BOSTON — The Boston Bruins squandered multiple leads against the Los Angeles Kings and were dealt a 5-4 overtime loss Saturday afternoon at TD Garden.
The loss stretched Boston’s losing streak to four games as it now has a 32-12-11 record while the Kings improved to 26-16-10.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Bruins needed a more consistent effort against the Kings, who proved to be the grittier team over 60-plus minutes.
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Boston built a two-goal lead midway through the second period but there were too many lapses where the Bruins played without much energy. The Kings outshot the Bruins, 22-17, over the first two periods and Los Angeles twice leveled the score in the third period.
The Kings were aided by a Pavel Zacha holding penalty late in the third period that helped set up the game-tying goal for Los Angeles with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.
The Bruins might just be caught in the doldrums of the regular season, but they really need a spark and deliver more consistent effort. Too many times over the last two weeks they have played on their heels. It’s time for them to dictate play again.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Brandt Clarke was in the right place at the right time to score his first NHL goal. Clarke came out of the box after committing a hooking penalty and beat Linus Ullmark on a breakaway to lift the Kings to a win with 26.1 seconds left in overtime.
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— Trent Frederic turned in a Gordie Howe hat trick. Frederic’s biggest contribution came when he broke a 3-3 deadlock with a goal at the 7:12 mark of the third period. He also assisted on van Reimsdyk’s first tally and dropped the gloves with Andreas Englund in the first period
— James van Riemsdyk powered the Bruins offense early on. His two goals in the first period puts him at 11 tallies on the campaign, which is just one shy of the total he scored all of last season with the Philadelphia Flyers. He also had an assist.
WAGER WATCH
van Reimsdyk took care of business early on for bettors. FanDuel Sportsbook had the odds of the veteran forward scoring a goal at +320. And with van Reimsdyk checking that off, a $100 wager would have netted a total of $420.
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UP NEXT
The Bruins close out a seven-game homestand Monday against the Dallas Stars, who sit atop the Western Conference’s Central Division. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
Featured image via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
