The shorthanded Boston Bruins cooled off the red-hot St. Louis Blues by prevailing with a 3-2 overtime victory Tuesday night at the Enterprise Center.
Bruins improved to 47-24-5 while the Blues, who were riding a nine-game winning streak, fell to 46-20-11.
Check out the full box score.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Bruins were without key players in David Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm, but turned in a gritty performance to take down the playoff-bound Blues.
Charlie McAvoy played the role of the hero for the Bruins, sniping a goal top shelf just 48 seconds into overtime. Charlie Coyle and Jake DeBrusk were credited with assists on the game-winning tally.
After Pavel Buchnevich opened the scoring for St. Louis at the 11:49 mark of the first period with a power-play goal, the Bruins mustered up a much-needed response.
A second effort on a wraparound attempt paid off for DeBrusk as he netted his 23rd goal of the season to level the score and nearly eight minutes later Taylor Hall put the Bruins in front by redirecting a point shot from Derek Forbort.
The Bruins’ defense held the Blues under four goals in a game for the first time since March 26, but Boston gave up a back-breaking goal in the waning seconds of the second period. The Bruins tried to run out the clock by keeping the puck pinned up against the boards, but the puck squirted out to Vladimir Tarasenko, who flung a backhanded shot on net that Robert Thomas redirected past Jeremy Swayman with 2.4 seconds remaining in the period.
STARS OF THE GAME
— How could McAvoy not be a star of the game? The Boston defenseman led a stellar defensive effort and then potted the game-winning goal with an unbelievable shot from the slot.
— It was a multi-point outing for DeBrusk, who tallied Boston’s first goal and then helped set up McAvoy in overtime.
— Tarasenko continues to be a thorn in the side for the Bruins. After potting two goals in last week’s win over Boston, Tarasenko registered assists on the first two goals from St. Louis.
WAGER WATCH
Placing a bet on Hall to score a goal at any time would have thickened the wallets for bettors. Hall was +285 on DraftKings to score coming into the game, which on a $100 bet would have resulted in a total payout of $385.
UP NEXT ON NESN
The Bruins complete a quick, two-game road trip on Thursday when they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET with pregame coverage beginning at 6 p.m. ET on NESN.
