The Boston Bruins got off to a fast start during the first game following the NHL All-Star break but ultimately allowed four unanswered goals as the Pittsburgh Penguins earned a 4-2 victory at TD Garden.
Boston fell to 26-15-3 with the loss while the Penguins, who benefitted from an empty net goal in the final minutes, improved to 28-11-8.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Bruins scored a pair of first-period goals and put together a quality opening frame, but allowed the Penguins to get right back into it as Pittsburgh tallied twice in a span of 28 seconds. Boston did not struggle when it came to their pace of play, providing plenty of pressure to the tune of 45 shots, but their execution and puck possession during the opening minutes of the second were not what the hosts needed to put the game away.
Boston had struggled with slow starts before much of the All-Star break and while they were better in that area Tuesday, it was a sluggish start to the second which gave the Penguins life en route to the win.
STARS OF THE GAME
— David Pastrnak scored a pair of first-period goals, recording the 40th multi-goal game of his career. Pastrnak’s power-play goal at 2:01 and mid-air strike at 15:54 gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead. They also marked the 22nd and 23rd points in Pastrnak’s last 14 games.
— Former Bruin Danton Heinen, who earned pregame praise from Bruce Cassidy, scored a pair of goals to help the Penguins mount a second-period comeback. Heinen’s goals came within a span of 28 seconds (4:18 and 4:46) of the middle frame.
— Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry recorded a season-high 43 saves on 45 shots against the Bruins, turning away a number of strong chances by the Bruins.
WAGER WATCH
David Pastrnak continues to offer bettors some value as the Bruins winger was 10-to-1 to score the first goal of the game and +150 to score an anytime goal, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. If you were confident Pastrnak would score, a $100 wager would have paid out $250.
UP NEXT ON NESN
The Bruins will return to action Thursday as they host the Carolina Hurricanes at TD Garden with puck drop set for 7 p.m. ET. You can watch a full hour of pregame coverage on NESN.
