The Boston Bruins have lost their first game of the season after giving up a late lead and falling in overtime to the Anaheim Ducks.
The Boston Bruins have lost their first game of the season after giving up a late lead and falling in overtime to the Anaheim Ducks.
Radko Gudas opened up the scoring with five minutes to go in the first period. His point shot was heading wide before hitting Hampus Lindholm's skate and deflecting in.
The Ducks went into the second period with a one-goal lead, but it didn't last long.
Charlie Coyle tied the game on the power play just under two minutes into the second period. David Pastrnak whiffed on a one-timer, but the puck went straight to Coyle in front who finished into an empty net.
Just over a minute later, Matt Grzelcyk beat John Gibson five-hole with a one-timer, it slipped through Gibson and is one he'll want back.
Late in the third, Pastrnak put the Bruins up two, following his own shot to the front of the net and picking up his own rebound to score.
The Ducks pushed in the third to tie the game and were rewarded for their hard work very late.
Leo Carlsson brought the Ducks within one with just under two minutes left. Carlsson grabbed a rebound in front, beating Charlie McAvoy to the net and burying.
With 15 seconds left, a Troy Terry pass to the front of the net deflected off Brad Marchand's stick and into the top corner.
The Ducks then completed the comeback with a Mason McTavish game-winner in overtime.
After Jackson LaCombe and McTavish forced a turnover along the boards, LaCombe chipped the puck past Matthew Poitras to Carlsson to send Carlsson and McTavish on a two-on-one.
Carlsson feathered the puck over to McTavish after entering the zone and McTavish made no mistake, beating Linus Ullmark five-hole.
Here are three takeaways from Thursday's win:
Bounce Back Performance From Zegras:
After being benched on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Trevor Zegras needed a strong performance against Boston and he did not disappoint.
Zegras didn't get on the board, but did lead the Ducks with six shots and looked more engaged than he did against Columbus.
The increased effort was highlighted by a very strong backcheck with five minutes remaining in the third.
There was an urgency in Zegras' game that we haven't seen much of this season. He was creative and purposeful with the puck.
He still had his usual flash and high-skilled plays, but they were with a purpose and weren't limited to the perimeter.
Zegras still needs to find his production, but the effort was much better on Thursday.
Leo Carlsson With Another Strong Game:
After not playing in the last two games, Leo Carlsson came back with a strong game against the Bruins.
From a production standpoint, Carlsson brought the Ducks back within one late in the game with a strong play from an 18-year-old.
He found a loose puck in front and outmuscled McAvoy to hammer home the rebound.
There aren't many 18-year-olds who will get that kind of scrappy goal, beating a defenseman like McAvoy to a loose puck.
He then showed his high-end skill in overtime, sliding a nice pass over to McTavish for the game-winner.
Carlsson looks very comfortable in the NHL, and while I understand why he isn't playing every game, when he plays this well, it's hard to see the reasoning behind not playing him in every game.
We're talking a small sample size and there's no proof yet that Carlsson can do it consistently, but he looks excellent in his young career.
Ducks Show Resilience:
Would it be a massive oversimplification to say that the Ducks wouldn't have one that game last season under Dallas Eakins? Yes, will I do it anyway? Yes, I will.
A lot of what Greg Cronin is looking to do this season is change the culture of the Ducks and bring in a new mentality.
Again, it's early, but it looks like he's done that. There was no giving up and the Ducks continued to apply pressure on a strong and experienced Bruins team.
It was also good to see the Ducks' young players shown trust late in the game and even into overtime.
Carlsson grabbed a big goal late, Pavel Mintyukov had a primary assist on the game-tying goal and finished the game with a very young line.
One which saw McTavish as the most experienced player.
The Ducks might be under .500 right now, but there are some encouraging signs early.