BSJ Game Report: Bruins 3, Golden Knights 1 - Reshuffled lineup lifts Bruins to comeback win in Vegas

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 3-1 win over the Golden Knights with BSJ insight and analysis:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

Lineup reshuffles pay off in Vegas: With the Bruins once again finding themselves in an early deficit and failing to generate much in terms of 5v5 offense, Jim Montgomery opted to roll the dice in Vegas and jumble up his forward corps.

Granted, the Bruins were already going to have to augment their lineup ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Golden Knights once David Krejci was ruled out with a lower-body injury.

But with the early returns not offering much in terms of quality chances against Logan Thompson, Montgomery went back to basics with his skaters up front — reuniting the 63-37-88 line, sticking Taylor Hall and Jake DeBrusk next to Boston’s de-facto 2C in Pavel Zacha and adding Nick Foligno to Charlie Coyle’s puck-possession unit. 

Fair to say, Montgomery hit the jackpot with all three flip-flopped lines — as each forward grouping lit the lamp over the final two periods of play to lift Boston to a 3-1 comeback victory over Vegas at T-Mobile Arena. 

Of course, it’s not exactly much of a surprise that a top line featuring Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak looked like a 5v5 buzzsaw once again. 

But even without Krejci, Zacha did an admirable job in the middle of Boston’s second line — setting up DeBrusk for the eventual game-winning strike at 2:10 in the third off of a gorgeous saucer feed (after some great board work by Hall in the neutral zone). 

To have Coyle and his new line put the game away with a dominant O-zone shift and 5v5 tally was the icing on the cake for the Bruins, who have still yet to lose consecutive games this season. 

Slow starts hampering Bruins: The Bruins haven’t had a ton of concerning trends worth monitoring through the first two-plus months of the new season … well, until now.

While some very good Bruins teams under Bruce Cassidy were routinely plagued by surrendering last-minute goals at the end of periods, this Bruins squad has had issues when it comes to putting themselves in an early hole.

If you’re looking for any sort of correlation between the B’s five losses so far this season, it’s Boston playing catch-up in the early going.

LOSS @ Ottawa (10/18) - Ottawa scores just 1:04 into the game.
LOSS @ Toronto (11/5) - Toronto scores at 7:19 in the first period.
LOSS @ Florida (11/23) - Florida scores just 1:49 into the game.
LOSS @ Vegas (12/5 - SO) - Vegas scores just 1:36 into the game.
LOSS @ Arizona (12/9) - Arizona scores just 53 seconds into the game. 

And even though the Bruins eventually responded and dealt the Knights a loss on Sunday night, they were once again behind the eight ball early — with Mark Stone tucking one home just 4:03 into the contest.

The Bruins have the scoring depth and mettle to claw back from some hefty deficits … but they’d be wise to stop making things so hard on themselves when it comes to coughing up these early goals. 

SIX UP

“Perfection Line”: Montgomery’s top-six switcheroo paid off well in this one, with the Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak line teaming up for a 5v5 tally shortly after getting reunited. With the 63-37-74 configuration struggling a bit when it comes to generating 5v5 offense, one has to wonder if Montgomery gives this tried-and-true grouping an extended stretch together. 

Jake DeBrusk: Along with his go-ahead goal early in the third period, DeBrusk was a menace on the forecheck all night — causing havoc in the offensive zone and finishing with six total hits. Have to think DeBrusk enjoyed dropping that celly against the Golden Knights in this one.

Pavel Zacha: So far, so good when it comes to Zacha stepping into Krejci’s spot in the lineup this season. Zacha has been very underrated all season long when it comes to his board work and details, but the young pivot is also leading the B’s in 5v5 assists with 11 on the year.  

Charlie Coyle: Make that five points in the last five games for Coyle, who beat Thompson in the third period at the end of a dominant, puck-possession shift. Great play all around by Coyle, Frederic and Foligno down low.

Linus Ullmark: The Bruins wouldn’t have even been able to mount a comeback if it wasn’t for the play of Ullmark, who turned aside 30 saves in the win — including a couple of momentum-shifting breakaway stops against both Ben Hutton and William Carrier. Through 19 appearances this season, Ullmark is now 16-1-0. 

Connor Clifton: Clifton was a one-man wrecking crew in this one, finishing with a team-high seven hits in his 16:59 of ice time. 

TWO DOWN

Fourth line: While Boston’s lineup reshuffle benefitted most parties, Boston’s fourth-line regulars in Tomas Nosek, Craig Smith and A.J. Greer struggled to make much of an impact further down the lineup — with both Greer and Smith failing to land a shot on goal in their limited ice time. 

Penalty kill: Boston ultimately finished the evening with a 1-for-4 showing on the PK, but that opening tally by Stone was rough for Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm. Far too easy for the Vegas winger.

PLAY OF THE GAME

LOOSE PUCKS

LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins will now return home for a five-game homestand, with the B’s set to host the Islanders on Tuesday night. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.