BOSTON – Jeremy Swayman made the save in front of his former teammate Craig Smith in the 9th round of the shootout, and the Boston Bruins won in a landslide, 4 to 3 against the Dallas Stars, Monday afternoon .
The suspense continued for a long time in this duel of NHL powers, after David Pastrnak forced an overtime period by scoring at 18:45 of the third period.
Swayman and his opposite number Jake Oettinger took turns standing out, before defender Charlie McAvoy gave the locals the advantage by beating the Stars goalkeeper with a clever backhand feint.
Smith then appeared in front of Swayman, and the puck hit the Bruins goalie’s pad before coming to rest very close to the goal line, without crossing it.
Swayman was the story of the game in regulation too, facing a barrage of 45 shots.
The Stars continue to enjoy success, posting a record of 9-1-2 in their last eleven outings.
Boston (33-12-11) will want to use this victory as a springboard after recent failures. The leaders in the Eastern standings – one point ahead of the Florida Panthers – had lost six of their ten previous meetings (4-4-2).
In addition to Pastrnak, Jesper Boqvist and Justin Brazeau – author of his first goal in his debut on the Bettman circuit – also scored.
Quebecer Anthony Richard got an assist on Boqvist’s net, scored in the 5th minute of play.
Dallas’ response came from Wyatt Johnston, Ryan Suter and Esa Lindell. The latter thought he had given the Stars the lead for good when he put the visitors back in control at 10:44 of the final period.
The Stars’ third goal came on their 44th shot on target on Swayman’s cage.
McTavish makes Ducks history
Mason McTavish became the fifth-fastest player in Anaheim Ducks history to reach 80 career points in a 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres.
McTavish had three assists to help get the Ducks back on track after suffering a loss in their last game. In his career, he now has 82 points in 136 games. Paul Kariya was the quickest to reach 80 points for the Ducks. He had done it in 80 games.
Frank Vatrano scored twice in 2:35 of the middle period to erase a deficit and put Anaheim ahead for good. He is now at 26, a career high.
Troy Terry finished the game with a goal and two assists.
Adam Henrique scored the other goal.
Jordan Greenway, Tage Thompson and Zach Benson provided the Sabres’ response.
Buffalo continues to struggle at home with a 1-5 record in its last six games.
John Gibson made 34 saves in front of the Ducks cage while Ukko-PekkaLuukkonen only faced 15 shots.
Buffalo continues to struggle at home with a 1-5 record in its last six games. The team has been inconsistent since the start of the season and has only ten victories in its last 19 outings. She is already in danger of missing the playoffs, which she would do for a 13th consecutive season, she who already holds the NHL record.
