BSJ Game Report: Bruins 4, Blues 3 (SO) - Ullmark, penalty kill stave off comeback for 60th win

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 4-3 shootout win over the Blues, with BSJ insight and analysis…

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

Ullmark, Boston withstand St. Louis surge: Linus Ullmark stopped all three shooters he faced, and the Bruins picked up their 60th win of the season with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Blues on Sunday.

Charlie Coyle scored the lone goal in the shootout.

Jake DeBrusk, Tyler Bertuzzi and Oskar Steen each scored for Boston (60-12-5), and Trent Frederic had two assists. Ullmark made 35 saves.

Boston went a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill, surviving a 1:34 run of 5-on-3 late in the third to preserve a one-goal lead. The power play was 1-for-3, coming up with critical insurance in the second period.

Jordan Kyrou scored twice, and Torey Krug also had a goal for St. Louis (35-36-6). Brandon Saad and Brayden Schenn each had two assists, and Jordan Binnington made 28 saves. 

DeBrusk opened the scoring 5:51 into the game on a 2-on-1 with Frederic. DeBrusk followed his rebound, and he and Frederic whacked at the puck to put it past the aggressive Binnington.

Bertuzzi made it 2-0 on the power play with 12:42 to go in the second. Pastrnak sent a no-look pass to the far post, where Bertuzzi was waiting to bank it in. 

Steen capitalized on another Binnington rebound 44 seconds later for more insurance, burying the loose puck in the slot off Greer’s shot.

Kyrou cut it to 3-1 with 8.2 seconds to go in the middle period, beating Ullmark to the blocker side on the rush. Colton Parayko jumped into the rush, drove to the net and took Jakub Zboril out of the play to open the lane for Kyrou. 

Krug made it a one-goal game midway through the third when he scored on Saad’s rebound, and Kyrou tied it, 3-3, with 23.6 seconds to go, picking the top right corner. 

THREE UP

The penalty kill: The penalty kill was stellar all weekend without Patrice Bergeron, going without Charlie McAvoy as well on Sunday. Save for one net-front scramble on the late 5-on-3, St. Louis didn’t generate much of anything on the advantage, coming up with three shots. The kill is on a 28-for-28 run, and didn’t surrender any shots on the 5-on-3. 

Trent Frederic: The St. Louis kid had a solid audition at third-line center in a potential glimpse into the not-so-distant future. He had two assists, and Boston out-chanced the Blues 8-4 at 5-on-5 with Frederic on the ice (3-2 high-danger). He also notched three shots, two blocks and a hit. Nearly had the opening goal, but it hit DeBrusk last on the way in. 

Linus Ullmark: The only goals the Blues scored on Ullmark came on high-danger chances, per Natural Stat Trick. He turned aside five of eight high-danger shots. Ullmark came up big down the stretch, stopping 13 shots in the third period and 27 from the start of the second period through the end of overtime. He made it look easy in the shootout, making a big windmill glove save on Schenn for the win. 

ONE DOWN

60-minute effort: Boston took the foot off the gas in the third, as the Blues outshot them 15-5 en route to tying it up. St. Louis out-attempted the B’s, 26-12, in all situations in the third. It wasn’t exactly shocking, in the second leg of a back-to-back with travel, and the Bruins still managed to come away with the win. One to forget all-around, defensively. 

PLAYS OF THE GAME

What a pass by Pastrnak here. Completely looked off the defense before hitting Bertuzzi perfectly at the backdoor. 

Quite the flashy glove save by Ullmark to seal the win. 

LOOSE PUCKS

Boston becomes the fourth team in NHL history to reach 60 wins, joining the 2018-19 Lightning (62), the 1995-96 Red Wings (62) and the 1976-77 Canadiens (60). 

LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins get some needed downtime with three days off before taking on the Maple Leafs on Thursday. Puck-drop against Toronto is set for 7 p.m. at TD Garden.