The Bruins may have wanted a more convincing win after being beaten by St. Louis on Tuesday, but they will gladly take a rare overtime win on the road, head back home with the two points, and move on.
Jake DeBrusk scored 25 seconds into overtime to lift the Bruins to a 2-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Thursday, improving the B’s 3-on-3 record to 6-12.
After the B’s lost the opening OT faceoff, DeBrusk pressured Mike Matheson wide on the rush. Hampus Lindholm then defeated Matheson in a puck battle deep in the Bruin zone and sent Brad Marchand off on a 2-on-1 with DeBrusk. The captain fed DeBrusk, who skillfully controlled the saucer pass and then moved in from the left wing to beat Sam Montembeault on a backhander.
At this time of year, everything ends well.
“We weren’t perfect, but we did manage to win,” coach Jim Montgomery told NESN.
A week ago, DeBrusk wasn’t certain if he would still be a Bruin after the trade deadline but he ended a strong night (four shots on net, a hit, and a block) with his 16th goal of the season.
“I think everyone in this room will agree that it’s a relief when you know where you’re going to be and then you see (new) guys come in and they’re super excited. It’s just that time of year again,” said DeBrusk. “Tonight was not necessarily our best game as a team but we found a way.”
If the B’s had let this one slip away, it would have been a very tough loss indeed.
With the Bruins killing off a penalty at 12:06 of the third period and the score tied 1-1, Charlie McAvoy leaped high to bat out an aerial puck when he was clipped by Nick Suzuki’s stick. After a review, Suzuki was tagged with a double minor, giving the B’s 2:58 of power play once the 4-on-4 was over.
The B’s got nothing out of the lengthy man advantage, then had to survive a tense final shift in regulation before it went to overtime, where they took care of business for a change.
At first, it looked like the B’s were ready to dominate the Habs like they did in their last meeting at the Garden when they defeated their long-time rivals, 9-4. They started strong, had a handful of shifts on which they pressured the Habs’ zone and took the first lead of the game. But Montreal was able to push back occasionally and, as a result, it was a 1-1 game after the first 20 minutes.
The B’s scored at 4:49 after a great shift in which they repeatedly kept the puck in the zone. Eventually, David Pastrnak fired a shot that Montembeault stopped but the rebound was kicked out in front. Danton Heinen, who had scored a hat trick the last time the B’s faced Montreal, missed on his first attempt but as the puck was sliding away from him, Heinen was able to reach behind and toss it into the open net as he fell down. It was his 12th of the season.
The B’s had several excellent opportunities to extend the lead, particularly on a dominant power play on which DeBrusk hit the post with a backhander.
But the Habs didn’t give up. They put together a few good shifts and, on one of them, they tied the game at 14:37.
Brandon Carlo successfully won a puck battle against Cole Caufield, but when he sent a gentle pass from the side towards the middle of the ice for Lindholm, Suzuki intercepted it. Suzuki's shot was blocked, but the puck went to Juraj Slafkovsky, who passed it back to Suzuki for the tying goal, giving Linus Ullmark (18 saves) no chance to stop it.
The first period was enjoyable, but both teams had fewer scoring opportunities for the rest of the game. The Bruins had limited chances to score in a goalless second period after an early power play. The one even-strength opportunity was excellent, though. Pastrnak went on a breakaway and seemed to have Montembeault beaten, but he hit the outside of the post. He then tried to bank the puck off Montembeault but was unsuccessful.
Shortly after Pastrnak's misses, Heinen was penalized for a hook, the first of two penalties in the last five minutes of the period. The Bruins successfully defended against the first and had 45 seconds to kill at the start of the third period.
They killed that off and, after missing their opportunity to win in regulation, Marchand and DeBrusk secured the second point in OT. On the 2-on-1, DeBrusk was hoping Marchand would pass him the puck.
“I just felt like I had enough speed that I could beat (Montembeault) to the other side. It was a very nice pass by him,” said DeBrusk. “I was screaming at (Marchand) up the ice that he had two so I think I knew it was coming my way.”
And DeBrusk made it count….
John Beecher played his first game for Boston since January 13 and he made the most of it, excelling in an area in which the team needs help — faceoffs. Although he lost the initial draw in overtime, which is often crucial, he won 8 of 11 faceoffs during the game.
“The coaching staff does a great job for us. Before every game, we have the I-Pad that shows all the guys that take faceoffs and some of their tendencies and it give you a little bit of an edge going in,” said Beecher. “I was very happy with the performance. Would have liked to rake the one back in overtime a little bit more but it is wat it is, you can’t win them all. It was a pretty good game overall in the dot.”
Defenseman Andrew Peeke made his Bruin debut and emerged unharmed with two blocked shots and a hit in 17:01 of ice time.
“I thought his gaps were good. I thought he was aggressive, I thought he was physical, he separated people. He did a good job on the 4-on-4 when we put him out. He played aggressive, which is what you’re looking for, and he was using his feet,” said Montgomery.
