Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Boston Bruins Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 29th 2024
Preview and Prediction
The Boston Bruins, winners of three of four games under interim head coach Joe Sacco, will look to keep the run going when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.
A struggling offense had been a common theme between the end of the Jim Montgomery era last week and Sacco's start behind the bench, as the Bruins endured a stretch of six consecutive games without scoring more than two goals prior to a 6-3 road win over the New York Islanders on Wednesday.
Could the latest game be a sign of things to come? Captain Brad Marchand hopes that, at least, his team's three-goal third period to break a 3-3 tie will be.
See also:
'Golden Knights Extend Contract with F Keegan Kolesar'
See also:
"Blues secure experienced defenseman Cam Fowler from Ducks"
"I just love the way that we played in the third," Marchand said. "It's always about a 60-minute effort. You can start well and tail off throughout the game, but we did a good job continuing our pace and executing."
Marchand scored twice in the first 6:31 of the game, and Pavel Zacha led the Bruins' finishing kick with two goals in less than a three-minute span after assisting on a previous Morgan Geekie tally.
David Pastrnak and Elias Lindholm each dished out three assists, helping Boston match its season-high goal total. The only other time the Bruins notched six goals was on Oct. 10 against the Montreal Canadiens the team's home opener and second overall game of the season.
"It's good for the confidence of the group (to have nine players record points)," Sacco said. "I think it helps everybody. When you're chipping in, you feel a little bit better about yourself, but being able to help the team is the most important thing."
Despite being Boston's leading scorer with 22 points, Pastrnak had not previously recorded a three-point game through the first 23 games. He had 14 such efforts last season, including a pair of hat tricks.
On the flip side, Pittsburgh had endured longer-lasting struggles.
A stretch of eight losses in 10 games (2-5-3) preceded the Penguins producing a four-goal first period on Wednesday en route to a 5-4 win over the Vancouver Canucks, who had posted a 2-0 shutout a night earlier in Boston.
See also:
Oilers Lose D Travis Dermott to Wild on Waivers
See also:
"Flyers' Scott Laughton nets 4 goals in victory against Red Wings: NHL recap"
"We should feel good about it because we really worked hard," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "I thought we played on our toes. When you're going through a skid like we've gone through, as you guys can imagine, it's human nature (that) we're scarred, and it's because they care."
Similar to the Bruins' win over the Islanders, the effort against Vancouver allowed many Penguins to enter the holiday with a good feeling about their game. It was a night when they needed to kill off just a single penalty after allowing three power-play goals to the Utah Hockey Club in a 6-1 loss on Saturday.
Bryan Rust led the way for Pittsburgh on Wednesday. He scored twice and registered an assist in his 25th career multi-goal game, but only his second multi-point game of the season.
Defenseman Erik Karlsson logged three assists and captain Sidney Crosby had two.
"We play a game for a living," Rust said. "I think sometimes everybody forgets that. It's supposed to be fun. Yes, it's our job. Yes, it's hard. We obviously take it very seriously. But it's a game. We're supposed to have fun. That breeds confidence, and everybody is on their toes when that happens."
The Penguins snapped the NHL's longest active road winning streak at eight with their Wednesday victory over Vancouver. Now they will now look to stunt a Bruins team that has not scored a third-period goal in Boston since its home opener.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Boston Bruins Recap JAN 2TH 2023
Jake DeBrusk scored a pair of third-period goals to lead the Boston Bruins to a 2-1 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins in Monday afternoon's NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park.
DeBrusk netted the winner with 2:24 left in regulation, following the play after Taylor Hall cut inside from the left wing and had a backhand shot stopped by Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith.
It was DeBrusk's fifth goal and seventh point in the last six games for the Bruins, who are 8-0-3 in their last 11 games and have won four of their five all-time outdoor contests.
DeBrusk recorded the 19th multi-goal game in NHL outdoor game history and the second by a Bruins player after David Pastrnak scored a hat trick in the 2021 NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe.
Linus Ullmark (21-1-1) made 26 saves for Boston, holding off a late Pittsburgh flurry on which Evgeni Malkin beat him just after the final buzzer sounded.
Kasperi Kapanen scored the lone goal for Pittsburgh, which is now on a five-game losing streak.
Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry exited the game with 4:30 left in the first period with an apparent lower-body injury. He did not return after stopping the first eight shots he faced.
A Rochester, N.H., native, DeSmith made 19 saves in relief.
The Bruins finished with a 29-27 shots advantage.
Each team was 0-for-3 on the power play.
Pittsburgh had a 14-10 edge in shots in the opening period, but neither team found the back of the net.
Each team did hit the goalpost within a 10-second span as DeBrusk fired a shot from the left circle off iron, leading to an odd-man rush opportunity for Pittsburgh's Jake Guentzel.
Kapanen opened the scoring 8:40 into the second period, slotting home former Bruin Danton Heinen's feed from behind the net with a wrist shot from his knees just outside the left circle.
Jeff Carter also assisted on Kapanen's goal, marking his second helper in as many Winter Classic games at Fenway. He was a member of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010.
DeSmith logged three big saves in the final 20 seconds of the middle frame, knocking down a David Pastrnak wrister with his glove before the period ended.
Just after a power play expired, the Bruins netted the tying goal with 12:14 left in regulation. DeBrusk spun free to score at the net front after Brad Marchand deked around a defender and dropped a pass from the right side.
--By Josh Kummins,