Bruins Fend Off Pesky Penguins, Extend Home Winning Streak To 11 Games
· Yahoo Sports
BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins (34-21-5) fended off the pesky and relentless Pittsburgh Penguins (31-16-13) 2-1 on Tuesday night inside TD Garden.
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It's Boston's 11th straight victory inside TD Garden, as it's been a fortress all year long. The Bruins are 23-8-1 this season. On the road, Boston's gone 11-13-4. It's a stark contrast.
Tonight, Marat Khusnutdinov and Casey Mittelstadt scored two goals 50 seconds apart in the first period to put the Bruins up 2-1. Jeremy Swayman shut the door from there.
Swayman sparkled, making 34 saves in the win. For Pittsburgh, Stuart Skinner 26 saves.
First Period:
Things couldn't have started any worse for the Bruins. The B's turned it over behind their own net to Bryan Rust.
Rust took his time, slung a pass to Erik Karlsson, who rifled home from way downtown. It's one Swayman would've wanted back, and the Bruins did challenge for goalie interference, but it proved to be a really poor challenge, a quick loss.
Now shorthanded and trailing 1-0 just 42 seconds into the game, things could've spiralled.
Instead, the Bruins stepped out. They got an efficient kill and took over the game.
Every line was rolling, and eventually the trio of Khusnutdinov, Fraser Minten, and Mikey Eyssimont wreaked havoc with a turnover-causing forecheck.
Khusnutdinov with a pure snipe, right inside the right circle. Clean as a whistle.
50 seconds later, the Bruins took the lead, again with a suffocating possession.
Nikita Zadorov's initial patience and ultimately low shot set up the possibility for a rebound, which Mittelstadt was all-too-eager to shove home.
The Bruins continued to dominate much of the first period, but they could not find another goal. They outshot the Penguins 12-7 in the first in total, but it felt far more lopsided.
Second Period:
The second period felt like playoff hockey. Tons of gritty, physical hockey up-and-down the ice. Both teams continually broke up long stretch passes, while utilizing dump-and-chase systems to success.
The Bruins had two power plays in the second, and both were pretty darn miserable. The first of which was particularly putrid. Multiple turnovers, and eventually, a too many men penalty after the Bruins tried to break out of their own zone with six players, with the long change.
The wasted chance gave Pittsburgh momentum, as the Penguins surged back and peppered Swayman with 15 shots in the second frame, but Swayman stood tall.
Despite some decent chances, the tight-checking and good goaltending kept the score at 2-1 entering the third period.
Third Period:
In the third period, Pittsburgh threw everything but the kitchen sink at Boston.
They recorded the first seven shots of the period in just six minutes, seemingly pushing for an equalizer.
Then, the Bruins tightened the screws. Pittsburgh only mustered six more shots on goal, while Boston had five more.
Most importantly, the Bruins kept Pittsburgh off the board, solidifying a pivotal win over a fellow playoff team.