Bruins survive Coyotes, 5-3
The Bruins are a long way from perfect and, with the absences they’re currently dealing with, they won’t be attaining it any time soon.
But their moxie was vastly improved from Thursday’s loss to the Sabres and that helped them survive a good, young Arizona Coyotes team and leave the Garden with a 5-3 win on Saturday. Linus Ullmark made 31 saves to get the B’s back in the win column and David Pastrnak had a three-point performance (2-1-3).
The B’s took an early 3-0 lead, but the knuckles were indeed pale for much of the matinee with two regular defensemen already out and Pavel Zacha (upper body) joining them on the sidelines after the first period.
If you’re experiencing a building angst about your Bruins, this game did not do much to dissipate it. But like they do on most nights, they found a way to win, improving their record to 185-3.
“I love the effort. I thought our second and third effort was really good. I thought we had some great blocks. Obviously, Linus was fantastic and he needed to be. We gave up too much. And (Pastrnak) was fantastic,” said coach Jim Montgomery, who didn’t have an update or prognosis on Zacha. “We were white-knuckling on the bench a lot. But if you have the second and third effort, you find ways to have success. It’s amazing what effort overcomes.”
The B’s also got yeoman’s work on the penalty kill out of Brandon Carlo, who skated 7:19 in the B’s 5-for-5 PK night. On top of scoring a goal, Charlie Coyle won 17-of-22 draws and led the team with three blocks. It was that kind of game in which any little bit helps.
The B’s took a 4-2 lead into the third period, but the Coyotes outmuscled the B’s to get within a goal just 3:20 into the third. First Nick Bjugstad shook off a Johnny Beecher check along the boards and got it to Matias Maccelli in the middle of the ice. He got it over to Lawson Crouse, who had Hampus Lindholm on top of him, but still managed to snap off a shot that beat Ullmark.
That made the proceedings tense, especially after the B’s had to kill a couple of penalties.
But the B’s pushed it to 5-3 with 5:31 left in regulation. Jake Debrusk flipped it into the offensive zone and Morgan Geekie fought off two Coyotes to backhand he puck into the slot. It took a couple bounces before Pastrnak jammed it home for his second of the game.
“I was trying to make a direct play to him, but I think it went off the D’s skate and the (goalie’s) pad and Pasta made a great play,” said Geekie.
Despite the B’s issue with protecting late-game leads, that one pretty much sealed it.
The Bruins took an opportunistic 2-0 lead in the first period. They looked far more locked in than they did in Thursday’s lifeless loss to Buffalo but an early penalty gave Arizona a little momentum.
Once they got their legs under them again, the B’s went to work. They couldn’t cash in on a 5-on-3 that lasted 1:12, but Pastrnak turned a lost faceoff into a 1-0 lead. Matt Poitras got beaten cleanly on a right circle draw, but Pastrnak pounced on defenseman Juuso Valimaki. He stripped him of the puck, circled out from behind the net on the left and beat goalie Connor Ingram to the shortside at 15:22. It was Pastrnak’s 15th of the year.
“Unreal,” said Montgomery. “When your best players win battles, it becomes contagious.”
They made it 2-0 just 48 seconds later. Defenseman Sean Durzi made a blind reverse pass out from behind his net that was picked off by Trent Frederic in the left circle. With Charlie Coyle parked at the top of the crease, Frederic hit him with a perfect pass for a redirect and the centerman’s 10th of the season.
Pastrnak nearly made it 3-0 when he and Brad Marchand broke out on a 2-on-1, but his shot from the left wing hit the far post, came back to ding the near post and bounced out.
With two regular defensemen in Charlie Mcavoy and Derek Forbort already out, the B’s suffered another loss to their team defense when Zacha could not come out for the second because of an upper body injury.
But the B’s did make it 3-0 on a power play at 2:02. With Durzi in the box for hooking, Kevin Shattenkirk and Pastrnak delivered on a long-distance give-andgo, with Shattenkirk scoring into an empty net off a crisp feed from Pastrnak.
That woke the ‘Yotes up, and they got it back to within a goal too quickly.
First Clayton Keller scored 48 seconds after the Shattenkirk goal, and then Michael Carcone scored 32 seconds after that. With the puck loose in the neutral zone after a Bruin turnover, Poitras decided to take the body on a Coyote, allowing Carcone to take the puck in on a 2-on-1, keeping it and beating Ullmark with a snap shot.
But Poitras helped to get that back. With help from Frederic, he won a battle along the boards in the neutral zone and was able to slip the puck ahead for Danton Heinen, who did the rest. From the right wing, he cut into the middle of the ice and beat Ingram past the glove at 9:12.
That would hold up as the game-winner, but it wasn’t until Pastrnak scored his second late in the third that B’s could feel any semblance of comfort.