Bruins rally late, top Panthers in shootout
It was The Charlie Show for the Boston Bruins on Saturday night, as Charlie Coyle and Charlie McAvoy each scored in regulation before Coyle’s shootout goal paved the way for a 3-2 win over the then-undefeated Panthers.
Down in the third period following an Aleksander Barkov power-play goal scored just six seconds into Florida’s first and only power-play opportunity of the evening, McAvoy go Boston’s comeback run started with a heavy hit on Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen and smacked home the game-tying power-play marker two and a half minutes later.
A beauty to tie it up.@Bmarch63 | @CMcAvoy44 pic.twitter.com/B52WI6KJsf
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 31, 2021
“It’s a crunch-time goal, and that’s what you look for out of your power play,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said after Saturday’s contest. “We stuck with it, and eventually got rewarded. Our power play has been a weapon, not so much this year. But maybe that will give it some juice.”
The Bruins and Panthers kicked things off with an opening frame similar to the one in Florida, as the sides traded punches, but with the Bruins looking like the more aggressive team, with 14 shots compared to 13 for the Panthers.
That extra shot appeared to be the difference maker for the Black and Gold, too, as they scored the first goal of the night on a Charlie Coyle snipe that simply stunned Florida netminder Spencer Knight.
What a shot from Charlie Coyle.
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) October 30, 2021
1-0 Bruins. pic.twitter.com/cYwz5rllDk
Down by one through 20 minutes, Anthony Duclair and the Panthers needed just 46 seconds to tie things up in the second period, as Duclair straight-up torched the Bruins (namely Derek Forbort) before he beat Linus Ullmark for the equalizer. It was Duclair’s second pretty finish against the Bruins in his last three periods of hockey, and knotted things up at 1-1.
And unlike their second-period showing in Florida, the Bruins had their chances to jump back out front in the middle frame, beginning with a Tomas Nosek breakaway bid denied by Spencer Knight. Unable to sneak it under Knight, the shot actually outright died on the Florida goal line, with the Bruins unable to nudge it over before the whistle.
Following the Nosek near-goal, the Bruins had a power-play opportunity that proved fruitless, and McAvoy opted to go for a pass to Erik Haula instead of shooting on a 2-on-1, which left the teams tied at one through 40 minutes of action.
charlie mcavoy plz shoot the puck challenge pic.twitter.com/HKFYmAKf4I
— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) October 31, 2021
But it’s safe to say McAvoy made it up for it in the third, and with a little help from his teammates.
“We kind of have this saying… each guy has a gas tank, give each other some gas,” McAvoy said after the win. “The guys really gave me some gas tonight. And in the third I just wanted to be steady and strong.”
In net, Linus Ullmark stopped 33-of-35 shots faced for his third win in four starts this season, and Saturday’s performance bumped Ullmark’s 2021-22 season save percentage up from .920 to .927.
Bruins winger Craig Smith returned to the Boston lineup after missing the previous three games with an undisclosed injury. Defenseman Connor Clifton, meanwhile, returned to action after sitting out Thursday’s contest as a healthy scratch.
Saturday’s game came with a personal milestone on the Boston bench, too, as Bruins winger Taylor Hall recorded the 600th point of his NHL career with his assist of Coyle’s first-period goal.
The Bruins will be off until next Thursday when the Detroit Red Wings come to town.
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Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.
