Boston returns to Eastern Conference lead with Pastrnak despite defeat

The Boston Bruins lost to Colorado 3:4 after a shootout, but even one point was enough to make the Bears the Eastern Conference leader again. David Pastrnak had an assist in the game.

Boston took the lead thanks to the interplay between Pastrňák and Zacha

David Pastrňák had a chance to score after just three minutes, when he found himself alone in front of Alexander Georgiyev after a goal. However, he couldn’t beat the Russian goalie from close range. He did not follow up his last shot.

But at 11:21, the Czech forward had already made his mark on the stat sheet. The Bruins used their first power play when Brad Marchand finished after a combination of Pastrňák and Pavel Zacha. Colorado also used the power play and the game was tied after Mikko Rantanen’s goal.

Colorado turned the game around in the second period

The Avalanche took the lead at 22:23. Logan O’Connor took advantage of a mistake by the Boston defensemen and beat the goalie. After halftime, however, John Beecher turned his emphasis in front of Georgiyev into an equalizer.

With three minutes left in the second period, Colorado struck again. Sam Malinski scored on a shot from the blue line, only his second NHL goal. The defenseman is 25 years old, but playing his first season in the best hockey league in the world.

The game was decided by a shootout

Boston didn’t give up and got a 3-3 tie at 45:46 thanks to captain Marchand. Marchand scored his second goal of the game. The game ended in a scoreless tie and the game went into overtime, where the winning goal was not scored. The game was decided by a shootout.

The shooters were not successful for a long time. For example, Nathan McKinnon failed for Colorado and Pastrňák failed for Boston. The only goal scorer was Valeri Nichushkin in the third series.

The Avalanche won 4:3 after the shootout and took two points, which puts them and Vancouver behind the Western Conference leader Winnipeg. The Bruins earned a point to help them return to first place in the East.

Source: NHL