The Boston Bruins scored four unanswered goals, including three on the power play, to extend their win streak to four.
The Bruins (6-2-0) beat the Anaheim Ducks (4-3-0) 4-2 on Friday night at Honda Center. Frederic Brunet (1) scored the first goal of his NHL career, while David Pastrnak (3), Elias Lindholm (2), and Matt Poitras (3) added goals in the third period.
Bruins lines tonight: projected lineup and starting goalie →
Michael DiPietro made 25 saves on 27 shots in his first career NHL win.
It is the first time the Bruins have beaten the Anaheim Ducks since October 22, 2023, snapping a five-game losing streak.
The first period started slowly, especially for the Bruins. The Ducks controlled play throughout the first 20 minutes, but DiPietro stopped the first 12 shots he faced.
However, the Ducks connected twice in the final minute of the first period.
Tim Washe opened the scoring at the 19:22 mark. He got a feed from Jackson Lacombe and steered a weak shot on frame. Washe’s shot caught DiPietro off guard and beat him five-hole.
The Ducks only needed 21 seconds to double their lead. Beckett Sennecke, Cutter Gauthier, and Nikita Nesterenko entered the offensive zone, moving the puck back and forth among the trio. Nesterenko played the puck to Sennecke just outside of DiPietro’s crease, and he beat the Bruins’ goaltender with a backhand tip.
Turnovers proved costly in the first period, and after 20, the Bruins had seven recorded giveaways. They trailed by a pair of goals, and the Ducks had a 14-7 advantage in shots.
Casey Mittelstadt drew a holding minor on Tyson Hinds, sending the Bruins to the power play early in the second period. The second unit was out for the Bruins, and James Hagens’ pass to Frederic Brunet was deflected by Cutter Gauthier, sending it airborne. Brunet kept it in the offensive zone, settled it, and steered it on goal. The puck redirected on its way to the net, and it beat Dostal to slice the Ducks’ lead in half.
The goal marked Brunet’s first in the NHL, and with the secondary assist, Pavel Zacha extended his point streak to four games.
Brunet’s goal was the only one of the second period. The Ducks outshot the Bruins 9-7, and DiPietro turned aside all nine.
With exactly one minute remaining in the second period, Nikita Zadorov was called for an elbowing minor on ex-Bruin Frank Vatrano. Once Vatrano got up, Zadorov circled back and dropped him to the ice after the whistle and was called for roughing.
The Ducks got a four-minute power play, with three minutes carrying over into the third period. The Bruins killed off the first 3:20 before Roger McQueen took an interference minor and wiped out the last 40 seconds of the Ducks’ power play.
While the Bruins were on the power play, Pavel Zacha played a cross-crease pass to David Pastrnak, and he immediately turned it to Elias Lindholm. Lindholm went right back to Pastrnak, and he beat Lukas Dostal with a backhanded shot from right outside the crease.
Pastrnak now sits fourth in Bruins history with 423 goals. He is only four behind Patrice Bergeron (427) for third.
The Bruins were not done there. Nikita Klepov took a hooking minor, and the Bruins got another look on the man advantage. Morgan Geekie played the puck to Pavel Zacha, who quickly turned it to Elias Lindholm in front. Lindholm buried his second goal of the season in the blue paint to give the Bruins their first lead of the night.
The Bruins’ power play finished 3-for-4 on Friday night.
Matt Poitras wanted in on the action. He and James Hagens took off for a 2-on-1 against Pavel Mintyukov. Mintyukov closed on Hagens, so he played the puck to Poitras. Poitras went to his backhand and beat Dostal for his third goal of the season.
Three of Poitras’ 10 career goals have come at Honda Center.
The Bruins will finish off the back-to-back on Saturday night in Los Angeles. They will close their four-game road trip on Tuesday in Dallas.