It was déja vu all over again for the Bruins, as for the second night in a row, they gave away a lead and lost late in overtime.
This time, it was a Cole Caufield goal with 22 seconds left in the extra session that sank the B’s, giving Montreal an important 3-2 win in this Atlantic Division showdown.
Pavel Zacha scored both Bruins goals, while Jeremy Swayman made 28 saves in defeat.
The Bruins had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in this game, only to see the Habs respond about eight minutes later in each case.
After a scoreless third period, Montreal emerged on top after a back-and-forth OT that saw the teams trade a few chances.
Overall, this was a pretty evenly played game, but one that ends with further frustration for the B’s as they squandered a point for the second time in 24 hours.
Zacha got the scoring started with a power play goal two minutes into the game, making it 1-0 Bruins.
The Habs would capitalize on some loose play with the puck eight minutes later, as Nick Suzuki scored to make it a 1-1 game.
It was Zacha again five minutes into the second period, as he tipped a Viktor Arvidsson shot past Jakub Dobes to make it 2-1 Bruins.
The Habs would answer (again), about eight minutes later (again) as Josh Anderson tipped in a Lane Hutson shot to make it a 2-2 game.
That would remain the score through the third period and until late in overtime, when Cole Caufield scored with 22 seconds left to win the game for Montreal.
Bruins lose in OT, 3-2 final.
Game notes
- I suppose you can look on the bright side and say that the Bruins took four points out of a possible six on this three-game road trip, but it doesn’t really feel like a “glass half full” vibe at the moment. In a vacuum, this was a tight game that game down to Montreal making one extra play, but it becomes more frustrating when paired with last night’s unraveling in New Jersey.
- The Bruins could have used more from their power play tonight, as they were given four opportunities with the man advantage, a rarity for a road game in Montreal. While they cashed in on one of those, the first half of a double minor early in the first period, they came up empty the rest of the way.
- I know 3-on-3 OT usually ends up in a chaotic mix of guys swirling around, but I’m not sure the decision to let Caufield set up camp all alone in the crease was the best decision. Just a suggestion for the future.
- Zacha had a chance for a fairy tale ending in this one, as he was sprung for a breakaway in OT about a minute before Caufield’s winner.
- That winner was Caufield’s 40th goal of the season, the first time he has hit that mark in the NHL.
- While he ultimately takes the loss, Swayman played well for the Bruins in this one. I’m not sure how you fault him for any of the three Montreal goals.
While a point certainly doesn’t hurt the Bruins, things got a little tighter near the wild card spots thanks to Columbus’s 5-1 pasting of Carolina.
The B’s currently find themselves in the first wild card spot due to a regulation wins tiebreaker over Detroit, with Columbus just a point back of both teams.
The Bruins will be off on Wednesday before hosting the Winnipeg Jets at TD Garden on Thursday night. A huge game against the Red Wings in Detroit will follow on Saturday night.
Buckle up!
