Boston Bruins
Late Lead Lost: Breaking Apart the Bruins’ OT Loss to the Rangers
What should have been a night to remember David Pastrnak’s achievement turned sour late.
The Boston Bruins (30-20-3) lost in overtime on Monday, falling 4-3 to the New York Rangers (22-25-6) at Madison Square Garden. Elias Lindholm (12) scored twice, Morgan Geekie (29) added one, and Pastrnak had three assists and recorded his 900th career point.
He also passed Rick Middleton and sits sixth on the franchise’s all-time points list.
“It was obviously bittersweet; it would be nice with the win,” Pastrnak said about hitting 900. “It’s always tough to enjoy this kind of milestone when you don’t get the win.”
The Bruins scored once in the first period and followed with two more in the second. David Pastrnak had the primary assist on all three goals and knew he was in for a playmaking night early on.
“I made some nice plays, and was seeing the guys in better positions,” Pastrnak said. “Today, I felt like the playmaking was there and got a couple of lucky bounces.”
The Bruins carried a 3-2 lead into the third period. However, Will Borgen scored the tying goal with 6:17 to play in the third, and Matthew Robertson won the game in overtime for the Rangers.
The Bruins did not play a complete 60-minute game; instead, they let the opposition dictate the play, especially in the third period.
“We played our game more in the second period than any other period, and that was the difference,” Marco Sturm said after the game. “We didn’t have our legs today. We’re going in with a one-goal lead in the third, and we want to finish it, and unfortunately, we didn’t.
“We take that point, but I thought we left a point behind, that’s for sure.”
The Rangers’ power play has been clicking recently, but went zero-for-four on Monday night. Since the New Year, they had the league’s second-best power play. Over that same stretch, the Bruins have rolled out the second-worst penalty kill.
Although they did not score, the Rangers’ power plays proved pivotal in tilting the game’s momentum. Eight of their 28 shots came on the power play, and Joonas Korpisalo denied all eight.
However, the Rangers carried that momentum into the final period.
“I think we kind of stopped playing in the third a little bit,” Elias Lindholm said. “Let them take over. Obviously, that’s not the recipe to win.”
Shots were even at 8-8 in the third period, but hits favored the Rangers 11-3. The Bruins could not play their structured game, and the Rangers had answers for it, including the game-tying goal.
“We played pretty much their game today,” Marco Sturm said to NESN’s Andy Brickley. “At this point in the season, we have a different standard [for] ourselves.”
“In the third period, we kind of played their game again. That’s something we have to look for, and we have to fix.”
The Bruins travel back home for a contest against Nashville (24-23-4) on Tuesday night. The Predators braved the snowstorm and have been waiting in Boston since the weekend; the Bruins were on a flight Monday night.
“Obviously, nights like tonight are going to happen,” Geekie said after the game. “It’s how we respond, and like everyone says, it’s the beauty of this league, we have to do it again tomorrow.”
The Bruins are 8-1-1 in their last ten games, and have won 10 of their last 13 games. The Bruins sit in the second wild-card spot, but are tied at 63 points with the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres.
