Pittsburgh 6, Boston 5
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 4, 2024
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Referees:
Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollock
Linesmen:
David Brisebois, Dan Kelly
Attendance:
17850
By Field Level Media
Sidney Crosby's game-winning power-play goal with 8:41 remaining capped his three-point effort and lifted the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins to a 6-5 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.
The Penguins captain scored his third game-winner of the season from the top of the left circle, following a faceoff win and Erik Karlsson's pass.
Drew O'Connor and Lars Eller each finished with a goal and an assist, while Kris Letang had three assists to fuel Pittsburgh's fourth win in five games.
Ryan Graves, Jake Guentzel and Jeff Carter also scored, and Alex Nedeljkovic made 24 saves for the Penguins.
David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie each had a goal and two assists to lead Boston, which had won four straight.
Brad Marchand scored twice, Jake DeBrusk also lit the lamp and Charlie McAvoy had two assists for the Bruins.
Boston's Jeremy Swayman allowed a season-high six goals on 35 shots.
The teams' combined five goals in the opening 7:21 were the fastest in the NHL this season. Guentzel scored the last of those to begin a three-goal run that gave Pittsburgh a 5-2 lead in the second, but Marchand finished Boston's rally to tie the score early in the third.
The Bruins were held without a second-period shot until the 9:51 mark when Geekie deposited Pastrnak's great feed to the right circle.
With 35.8 seconds left in the second, Geekie set up Brandon Carlo for a one-time blast to bring Boston within 5-4.
Marchand beat his defender 1-on-1 to score his franchise-record 34th career short-handed goal, tying the game 3:08 into the third.
Boston needed only 41 seconds to draw first blood as Marchand banged in a Pastrnak rebound that Nedeljkovic left in front.
The frenetic start continued with two Pittsburgh goals in a span of 1:13. O'Connor netted the tying goal at 5:04, pouncing on the rebound of Letang's point shot.
Graves followed with a point shot through traffic that Crosby set up at 6:17, but Pastrnak equalized just 22 seconds later when he took Hampus Lindholm's pass and slipped in a tight-range backhander.
The Penguins finished the period on a two-goal run to take a 4-2 lead, beginning with a driving Guentzel burying Crosby's pass to the left post at 7:21.
O'Connor set up Eller for a one-timer to post the 4-2 advantage with 3:02 left in the first.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Pittsburgh |
|
Boston |
|
Sidney Crosby 3 |
Points |
Morgan Geekie 3 |
|
Sidney Crosby 1 |
Goals |
Brad Marchand 2 |
|
Kris Letang 3 |
Assists |
Morgan Geekie 2 |
|
Sidney Crosby 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
Brad Marchand 1 |
|
Alex Nedeljkovic .828 |
Save Percentage |
Jeremy Swayman .829 |
|
Alex Nedeljkovic 24 |
Saves |
Jeremy Swayman 29 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Pittsburgh
|
35 |
6 |
1-3 |
2-2 |
4 |
39 |
| Boston
|
29 |
5 |
0-2 |
2-3 |
6 |
21 |
Upcoming Games
-
Boston will play their next game at home against Tampa Bay. The Bruins have a W/L % of .625 after a win and .615 after a loss.
-
Pittsburgh will play their next game at home against Buffalo. The Penguins have a W/L % of .474 after a win and .556 after a loss.
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