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Boston Bruins

Bruins cough up two-goal lead to lose to Penguins at home

Matt Dolloff February 8th, 2022
Feb 8, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry (35) looks for a loose puck in the crease during the first period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Turnovers and missed opportunities spelled doom for the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night. They blew an early two-goal lead to the Pittsburgh Penguins and ultimately couldn’t answer in a 4-2 loss at TD Garden.

Both teams were returning from a weeklong break between games. The Bruins fell to 26-15-3 with the loss, their fourth in their last six contests.

Highlights: Bruins fall to Penguins 4-2 at TD Garden

  • David Pastrnak staked the Bruins to a 2-0 lead with his 23rd and 24th goals of the season in the first period. The first goal started with a heads-up play by Patrice Bergeron to keep the puck alive in the zone while feeding it to Taylor Hall, who found an open Pastrnak across the ice for a rocket off a one-timer.

    His second goal, however, was even more impressive. Hall set him up again, this time with an attempt from the slot, and Pastrnak batted the rebound out of the air and into the net.

  • Pastrnak has now scored 16 goals in his last 16 games, going back to Jan. 4. He tied Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen and Nashville’s Filip Forsberg with his 24th goal, tying them for eighth in the league.

    The second period is when the Penguins clawed all the way back and into the lead. Ex-Bruin Danton Heinen did the initial damage, scoring twice in only 28 seconds against his former team. His first score came on a backhand deke around Jeremy Swayman after a neutral zone turnover by Hall, his second on a shot from the low-faceoff circle that Swayman knocked into the back of the net after the puck trickled over his shoulder.

    Sidney Crosby put the Penguins in the lead for the first time about eight minutes after Heinen’s equalizer, his 13th of the season and 499th of his career. Three Bruins defenders swarmed the net, only for Jake Guentzel to circle behind and find Crosby, who was left alone.

  • Crosby missed the first seven games of the season, but is now up to 41 points in 35 games. He’ll have to wait for his 500th goal, though.

    The Bruins were outscored 3-0 in the second period despite out-shooting the Penguins 15-4 at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick. Boston out-shot Pittsburgh 45-25 overall in the game.

    Bryan Rust won a footrace to the loose puck to finish off an empty net goal late in the third period. The Penguins closed the game on a power play after Brad Marchand threw a punch at goalie Tristan Jarry well after the whistle with just 24 seconds left.

Up Next: The Bruins have to regroup for a tough matchup on Thursday night, when the Hurricanes visit TD Garden. Carolina beat the B’s 7-1 last time the teams played.

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Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @mattydsays. You can also email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.

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