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Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins

Bruins grab shootout win over Maple Leafs

By Matt Dolloff
Nov 2, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Boston Bruins celebrate after a goal scored by center Pavel Zacha (18) against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in a shootout on Thursday night at TD Garden.

Jake DeBrusk and Charlie Coyle scored on the Bruins’ first two attempts in the shootout, then goaltender Jeremy Swayman stopped Auston Matthews to secure the win. Swayman stopped 33 of 35 shots overall (.943).

Goals were hard to come by in the early-going, but late in the first period, the Bruins got a dynamic play from an unlikely source. Defenseman Brandon Carlo channeled his inner Charlie McAvoy as he carried the puck down the wall, then found a seam for a centering feed to Pavel Zacha, who redirected the puck into the net to make it 1-0 Bruins.

Zacha has now scored a goal in three straight games, and four in his last five. He’s up to four goals and seven points in 10 games. Meanwhile, Bruins rookie defenseman Mason Lohrei made the initial pass to Carlo to pick up the secondary assist, his first career NHL point.

  • The B’s built a much-needed two-goal lead early in the second period, thanks to DeBrusk’s best play of the season so far. Starting with a Coyle takeaway in the neutral zone, DeBrusk carried the puck into the zone then made a nifty pass between the defender’s legs to Brad Marchand, who got the first shot on goal.

    DeBrusk then finished the rebound off his own pass, making it 2-0 Bruins.

  • The fun was short-lived and over in a flash. Toronto battled back with two goals in 1:03 to tie it back up at 2-2. First, Mitch Marner beat Brandon Carlo with a lightning-quick deke to create open space for himself and ripped the puck past Swayman to cut the Bruins’ lead in half at 2-1.

  • And just over a minute later, a failed clearing attempt by Kevin Shattenkirk kept the puck alive for the Leafs, and it ended up on the stick of the absolute last guy they’d want: Matthews. He fired a rocket over Swayman and into the top corner far-side to suddenly make it 2-2.

    The teams ended up heading to the locker rooms for the second intermission knotted up at two goals apiece. The Bruins’ penalty kill once again came up big in the second period, as they killed off two more to get to 38-for-39 on the season, an NHL-best 97.4 percent.

  • The teams ended up battling to a scoreless stalemate in the third period, despite a number of quality scoring chances for the Bruins in the closing minutes. The Bruins also failed to cash in on a power play during overtime. But they dominated the shootout, ultimately improving to 9-0-1 on the season.

    Up Next: The Bruins head back out on the road, starting Saturday for a road matchup against the Detroit Red Wings.

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    Click here for complete Boston Bruins coverage at 985TheSportsHub.com.

    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. Check out all of Matt’s content here.

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