Bruins cough up late goal, lose 4-3 to Ducks

Silver linings are not cutting it for the Bruins anymore.

Once more, the B’s fought back from a two-goal deficit to start the game and then a one-goal deficit in the third period on Wednesday against the Ducks in Anaheim. But in an occurrence that’s been far too frequent, the depleted B’s failed to get anything out of their otherwise admirable effort, giving up the game-winning goal with 3:35 left  in the game and lost to the Ducks, 4-3.

After Ian Moore’s screen shot beat Joonas Korpisalo for what would be the GWG, the B’s threw heavy pressure on goalie Lukas Dostal with Korpisali pulled for an extra skater but he held it down for the Ducks.

Korpisalo used the word “frustrating” several times with reporters in Anaheim.

“It sucks to lose it in the last five minutes. Again,” said Korpisalo.

After Morgan Geekie’s second goal of the game tied it up on the power play at 7:39 of the third, the Ducks turned it on and caused turnovers galore before Moore’s shot found its way home.

“We just have moments in our defensive zone and I don’t care if you have twice the shots or chances like that. If you can’t defend, or don’t want to defend, then you’re going to end up with a game like tonight,” Marco Sturm told NESN.

The B’s have simply left too many points on the table this season. They are now 12-10 and they’ve allowed the game-winning goal in the final 10 minutes of the third period five times. The B’s held a 30-20 shot advantage through two periods but were outshot 14-9 in the third when the game was on the line.

The Bruins played a very good first period, outshooting the Ducks 18-11, but found themselves in an early hole 2-0 when they gave up a pair of goals in a four minute span.

Jansen Harkins got Anaheim on the board at 2:29. Ross Johnston threw a bad angle shot on Korpisalo that produced a rebound. Hampus Lindholm, who had his stick broken earlier in the shift, could not tie up Harkins and the fourth liner poked it home.

The B’s immediately pushed back, but goalie Dostal was excellent in keeping the B’s off the board. And at 6:29, Radko Gudas’ slapper deflected off Fraser Minten and past Korpisalo.

After killing an Anaheim penalty, the B’s got a chance of their own on the man advantage and they capitalized at 14:58. Lindholm wristed the puck toward the net and Geekie got his 13th of the year on a high tip that was just under the crossbar. The puck had rested on Dostal’s pad for instant as Matej Blumel hacked it before going in. Blumel originally thought it was his goal but it didn’t appear that he touched the puck.

Dostal made numerous Grade A stops in the first but none were better than late in the period when Alex Steeves and Nikita Zadorov broke out on a 2-on-0. Steeves dished to Zadorov but Dostal was able to get over in time to make the good positional save.

The B’s dominated the early going in the second period but it looked like the Ducks had regained their two-goal lead at 8:56 when Mason McTavish came from behind the net to tuck by a flailing Korpisalo. But the goal was quickly washed out for incidental contact that McTavish had made with Korpisalo to put the net minder on his backside.

But that disallowed goal seemed to energize Anaheim and the Ducks would get it to 3-1, in maddening fashion.

Mason Lohrei took a tripping penalty and the B’s had done a decent job of killing it off. But with two seconds left on the kill, the Ducks struck. After the B’s could not get the puck out, McTavish set pass down low for Ryan Strome, who scored on a pretty tip from the side of the crease at 13:47.

The B’s, however, got one back with 1:33 left in the period. After Nikita Zadorov’s end-to-end rush did not bear fruit but he recovered in time to retrieve a puck high in his own zone and caught the Ducks in a change with a quick pass to Mikey Eyssimont at the Anaheim blue line. It looked like he was going to have an odd-man rush, but that got caught cut off. Eyssimont waited for the recovering Anaheim defender to go and give him a shooting lane. He picked his spot and buried his fifth of the year under Dostal’s glove.

There was some tension early in the third when Gudas delivered a dangerous hit on Eyssimont’s knee. Jeffrey Viel immediately went after Gudas, who covered up while Viel threw a couple of shots. Gudas ultimately slammed Viel onto the ice, after banging his head on the ice, Viel was clearly wobbled. He headed to the room and was tagged with the full 2-5-10 for instigating.

The B’s, who did not like anything about that exchange, killed that minor off and got a power play of their own at 7:31 when Harkins crosschecked David Pastrnak.

It took them eight seconds to tie it up. Geekie picked up his 14th goal when he tipped a Pastrnak shot past Dostal.

Then things got a bit wild, with both goalies making excellent saves to keep the game tied. First Dostal robbed Geekie of his hat trick bid with a great arm save but then the Ducks poured on the pressure. Korpisalo had to make great stops on McTavish and Frank Vatrano to keep the score even.

But the ice was tilting the wrong way and the Ducks regained the lead with 3:35 left in the third. With Alex Steeves battling Chris Kreider in front,  Moore’s long distance shot got through Steeves’ block attempt and through Korpisalo for the winner. Korpisalo never saw it.

“It was one of those plays…tough play for everyone,” said Korpisalo.

Ultimately, playing catch-up hockey did them in.

“When you put yourself behind the 8-ball like that, it’s tough to climb out of it,” said Geekie. “Obviously, we’re super proud of the way did, to tie up, but you look back on these and it’s just two points we kind of threw away again.”

The road won’t get any easier when they take on the Kings in Los Angeles on Friday.