Recap: Late third period goals lift Bruins to 3-0 win over Nashville

An impressive W.

In what was a scoreless affair for more than 53 minutes, the Bruins got three goals late in the third period to skate out of Nashville with a 3-0 win.

Charlie Coyle (SHG), Pavel Zacha, and David Pastrnak (ENG) each scored for the B’s, while Linus Ullmark made 32 saves for the shutout win.

The Bruins and Predators traded blows for two and a half periods before the B’s finally broke through on Coyle’s goal 6:42 remaining in the third.

Zacha would cash in four minutes later, followed by Pastrnak sealing the deal with a long-distance empty-netter.

With Mason Lohrei in the box for hooking, Ullmark helped his own cause by clearing the puck around the boards to Brad Marchand, who found Coyle for a shorthanded breakaway. He didn’t miss. 1-0 Bruins.

After some scrambly defensive zone moments, Pastrnak cleared the zone and started a one-man rush that Heinen and Zacha capped off with a great passing play. 2-0 Bruins.

Pastrnak would put the cherry on top with an empty-netter a little more than a minute later. 3-0 Bruins.

That was it! A professional, 60-minute effort sees the Bruins win their second game in a row.

Game notes

• When considering the “fun to watch” factor, this had to be one of the most entertaining scoreless games in recent memory. Normally, you’d see 0-0 after 50+ minutes and assume it had been a snooze, but this game had action throughout. Big saves, physicality, few interruptions…a playoff pace/feel, in some ways.
• Pastrnak continued his recent run of being the Bruins’ best three-zone player in this one, and it wasn’t particularly close. He was everywhere, with the defensive support on the Zacha goal the clearest example yet of a guy who has raised his game all over the ice.
• Ullmark was great for the B’s, as you’d expect when a guy has a shutout. He made 15 saves in the third period alone, including several of the more chaotic, net-front-scramble variety.
• The loss was Nashville’s first regulation loss at home since mid-February and the first time they’ve been shut out at home this season.
• We got the full rookie defenseman performance out of Mason Lohrei tonight: moments of brilliance mixed with some cover-your-eyes miscues. He had a sequence in the second period where he cooly floated a cross-ice pass through danger to start a rush, then another where he shrugged off an aggressive forecheck with ease. Then in the third, there was a bad turnover that led to a great Nashville chance, plus the late hooking penalty. Overall, he’s brought more good than bad to the lineup and you can see his game continue to grow.
• The Bruins got a big boost from their penalty kill tonight, erasing all four Nashville opportunities and adding a shorthanded goal.
• Justin Brazeau left the game after taking a hit from Luke Schenn. He didn’t return, with the Bruins ruling him out with an upper-body injury. He appeared to be favoring his arm — hopefully it’s not a long-term thing, as he’s been great for the Bruins.
• Brandon Carlo made one of the bigger unheralded plays of the night, dropping to the ice after the aforementioned Lohrei turnover and getting his glove on a cross-ice pass. Had he not gotten his hand on it, the Nashville player on the other side had a tap-in.
• Coyle’s goal was his 56th point of the season, equaling his previous career high with the Wild back in 2017.

It was a chaotic night in the Eastern Conference playoff race too, with:

• The Capitals fumbling a big opportunity and losing to the Sabres, 6-2.
• The Panthers losing to the Canadiens in Montreal, 5-3.
• The Islanders beating the Blackhawks, 2-1.
• The Penguins scoring FIVE UNANSWERED GOALS in the third period to beat the Devils, 6-3.

The Penguins are still pretty much out of it, but they kept their slim hopes alive with that third period.

There are four teams separated by just three points for that WC2 spot. Plus, you have the Flyers hanging on for dear life in third place in the Metro, just a point ahead of the Capitals.

EMBRACE THE CHAOS.