Bruins Postgame: Legendary PK Leads To 3-2 SO Win For Bruins

The Boston Bruins beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 in arguably their gutsiest win of the season on Saturday night.

Thanks to an amazing four-minute penalty kill in overtime and clutch goaltending from Jeremy Swayman (18 saves, 3 SO saves), the Bruins came away with two points and pulled back into first place in the Atlantic Division.

Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm and rookie forward John Beecher lit the lamp for the Bruins in regulation, and Capitals forward Michael Scarbossa and John Carlson scored for the Capitals.

Here’s your Boston Hockey Now Bruins Postgame:

CLUTCH: Just 57 ticks into overtime, it appeared that the Bruins would have to settle for a point as they were suddenly going to be shorthanded for four minutes thanks to a Lindholm high-sticking double-minor. That’s when the Bruins penalty kill started to resemble the PK performances of the 2011 or 2013 Boston Bruins. Swayman made five saves, and the Bruins were blocking shots as if their life depended on it. That got them to the shootout, where DeBrusk, Pastrnak, and Shattenkirk lit the lamp for the win.

DOGHOUSE: Do the Boston Bruins have something against shooting the puck? The Bruins out-shot the Capitals 28-20, but, as always seems to be the case this season, they passed up way too many. The epitome of this came on a late powerplay off of a Martin Ferhervary high-sticking penalty. The Bruins only got one shot on the net as they aimlessly passed around the perimeter, looking for the perfect play down low. That has defined their powerplay and a good portion of their offensive attack for a while now.

BANGER: Bruins winger Pavel Zacha and Capitals center Nic Dowd led all skaters with six hits each.

UNSUNG HERO: Not only did Boston Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm score his first goal in 51 games (Nov. 14 against the Buffalo Sabres), but he also saved a goal on Saturday night. With Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman out of position after giving up a juicy rebound to Capitals forward Connor McMichael, Lindholm skated in behind Swayman and got a stick on McMichael’s scoring bid just 51 seconds into the game.

Hampus Lindholm makes an incredible save! 🙅‍♂️

Yep, you read the right. pic.twitter.com/fJZqjVhyvH

— NHL (@NHL) March 30, 2024

Then, with 2:13 left in the opening frame, Lindholm put the Bruins up 1-0 with his second goal of the season.

After playing the role of goaltender earlier, Hampus Lindholm gives the Bruins a 1-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/XKnTVqP92L

— Jamie Gatlin (@JamieGatlin17) March 30, 2024

Lindholm finished with a goal on one shot and blocked three shots in 35 shifts over 26:08 TOI.

With just two goals and 23 assists, Lindholm hasn’t come remotely close to the offensive output he had last season when he finished fourth in the Norris Trophy voting with ten goals and 43 assists. However, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound defenseman has played some great two-way hockey as of late and is still a key part of the Bruins’ blue line.

Note: Yes, Lindholm took that high-sticking double-minor in overtime, but that call was suspect at best.

NEXT UP: The Bruins head home for two days and then go back on the road to face one of the hottest teams this past month, the Nashville Predators.

Boston Bruins Lineup

Forwards

Brad Marchand – Pavel Zacha – David Pastrnak

Danton Heinen – Charlie Coyle – Trent Frederic

Jake DeBrusk – Morgan Geekie – Justin Brazeau

John Beecher – Jesper Boqvist – Jakub Lauko

Defensemen

Hampus Lindholm – Charlie McAvoy

Matt Grzelcyk– Brandon Carlo

Kevin Shattenkirk – Andrew Peeke

Goalies

Jeremy Swayman

Linus Ullmark