Bruins, upbeat after comeback win, take on Stars
The Boston Bruins have an opportunity to build.
After overcoming a two-goal deficit in the third period of a win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, the Bruins look to complete their two-game road trip on another high note Thursday against the Dallas Stars.
St. Louis used power-play goals to take a 2-0 lead through two periods, but Morgan Geekie, Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak all scored in the final frame to turn the game around.
The win was Boston's fourth in six games (4-1-1) following a previous 1-4-1 stretch. An identity that coach Jim Montgomery had emphasized of late showed through.
"We talked about staying with it for 60 minutes and playing the right way," Montgomery said. "And even though we made a couple of mistakes in the third still - because you're going to make mistakes, it's a game of mistakes - we just kept battling. ... We got to the goal line and got some greasy goals."
Pastrnak scored the game-winner with 1:47 remaining, completing the Bruins' first third-period comeback from multiple goals since Nov. 1, 2022. McAvoy matched him with a two-point effort.
McAvoy believes that win can lead to more in Dallas and moving forward to a three-game homestand, which begins with a Saturday rematch against the Blues.
"You've got to do the right things moving forward, but there's a couple times throughout a (season) where you ... come back and find a way like we did (Tuesday), and you can really build off those," McAvoy said.
Defenseman Hampus Lindholm was lost to a lower-body injury during Tuesday's game and will miss "weeks," leading the Bruins to recall Jordan Oesterle from Providence of the AHL, where he recorded three goals and eight points in nine games.
The 32-year-old Oesterle, who Montgomery described as a smart player and excellent skater, has played in 371 career NHL games, most recently with the Calgary Flames last season.
The Stars have won two of three since returning from the NHL Global Series in Finland and were last in action Monday at Pittsburgh, scoring six straight first-period goals en route to a 7-1 drubbing of the Penguins.
"It was a good step in the right direction," center Matt Duchene said. "We know what to expect from Boston. It's never an easy game. No matter how well or not well they're playing, they're always a tough team. ... Our compete and details have to be there."
Defenseman Miro Heiskanen was the lone repeat scorer in Pittsburgh, helping Dallas become the first NHL team to rattle off six goals during the opening period of any game since the 2022-23 season.
"It's nice for a bunch of the guys to get on the board and kind of feel good about ourselves," left winger Mason Marchment said. "I thought, right from the start of the game, we were on it."
Marchment notched a goal and four assists, with four of his five points coming in the first.
Prior to Monday, Dallas had lost three of four and gone three consecutive games without scoring more than three goals. The seven-goal total was its highest since a 5-2 win in Boston Oct. 24 in which Duchene and Tyler Seguin each registered a goal and two assists.
"We haven't had one of those games all year, we had some bounces and some seeing-eye goals," coach Pete DeBoer said. "We had some guys who really needed a goal, so that was much needed."
Wyatt Johnston snapped a 10-game goal drought on Monday, while fellow 21-year-old Logan Stankoven scored for the second time in three games and now has 13 points to lead all NHL rookies.
