Boston Bruins skate past defending champion Penguins 4-3

The Boston Bruins remain hot with Anton Khudobin between the pipes, extending their winning streak to four at home on Black Friday. The Bruins outshot and outperformed the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, defeating the Penguins 4-3 at TD Garden.

Can you imagine what this Boston Bruins team will be able to do when they get to full strength?  The team is on a heater right now, after four consecutive wins over quality opponents.  How did today’s game shake-out?

First Period

The Boston Bruins faced off against Sidney Crosby and his Pittsburgh Penguins on Black Friday at the TD Garden. Anton Khudobin started over Tuukka Rask in the big tilt, and he performed well again.

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The Bs came out the gates roaring, searching for their fourth straight victory to continue the winning streak. The first goal came off the stick of Sean Kuraly early in the first period, shifting the momentum completely in the favor of the Black and Gold.

Up 1-0 against the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Bruins continued to bring the strong play, netting another goal in the late moments of the first period by veteran forward David Krecji. A late hooking penalty in the first would give the Penguins a power play heading into the second period.

Second Period

Sidney Crosby showed some life in the second period, coming out of the locker room seeking redemption after a poor performance in the first. Crosby found line-mate Jake Guentzel on the power play for the Penguins first goal of the night cutting the Bruins early lead in half 2-1.

The Bruins were quick to respond. Rookie defenseman Matt Grzelcyk netted his first NHL goal and the Boston-area native increased the Bruins lead again to 3-1. The Penguins continued to show life, however, as Phil Kessel found the back of the net on an absolute snipe from the hash marks cutting the lead 3-2.

The end of the second period created controversy when the referees made a questionable call overturning a no goal call due to an early whistle. The goal would be credited to Sidney Crosby tying the game heading into the third period 3-3.

Third Period

The third period started off dull and even, as both teams continued to play hard and hungry for a victory. Anton Khudobin continued to stand on his head, and vice versa for Matt Murray down the other end.

Finally, Bruins center-man Riley Nash found a puck in the slot of his own end, and connected on a breakaway pass with David Pastrnak who beat Murray for the go-ahead goal. The Bruins would head into the final moments 4-3, and leave the fans at TD garden on the edge of their seats.

The Penguins pulled the goalie late in the third in one last attempt to send the game to overtime. Anton Khudobin stood on his head for the B’s, and the Penguins would come up short.

The Takeaways

The Boston Bruins are riding a hot streak right now, and much of this has to do with the confidence in the goaltender. Anton Khudobin now has increased his record to 7-0-2 with a save percentage of .932 and a GAA of 2.22. Going into the past few games it has been a question who the starting goalie will be, but after these past couple performances it without a doubt should be Khudobin in goal.

Another standout player in this Boston Bruins lineup has been rookie forward Jake DeBrusk, with his illusive speed and ability to find the open man. He has been an offensive threat for the 2017-2018 Bruins team. Overall, these past few games the Bruins have found themselves healthy again with standout performances in parts of the ice they were lacking.

Next: Predicting the Bruins next recall

The Bruins extended their winning streak to 4 games.  They face off against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers Sunday, 5:00pm at TD Garden.