Bruins storm back to beat Flyers, 4-3 in OT

Steve Conroy, Boston Herald on Dec 7, 2024

Published in Hockey

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BOSTON — The Bruins wiped out a two-goal third-period deficit with a spirited comeback and then Pavel Zacha scored his second overtime winner in a week, lifting the B’s over the Flyers, 4-3, on Saturday at TD Garden.

Zacha and David Pastrnak battled to maintain control of the puck along the boards before Pastrnak went around the net and fed Zacha for the backdoor goal.

Just before that, Jeremy Swayman had stopped Joel Farabee on a breakaway to keep the game alive.

The B’s have now won four in a row.

The Bruins had their chances to score in the first period but could not get one behind Aleksei Kolosov. Meanwhile, the Flyers made the most of their chances and took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission, thanks to a pair of Matvei Michkov goals.

After the B’s squandered an early power play on a Philly too-many-men penalty, Brad Marchand thought he was interfered with and let the refs know about it. He didn’t win the argument but, when play resumed, Mark Kastelic was promptly called for tripping.

Off the initial faceoff on the advantage, Emil Andrae’s shot was blocked in the slot by Elias Lindholm, but Sean Couturier won the race to the loose puck, poking it over to Michkov low in the right circle. The dynamic rookie wasted little time in ripping it shortside by Swayman.

The B’s had several chances to tie it, with three coming on another power play. The best chance was a nice backdoor play for Marchand but Kolosov was able to come up with the big save.

Zacha also hit the crossbar a little later.

The B’s rued their lost chances when, with 1:36 late in the period, Michkov struck again. Collecting a puck behind the net, Jordan Oesterle tried to shovel a backhander up the left boards, but Travis Sanheim pinched down to grab and he quickly found Michkov for a backdoor tap-in.

Philly helped the B’s get back in the game early in the second period when Cam York tripped Justin Brazeau as the Bruin was just trying to get to the red line for a dump-in and change. As the advantage was winding down, Kolosov absolutely robbed Morgan Geekie on a backdoor play, but the B’s kept with it. Eventually, Trent Frederic backhanded a loose puck through a mass of bodies in the slot for his fourth of the year at 5:26.

The B’s flurried for the next few minutes but could not get the equalizer. Nikita Zadorov had a great chance from the slot but Kolosov just got a piece of it.

Eventually, the Flyers regained their equilibrium and York redeemed himself.

The B’s were throwing their weight around in their own zone but they could not get control of the puck. Sanheim carried the puck behind the net and fed his defense partner in the high slot. With Zadorov battling a Flyer in front, York beat Swayman with a wrister to give Philly their two-goal lead back at 15:29. It appeared as though Zadorov had cleared a path for Swayman to see the shot, but he could not snare it with his mitt.

Tempers flared shortly after that when Charlie McAvoy tripped Michkov and, apparently believing the rookie helped the call along (he had a point), started to take some more shots on him. Understandably protective of the Flyer future, Owen Tippett came flying to his aid. When the dust settled, the B’s still had to kill off a minor, which they did.

But the B’s still had a sizable hill to climb in the third.

They took the first step at 5:18 on a third-line goal. Charlie Coyle circled through the slot and he got it to the middle where Frederic fired his second of the game past Kolosov.

The B’s quickly got a power play after that when Travis Konecny interfered with McAvoy in the neutral zone. The B’s had several good chances that wouldn’t go.

They got another PP at 10:33 when Garnet Hathaway tripped Mason Lohrei. Again, the B’s had chances, but again, nothing doing.

But with 5:22 left in regulation, the B’s finally tied it up. With the Flyers trying to deliver the dagger, Brazeau made a great long pass off the boards that Marchand chased down for a breakaway. The captain tucked his 11th between Kolosov’s pads to make it 3-3.

The B’s got yet another PP when Couturier tripped Pastrnak with 1:57 remaining in regulation but they were a little more tentative on this one and the teams went to OT.