Pastrnak forces overtime, Bruins lose in shootout

For the second straight game, David Pastrnak scored multiple goals.

This time, though, they needed all of them to just eek out a point.

The Lightning took their first lead late in the third period, but the Bruins struck on the power play for the third time just over a minute later to force overtime and eventually a shootout. Pastrnak notched his sixth goal in two games — and second of Thursday night — to give the Bruins a chance.

They only earned the point in a 4-3 loss to the Lightning at TD Garden, their second loss of the season and first in overtime. Steven Stamkos was the only shootout scorer, putting the puck in in the fourth round.

The Bruins (5-1-1) power play has gotten off to a good start to the season in general, and against a Lightning penalty kill that’s had some early-season struggles, they pounced.

On Monday, they scored eight seconds into a man advantage; this time, they needed just six seconds to strike.

Pastrnak scored his fifth straight goal with 9:34 gone in the first. Patrice Bergeron won the faceoff, and when the puck was in the slot he slid it over to Pastrnak at the edge of the crease who put it in to go ahead 1-0.

It was the sixth time in their first seven games the Bruins had scored first.

The Bruins survived two Lightning power plays, but Tampa found the net with the clock running down in the first.

Brayden Point broke free past Charlie McAvoy and Zdeno Chara and put the puck past Tuukka Rask with 1.6 seconds left, sending it to the intermission as a tie contest.

Second periods have been the Bruins biggest weakness so far, but after the first period ended on that note, they came out firing to start out the middle frame, and re-took the lead.

Pastrnak slap-passed the puck into the slot and Bergeron redirected it in for his second goal of the season and a 2-1 lead 7:26 into the period.

An offensive-zone turnover from the Bruins led to the play that knotted things back up for the Lightning.

Jake DeBrusk brought the puck past the blue line and tried to leave it for Brett Ritchie, but a miscommunication gave Tampa the puck. Alex Killorn’s shot broke off Rask’s pads and Mathieu Joseph — who was denied on a shorthanded breakaway earlier in the period — tapped the loose puck in to tie it back at 2-2 with 10:32 gone in the second.

Matt Grzelcyk was called for a hooking penalty midway through the third period, giving the Lightning an opportunity to take their first lead, but the Bruins earned the kill.

Tampa went ahead for the first time with 4:47 left in the third. Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk wristed a shot from the edge of the high slot that went through Rask to go ahead 3-2.

With 3:52 left, Anthony Cirelli went to the box for a trip, giving the Bruins a chance to tie things back up late.

They scored their third power play tally of the night with 3:05 left, with Pastrnak deflecting in a shot from Marchand for his sixth goal over the past two games, tying the contest again and giving the Bruins at least one point. Torey Krug also picked up his second power play assist of the night on the play.

An exciting overtime period ended without a tally, despite chances from Grzelcyk and Sean Kuraly.

Charlie Coyle was denied on the first shootout attempt, then Pastrnak shot wide, then Marchand was stopped. Jake DeBrusk missed the last shot chance in the fourth round after Stamkos scored.

Rask stopped the first three Lightning shooters.

The Bruins head to Toronto on Saturday for their first contest against the Maple Leafs.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2MLJ3ry