The visiting Boston Bruins scored three consecutive goals to close the first period and never looked back in a convincing 6-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.
Pavel Zacha tallied twice, and Elias Lindholm scored the eventual game-winner to lead Boston to its third consecutive victory. Morgan Geekie recorded a goal and an assist. Mark Kastelic and Fraser Minten also scored, while David Pastrnak and JJ Peterka each dished out two assists.
Boston backup goaltender Michael DiPietro earned his fourth victory in five outings, making just 16 saves.
Justin Brazeau and Nick Robertson scored for Pittsburgh, which has lost four straight games (0-3-1). Kaedan Korczak assisted on both goals.
Arturs Silovs allowed six goals on 24 shots for the Penguins.
After being held without a shot for nearly half the first period, Pittsburgh scored on its first attempt to take a 1-0 lead at 9:04. Korczak fired the puck from the blue line off the end boards, where Hendrix Lapierre collected the carom and set up Brazeau in the right circle for a one-timer.
Boston’s top line connected for the tying goal three minutes later. Peterka knocked down a bouncing puck between his legs to Pastrnak, who slipped a saucer pass to Zacha for a high shot past Silovs.
Kastelic gave the Bruins their first lead with 4:56 remaining in the first, gliding backward in the slot to tip in Frederic Brunet’s point shot.
The visitors made it 3-1 with 1:03 left before intermission. Lindholm intercepted Erik Karlsson’s attempted clear and moved toward the net before scoring past an outstretched Silovs.
Robertson brought Pittsburgh within one at 7:57 of the second period. Stationed in front of the net, the Penguins’ leading goal-scorer redirected a Korczak point shot through DiPietro’s five-hole for his seventh goal of the season.
Two goals in less than three minutes gave the Bruins a 5-2 lead through two periods, beginning with Zacha scoring off Peterka’s aerial pass in transition at the 14:24 mark.
Geekie capped the scoring in the period with his third goal in three games, making it 5-2 with 3:03 remaining. He created space after gloving down Hampus Lindholm’s feed from the defensive zone and fired high past Silovs.
In the third, Minten scored Boston’s sixth goal at 8:39. He received a stretch pass from Geekie and rushed down the right side alongside Peterka. Minten kept the puck and lasered a shot past Silovs on the blocker side.
Bruins rookie James Hagens left the game in the third period after taking a cross-check to the back from Pittsburgh’s Samuel Girard. There was no update on Hagens’ status before the end of the game.
–Field Level Media
