Recap: Bruins drop to Golden Knights, 4-3, in shootout

Dec 6, 2022 - 5:31 AM

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The Boston Bruins rallied to score three goals and tie the game, but fell short completing the comeback and dropped to the Vegas Golden Knights, 4-3, in a shootout tonight at the TD Garden.

It was also the Bruins’ first home loss of the season. They are now 14-0-1 at home and 20-3-1 overall.

Here are the highlights:

First period:

The Golden Knights opened the scoring at 1:36 of the first period on the first shot of the game.

Behind the net, William Karlsson found Paul Cotter inside the left-wing circle for a quick shot over Jeremy Swayman’s glove. 1-0 Golden Knights.

The Golden Knights extended their lead at 5:04 of the first period.

After a bad turnover by David Pastrnak, Jonathan Marchessault picked up the loose puck in the offensive zone to first throw a wrist shot on Swayman and then find the rebound. 2-0 Golden Knights.

Second period:

The Golden Knights extended their lead 51 seconds into the second period.

Mark Stone hit Cotter with a short pass where he skated into the slot to put one past Swayman’s glove. 3-0 Golden Knights.

The Bruins found life with a goal at 13:46 of the second period.

Patrice Bergeron found Brad Marchand at the backdoor where he went top-shelf over Logan Thompson. 3-1 game.

The Bruins closed the gap at 19:35 of the second period.

Charlie McAvoy threw the puck into the offensive zone. David Pastrnak picked it up along the left boards and beating Karlsson to it to then throw a wrist shot on net to get it past Thompson near post. 3-2 game.

Third period:

The Bruins tied the game at 3:04 of the third period on the power play.

Marchand hit Taylor Hall with a pass at the goal line. Hall wrapped out front for his first attempt on Thompson and kept with it to pot in his rebound, going top-shelf over Thompson’s left shoulder. 3-3 game.

Overtime:

Despite numerous attempts in the overtime period on the power play, Thompson stood on his head against the Bruins. The game was then decided in a shootout.

Shootout:

In the fifth round, Reilly Smith ended the game with a goal past Swayman. Final score: 4-3 shootout loss.

Game notes:

• The Bruins started the game slow and it was not a great first period — or really first half of the game. The first period was marred with bad turnovers and incomplete passes. The B’s fell short in a net-front presence and were missing chances. They also gave the Golden Knights some 2-on-1 chances and the defense could have been a lot tighter.
• But the Bruins found a way to get back in the game and showed resilience in the second and third period to dig themselves out of a three-goal deficit. Marchand’s goal changed the momentum and it was the product of strong 5v5 play that continued through the period. The B’s offense ramped up and then by the end of the period, it was a one-goal game. In the second period, the Bruins outshot the Golden Knights, 15-6.
• Once again, the power play made a difference in regulation. The Bruins had a 5-on-3 power play early in the third period for 1:35. The five-forward power play had quality chances and wore down Vegas’ penalty kill. Just as time expired on the first penalty, Hall potted his second effort. The Bruins have now scored at least one power-play goal in their last 10 games.
• The third period had great goaltending from both sides. Once Hall scored, it became an intense back-and-forth period to get that go-ahead tally. Thompson stood on his head against the Bruins throughout the frame, and then in overtime. Swayman also made timely saves as Vegas’ rush made its way down to him.
• The sentiment postgame from Marchand and Hall was that they didn’t capitalize on the opportunity in front of them during the man-advantage in overtime. In OT, the Bruins outshot Vegas 6-1 — largely from the power play.
• While the Bruins’ home streak has come to the end, they still have a chance to keep a home point streak alive since they did gain one point tonight. It was a good run! They set the home streak to open a season and joined two other teams (including a Bruins one) of reaching 20 wins in 23 games.
• The Bruins will practice tomorrow before hitting the road for three games. First up: The Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 9 p.m.