Eastern Conference Finals sweep is still fresh in many minds, but the Bruins have struggled like hell to beat the Penguins as of late. Pittsburgh comes in having won its last seven straight against the Bruins overall, and they have won six in a row here at the Garden. That, of course, is limited to the regular season only after last year’s sweep in which the Bruins won four straight including two here at home.
3:20 p.m.:Â There was an interesting development out of Dan Bylsma’s media session this morning.
The Pittsburgh Penguins head coach is also set to be the head coach of Team USA at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Februrary. He said Monday morning that Bruins defenseman Torey Krug is “without hesitation” in the mix for one of the D-man spots on the American team. That would be pretty impressive if Krug could someone get himself a spot on that club in such a short amount of time. Read more about that by clicking here.
As for Krug’s realistic chances of making that team? Probably slim. He’s not a great defensive defenseman, and while his skill set might be intriguing on the big Olympic ice, he’s probably still unlikely to make the team. If he keeps progressing the way he has in his young career, though, he’s almost already a certain lock for 2018.
2 p.m.: The last time the Pittsburgh Penguins were at TD Garden, their season ended. They’ll return to the scene of the crime Monday night when they take on the Bruins for the second time this season.
The B’s and the Pens will meet again Monday night at TD Garden for the second time since Boston won the Eastern Conference finals last spring. The two clubs met Oct. 30 in Pittsburgh, but there probably wasn’t as much attention on that matchup as there should have been — that’s the night the Red Sox won the World Series.
Monday’s matchup should have a few more eyeballs focused on it, as it pits two of the league’s best and most talented teams.
The Bruins come in having won seven of their last 10 games, with two of those losses coming in the shootout. They sit atop the Eastern Conference, with the Penguins on their tails. The Bruins come in with 32 points on the young season, while Pittsburgh comes in with 30 points, obviously giving them a chance to catch and tie the Bruins for first in the conference with a regulation win.
The Bruins are still a little shorthanded on the blue line. B’s coach Claude Julien didn’t rule out defenseman Adam McQuaid, so there’s a chance he could play Monday night for the first time since Nov. 9 when he suffered a lower-body injury against the Maple Leafs. However, it’s expected that Dennis Seidenberg will miss another game despite skating with the team at Monday’s morning skate. If neither can go, that means Kevan Miller would be back in the lineup for his third career NHL game, as would Matt Bartkowski. The Pittsburgh native has played well as of late, but it would be a big test going against a high-powered Pittsburgh lineup.
The Penguins still boast some top-end offensive talent, and one of those players is heating up. After a brutal goal drought, Evgeni Malkin finally broke through and snapped a 15-game drought with a goal on Friday. He finished the previous week with a goal and seven assists and was named the league’s No. 1 star for the week. Meanwhile, Sidney Crosby continues to do his thing and comes into the game leading the league with 30 points.
Tuukka Rask is expected to get the start in net for the Bruins, while Marc-Andre Fleury is likely to go for the Penguins.
Puck drop from the Garden is set for 7 p.m.
