The Boston Bruins needed a response game this afternoon at home against the improving Arizona Coyotes, and two goals and an assist by David Pastrnak and some timely saves by Linus Ullmark led the response in a 5-3 victory over the Arizona Coyotes this afternoon at TD Garden.
The Bruins played the game without Charlie McAvoy, who is day-to-day after getting his face smushed by a reverse hit during Thursday night’s loss to the Buffalo Sabres. During this game, the Bruins lost Pavel Zacha to an upper-body injury (follow @MickColageo on X-Twitter for updates).
Ullmark started consecutive games for the first time this season. Jeremy Swayman, who has played a back-to-back, was not quite ready to start.
AI illustration by Daryl Vautour
THIRD PERIOD
Morgan Geekie starts the third period between Pastrnak and Jake DeBrusk.
Coyle between Marchand and Heinen, and Marchand goes in and sprays Ingram high school style. The Coyotes didn’t like it, so when Milos Kelemen went to the net at the other end, he threw off Pastrnak to the point Geekie got into a helmet-removing match with the Slovakian forward, who was very strong holding his ground.
The previously quiet Lawson Crouse snapped the puck home from the slot even as Hampus Lindholm tripped him to make it a nailbiter at 4-3 Boston with over 16 minutes to play.
Heinen to the box, and now the Bruins are down to a one-goal lead with a penalty to kill. The Bruins got the kill but not without an Ullmark beauty on Alex Kerfoot from point-blank range.
Marchand to the box for high-sticking Troy Stetcher.
The Bruins went back up by two when Geekie carried to the net and nudged the puck back in front to a trailing Pastrnak, who curled the forehand around Ingram’s left pad with 5:31 remaining. 5-3.
Bruins did a much better job with a lead and the goalie out than what we have seen from time to time.
Final: 5-3 Bruins. Final shots: 34-29 AZ.
SECOND PERIOD
Durzi went back to the box and Kevin Shattenkirk finished a pretty passing play that touched at least four sticks at 2:02 to make it 3-0 Boston.
The Coyotes had an excellent response shift, culminating in a goal by Clayton Keller at 2:50. Another key, D-zone faceoff loss (Pavel Zacha) directly led to the goal.
Arizona struck again on a 2-on-1 as Carcone beat Ullmark at 3:22, and suddenly it was a tight game.
Danton Heinen got the insurance back for Boston on a pretty move on Durzi in the right circle, snapping the puck high nearside off-wing, making it 4-2.
Ullmark stuck the left pad out to stop a close shot from Jason Zucker, who timed his swipe at the exact moment an aerial puck landed. Brandon Carlo leapt and could not swat the puck.
Oskar Steen made a nice play to generate a 3-on-2 that relayed between Marchand and Pastrnak, who got the puck back to Steen. Ingram got his stick in place.
The period ended with a big shift from the Poitras-JVR-Frederic line (Montgomery got Pastrnak out there to exploit Arizona’s stress with the long change), then the Coyotes (to a lesser extent) pressured the Bruins.
Zacha left the game with an upper-body injury and will not return.
Shots after two: 24-22 Boston.
FIRST PERIOD
The Coyotes ran out to a 7-1 shots advantage, but those flurries were not entirely indicative of the Bruins’ play. Boston came out aggressively and got pucks deep, just did not generate shots on goal. Shot attempts yes,
The Bruins got a 5-on-3 overlapper after Sean Durzi and NIck Bjugstad went to the penalty box, then the Coyotes had a powerplay on a Matt Poitras trip.
Nothing doing on the special teams, but the Bruins struck 5-on-5.
David Pastrnak, instead of going for a tight wrap around the Arizona net, curled wider and ripped a wrist shot past Connor Ingram to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead with 4:38 remaining in the opening period.
They struck again with 3:50 remaining when Durzi got sloppy reversing the puck on a retrieval behind the Arizona net. James van Riemsdyk pressured the puck, Trent Frederic collected and shot, and Charlie Coyle went to the net for tipped it home. 2-0 Boston.
Pastrnak and Brad Marchand had a 2-on-1 that Pastrnak clanged off both goalposts, so in a classic hockey sequence, the Bruins almost made it 3-0, then Marchand went to the box and Logan Cooley forced Ullmark to make his first challenging stop in several minutes. Almost 3-0, almost 2-1, almost a “that’s hockey” moment.
The first period ended with two more testers from Marchand and Danton Heinen. The Bruins’ 14-13 shots margin was reflective of the hockey, but the Bruins were on their game for far more time in the first period than they’d been on Thursday.
It was the result they needed against an improving club that has scored some significant road wins of late.
Rink Rap with Mick Colageo 