It took 100 seconds in the third period, and 128 seconds in the overtime session, for the pesky Ducks to turn what was looking like a record-breaking night into pure devastation for the Bruins.

The Bruins, of course, decided to help them out along the way with about a billion failed clears late in the third period and an almost completely possession-free overtime frame. It was about as maddening an ending as the Bruins could have had, especially when you factor in the chances that the Bruins let slip out of reach en route to the collapse.

“I mean, we had opportunities,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said after the loss. “I thought the game was over twice [if] we put it in an empty net; guys whiffing on pucks and guys trying to go for the open net instead of using the walls as an indirect to clear and get off the ice. You know, that was mostly it.

“And the other thing is we could have extended our lead to 4-1 or 5-1. We had many opportunities to do it and we didn’t finish the game. You couple those things together, it’s inexcusable. You can’t you can’t be up 3-1 [with] five minutes left and end up tied in overtime.”

• In an 0-1 hole through 20 minutes of play thanks to a Radko Gudas shot that bounced off Hampus Lindholm and in, the Bruins stormed back in the middle frame with three goals. The first came on a power-play putaway from Charlie Coyle at the 1:41 mark of the period, and it was a Matt Grzelcyk bomb at four-on-four just 1:20 later. And not to be outdone, and with a two-game goal drought to his name, it was David Pastrnak who gave the Bruins their first and only multi-goal lead of the evening with a goal scored at the 16:40 mark of the period.

  But when the Ducks’ skill guys got their legs going in the final five minutes of action, the Bruins’ mistakes compounded, and ended in the back of their net.

  The late-game meltdown was just the fourth (0-1-3) since Montgomery took over as the team’s head coach in 2022, and put an end to Boston’s six-game win streak to open the season.

  Here are the 98.5 The Sports Hub (dot com) 3 Stars of the night from a loss at TDG…

• No. 3 Star: Charlie McAvoy

  

  Oct 5, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) skates with the puck against the New York Rangers during the first period at Madison Square Garden. (Dennis Schneidler/USA TODAY Sports)

• It’s been a bit of tough sledding, offensively anyway, for the Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy out of the gate this season. But in just one game, McAvoy doubled his assist total, as the 25-year-old finished Thursday’s defeat with three assists, bringing him up to six helpers through seven games this year.

  Factoring in on every Boston goal scored in the losing effort will get you your flowers more often than not, and this was actually the seventh night of at least three assists in McAvoy’s NHL career. Overall, it was the 11th game that featured a three-assist night from a B’s defenseman since 2017, with McAvoy’s seven such efforts joining a list featuring Matt Grzelcyk, Torey Krug, and Hampus Lindholm (twice).

  McAvoy also added a season-high four blocks in the defensive zone.

• No. 2 Star: David Pastrnak

  

  BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 26: David Pastrnak #88 of the Boston Bruins celebrates his goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the second period at the TD Garden on October 26, 2023. (Rich Gagnon/Getty Images)

• Montgomery has admitted that the Bruins are a ‘work in progress’ when it comes to their offense, but that is certainly not the case when it comes to David Pastrnak.

  Ice cold by his standards without a point in back-to-back games entering Thursday’s contest (Pastrnak had not gone two straight games without a point since Mar. 2022 prior to this mini-drought), Pastrnak was Boston’s offensive attack in the losing effort, with a goal and an assist in 20:10 of time on ice.

  David Pastrnak tracks down his own rebound to give Boston a 3-1 lead.
  
  Six goals in seven games for Pastrnak. pic.twitter.com/OvDww4Sloe

  — Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) October 27, 2023

  Pastrnak also hammered a game-high nine shots on the Ducks’ John Gibson, and came within inches of ending this game for the Bruins with a pair of chances that just missed beating Gibson for what would’ve been Pastrnak’s second goal of the evening.

• MORE BRUINS COVERAGE 

  – Linus Ullmark sheds light on first loss of season

  – Bruins place defenseman on waivers

  – Sports Hub Underground with Matt Dolloff & Ty Anderson

• No. 1 Star: Leo Carlsson

  

  BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 26: Leo Carlsson #91 of the Anaheim Ducks celebrates his goal in the final minutes of regulation to pull the Ducks within a goal at 3-2 at the TD Garden on October 26, 2023. (Rich Gagnon/Getty Images)

• Boy oh boy do the Ducks have a keeper with Leo Carlsson. Of course, that’s not necessarily a shock when you’re talking about a player taken with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, but even three games into his NHL career, this kid has talent that pops off the page.

  LEO CARLSSON FINISHES IT OFF FOR HIS 2nd CAREER GOAL 🚨 #FlyTogether
  
  Ducks - 2
  Bruins - 3 pic.twitter.com/czBGBZcRQj

  — Late Arrivals (@LateArrivalsPod) October 27, 2023

  Out there for over 22 minutes in Thursday’s victory, Carlsson popped home the third-period goal that got the Ducks’ rally going, and had a clean-as-hell zone entry and dish to Mason McTavish for the overtime winner.

  And in Carlsson’s 16:40 of even-strength time on ice, the Ducks held a 23-15 advantage in shot attempts, 14-9 edge in on-ice shots, and outscored Boston by a 2-1 mark.

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