Pastrnak And DeBrusk Pace Bruins To 5-4 Win Over Jets

The Bruins got two goals in 33 seconds from David Pastrnak and Jake DeBrusk midway through the third period and won an old-fashioned barnburner 5-4 over the Winnipeg Jets Thursday night at TD Garden. Pastrnak completed his third hat trick of the season at 11:13 of the final frame and DeBrusk put home his second of the game at 11:46 to complete the third period comeback for the Bruins, who have now won two straight games after losing three in a row. 

Playing without their captain Zdeno Chara, who was a late scratch because of an infection in his jaw, the Bruins found themselves in a track meet with the Jets but thanks to DeBrusk and Pastrnak were able to keep up and win their second straight game. Bruins goalie Jaro Halak didn’t have his best game of the season, allowing four goals on 21 shots and the penalty kill allowed two goals and has now allowed four in the Bruins’ last two games, but the Bruins were able to erase three one-goal deficits and grind out the two points to stay seven points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning who won 4-0 over the Arizona Coyotes for their ninth straight win. 

Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor each had a goal and an assist for the Jets, Neil Pionk and Andrew Copp each scored and Nikolaj Ehlers had two assists. Laurent Brossoit stopped 31 of 36 Bruins shots.

The Jets struck first as Conner took it across the middle in the slot, deked out Bruins defenseman Torey Krug and roofed a backhander top shelf over Halak’s glove for a 1-0 lead 7:35 into the game. Ehlers got his first helper of the game and Mark Scheifle had the secondary assist. 

The Bruins evened it up with 2:46 left in the opening frame as Pastrnak got his first of the game when he stayed out after a line change and found himself alone in the slot. Bruins winger Joakim Nordstrom found Pastrnak with a seed in front and the NHL’s leading goal scorer buried it past Brossoit for his 33rd of the season. Sean Kuraly had the other helper.

After the Bruins failed to convert on their first powerplay and the first for either team in the game 29 seconds into the game, they got caught with an extra skater and called for too-many-on-the-ice 4:23 into the middle frame. The Jets made them pay as Copp beat Halak for his seventh of the season six minutes into the period to make it 2-1. Jets defenseman Josh Morrisey grabbed an assist on the goal and Ehlers got his second helper of the game.

Just 3:36 later though, thanks to a Blake Wheeler tripping penalty, the Bruins found themselves on their second powerplay of the game and as they’ve done for the last 12 games, they converted on the man advantage. Pastrnak also extended his powerplay goal streak to six games and scored his league-leading 15th powerplay goal of the season to tie the game at two 9:41 into the period. Torey Krug and Brad Marchand got the assists on the powerplay tally.

DeBrusk made it 3-2 Bruins with his first of the game when he blocked a shot, broke in alone on Brossoit and buried home his 12th lamplighter of the with 1:09 left in the period. 

Just 28 seconds later though, the Bruins found themselves shorthanded as defenseman Matt Grzelcyk was called for interference with 43 seconds left in the period and Jets defenseman Neal Pionk got the Jets second powerplay goal of the game with 7.6 seconds left to send the game into the third period tied at three. Wheeler and Patrik Laine got the helpers.

The Bruins failed to score on a powerplay 3:09 into the third period and 4:41 later they found themselves trailing by a goal again as Scheifele scored his 22nd of the season at 7:50. Connor and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov had the helpers. 

The Bruins – and specifically DeBrusk and Pastrnak – would not be denied though. DeBrusk broke through a crowd to the front of the net, got a shot off, David Krejci grabbed the rebound, fed Pastrnak and the Bruins tied the game 11:13 into the final frame as Pastrnak completed his third hat trick of the season with his 35th goal of the season. Just 33 seconds later, DeBrusk had his second lamplighter of the season and that proved to be the game-winner. Grzelcyk and Charlie McAvoy had the helpers.