BOSTON – The Boston Bruins (34-21-5) gave up an early goal, but responded with two in the first period to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins (31-16-13) 2-1 on Tuesday night. The win marked 11 straight at home and their second over the Penguins during that streak.
Marat Khusnutdinov (13) and Casey Mittelstadt (13) scored for the Bruins. Both goals came in a 50-second span early in the first period.
On the back end, Jeremy Swayman made 34 consecutive saves for the Bruins after seeing the first one go in.
With the win, the Bruins snapped the Penguins’ five-game point streak.
A lot of hockey unfolded in the first six minutes.
The Bruins opened with the game’s first two shots, both testing Stuart Skinner within the first 30 seconds.
Then the Penguins went down the other way. At the 42-second mark, Erik Karlsson unleashed a wrist shot from the point. His shot soared over Swayman and into the back of the net.
Marco Sturm challenged for goaltender interference, but the challenge was unsuccessful.
It did not take long for the Bruins to respond, though.
Marat Khusnutdinov collected the puck in the offensive zone circle, and he looked right at Skinner’s net. Fraser Minten positioned himself in front of Skinner, providing Khusnutdinov with a screen. He found the top left corner of the goal and tied the game at the 5:10 mark.
Then, 50 seconds later, Casey Mittelstadt collected Nikita Zadorov’s rebound. With Penguins players standing still in front of Skinner’s goal, Mittelstadt had time and space. He potted the rebound into the open cage and gave the Bruins a lead.
The first period closed, and the scoreboard read 2-1 Bruins. They also had a 12-7 shots advantage through 20 minutes.
The Penguins controlled play during the second period; they directed 15 shots on goal. Jeremy Swayman turned aside all 15.
The Bruins got on the power play twice in the second period, but they could not score. The fourth-best power play was held scoreless on three attempts on Tuesday night.
The Penguins boast the league’s second-best penalty killing unit.
Like the second period, the third featured no scoring. The Penguins held a 13-5 shots advantage, and the Bruins locked down their defensive game in the last five minutes of regulation.
The penalty kill (ranked 27) stepped up for the Bruins. Although the Bruins took four penalties, the Penguins’ power play (ranked 3) did not have an answer.
The Bruins remain in the second wild card spot; they are three points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team travels to Nashville on Wednesday. On Thursday night, they will play the Predators (27-26-8) as the playoff push continues.