Pastrnak scores game-winner as Bruins come back to beat Flames in OT
The Boston Bruins came back from down two goals in the third period to defeat the Calgary Flames 4-3 in overtime on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Saddledome. David Pastrnak scored the game-winner for the B’s in the extra period.
Boston started slow and went down two multiple times, and entered the third period down 3-1. But goals from Morgan Geekie and Marc McLaughlin tied it, and the Bruins surged for the rest of regulation into OT to set the stage for Pastrnak’s heroics. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman stopped just 20-of-23 Flames shots on the night (.870), but came up with key stops at critical points of the game, including a first-period shutout to keep it close early, and a big save against Matt Coronato with the game tied late in the third.
The teams battled to a scoreless draw in the first period. Calgary controlled the bulk of the action, consistently gaining the Boston zone and keeping pucks deep, which translated to a 19-6 lead in shot attempts, 9-4 in shots on goal, and 4-1 in high-danger chances.
The Flames’ early control of the game carried over into the start of the second period, and that’s when the dam broke. Just 54 seconds into the period, Coronato found open ice in the slot and finished a setup from forechecking linemate Blake Coleman to put the Flames up 1-0.
And just 27 seconds after that, longtime Bruins nemesis Nazem Kadri fired from the high slot through traffic and beat Swayman to make it 2-0. Kadri has now scored a goal in four straight games, and is up to 12 on the season.
Bruins forward Elias Lindholm was able to cut the deficit in half at 2-1 after scoring against his former team later in the second period. Lindholm took advantage of a loose puck chipped up the boards and into the Calgary zone, then got a shot off and snuck it through goaltender Dustin Wolf for his fourth goal of the season.
The B’s made a strong push after the Lindholm goal, grabbing six of the next seven shots on goal. But instead of finding the equalizer, the Flames hit them with a potential back-breaker. This came off the stick of Ryan Lomberg, who made a drop-pass to Connor Zary then found himself in perfect position for the rebound, tapping it in short-side to put the Flames up 3-1. That would be the score heading into the second intermission.
The B’s got the comeback started by getting one back just 4:14 into the third period, as Geekie scored his fourth goal in his last six games to make it 3-2. Geekie finished a juicy rebound opportunity from the slot, which had long become a theme for both teams by that point.
Just 2:37 later, McLaughlin took full advantage of his own golden scoring chance to knot it up 3-3. Sparked by an entry pass from Lindholm to Marchand, then a feed from Marchand to the slot, McLaughlin got the initial shot on goal then crashed the net, and finished his rebound after Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson mishandled the puck in front of the net. Tie game.
Pastrnak’s winner came off a neutral zone pass from Charlie McAvoy, as No. 88 gained the zone then ripped a wrist shot past Wolf for his 12th goal of the season.
Up Next: The Bruins will conclude their five-game western road trip on Thursday night, when they take on the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
