McAvoy caps off Bruins' comeback in overtime thriller

Share

GOLD STAR: Tommy Wingels got off a plane at 11 a.m. this morning after being traded to the Bruins yesterday, and became one of the biggest factors in the win for the Bruins little more than 24 hours after his trade from the Blackhawks. Wingels stepped into a third line role with the injury to Patrice Bergeron, and kicked in a goal, two points, a plus-2 rating in 15:06 of ice time with two shots on net, seven shot attempts and a pair of hits. The goal was a game-tying snipe into the second period that ended up pushing the game into the extra session, and throughout Wingels showed, tenacity and the kind of high energy that will make him a factor for the Black and Gold. The first impression was a very good one for Wingels and the Bruins. 

BLACK EYE: Jeff Skinner made one nice play on the PP to set up a Carolina goal with a redirect at the Boston net, but other than that the skilled Hurricanes forward wasn’t really noticeable at all during the game. Instead he managed just a single shot on net in his 16:56 of ice time, had a giveaway and finished a minus-1 rating in a very underwhelming body of work. You would have expected more out of a player on a team that’s lost five games in a row as they circle the drain and fall out of playoff contention, but instead the former All-Star forward was just another guy for the Hurricanes in an overtime defeat. Once he had his assist on the PP in the first period there wasn’t much more to his game after that point when Carolina needed him. 

TURNING POINT: The Bruins were truly never in control of the game until they got in the overtime session where they dominated possession, had the extra session’s only shot and created the game-winning play just a minute plus into OT. That was when Riley Nash freed up Charlie McAvoy in stride, and he pushed forward with Brad Marchand on his wing as the 2-on-1 odd-man rush looking to do some damage. McAvoy looked off Marchand, and then beat Scott Darling top corner with a wrist shot for his seventh goal of the season. McAvoy’s highlight reel stuff has been a little quiet lately, but it seems like the rookie defenseman’s game is beginning to pick up steam again. The win improved the Bruins to 3-6 in overtime this season. 

MORE BRUINS

HONORABLE MENTION: Charlie McAvoy had one of his best games of the last couple of months while topping 23 minutes of ice time, and ending the game with a flourish in the overtime session when he went top corner with a wrist shot. McAvoy finished with a goal, two points and a plus-2 in 23:06 of ice time, had three shots on net, blocked four shots and found time to throw a couple of hits as well while being a steady, dynamic puck-mover that didn’t make any defensive mistakes. It was a nice response from the weekend when it was McAvoy that got moved in the crease leading to the third period game-winner for the Maple Leafs. Instead he was strong, solid and full of the kind of energetic play that the Bruins have come to expect from their standout rookie D-man. 

BY THE NUMBERS: 1 – the number of goals for Rick Nash in a Bruins uniform after scoring the team’s first goal of the night, and also notching the 800th point of his NHL career with the lamp-lighter as well. 

QUOTE TO NOTE: “They’re both experienced players in the league, and I think they’re good people that want to help the team win, so that’s part of it. Like anybody, you go to a new job, you want to [make a] good first impression. I think that's human nature." –Bruce Cassidy, talking about new trade acquisitions Rick Nash and Tommy Wingels both having strong efforts for the Bruins in Tuesday night’s win.

NBC SPORTS BOSTON SCHEDULE

Contact Us