Bruins players step up into the breach in OT win

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Talking points from the Bruins' 2-1 overtime victory over the Penguins . . .

GOLD STAR: Joakim Nordstrom continues to be an unsung, invaluable player for the Bruins as he picked up the overtime game-winner for the Bruins. With his four goals on the season, Nordstrom has already surpassed, and has in fact doubled, his goal-scoring output from last season and will match last season’s point totals with just two more points scored this season. His goals have been timely as well, as was the play in overtime when he skated across the front of the net and redirected a slap-pass from Torey Krug at the point for the OT winner. Nordstrom had a strong all-around night with four shots on net, a hit, a takeaway and a blocked shot in 12:04 of ice time while clearly responding to getting put back on the wing rather than filling in at center as he had over the last few games.

BLACK EYE: Not only is Daniel Sprong on the trade block by the Penguins and in the midst of some real offensive struggles, but he also found himself a minus-1 for the Penguins in a 2-1 game despite only playing 4:18 of ice time. It might be time for the Penguins to re-evaluate why he’s even out there right now because it seems pretty clear that he’s not doing Pittsburgh any good when he’s on the ice. And he’s certainly not raising his trade value at all while barely playing, and not playing well when he is on the ice for Pittsburgh. The only player that can be effective on four minutes of ice time is an old school NHL enforcer, and those guys aren’t even really around anymore.

TURNING POINT: The real turning point for the Bruins was the end of the second period when the defense was collapsing a little bit, and the B’s were having a hard time getting the puck out of the zone. Jaroslav Halak stepped up and made 15 saves in the period, and some of the ones at the very end were among the best as he stood on his head in the final two minutes of the frame. Jake Guentzel had a point-blank shot at the Boston net after a puck bounced right two him off the end boards, but the composed, calm Halak simply made the glove save and kept things tied at 1-1 apiece. A goal at the end of the period would have been a backbreaker for the B’s, but Halak was able to avoid that scenario leading to the overtime win.

HONORABLE MENTION: David Krejci didn’t factor directly into the overtime game-winner, but he did have a hand in it while playing one of his best games of the season. Krejci kept the puck in the offensive zone and maintained possession while the Bruins changed out their players during the 3-on-3 overtime, and he set up Jake DeBrusk’s second-period goal with a beautifully tailored drop pass to his right winger. In all Krejci finished with an assist, a plus-1 rating and six shot attempts in 18:44 of ice time while surviving with 8-of-18 face-off wins against top competition with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was one of Krejci’s best games of the season and showed the veteran playmaker stepping up and shouldering some responsibility with Patrice Bergeron injured and out of the lineup.  

BY THE NUMBERS: 0 – the number of shots on net for David Pastrnak in a rare quiet night, but credit to the 22-year-old for not getting frustrated and creating the game-winning play in overtime with his secondary assist on the game-winner.  

QUOTE TO NOTE: “He was out there weaving around tonight. He was like Prime Time Krejci. It’s fun to be out there playing with him when he’s like that.” –Jake DeBrusk, describing what it was like playing with a clearly engaged David Krejci with Patrice Bergeron out of the lineup for the Bruins. 

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