Boston Bruins: Penalty kill comes up huge in win over the Rangers

David Pastrnak and David Krejci stole the show, but the penalty killers really made the difference.

The Boston Bruins welcomed the New York Rangers in the annual Black Friday matinee at TD Garden. After they trailed for much of the game, the Bruins celebrated with an overtime victory.

To nobody’s surprise, David Pastrnak once again stole the headlines with his heroics. The NHL’s leading goal scorer extended his lead in the third period when he scored his 24th goal of the season to tie the game.

Then, Pastrnak saved his best for last when he dangled around the Rangers defense and slid a no-look pass to David Krejci. Krejci scored to give the Bruins a 3-2 overtime win.

As awesome as the overtime and game-tying goals were, they only happened because the Bruins were excellent on the penalty kill.

The Bruins could not stay out of the penalty box all afternoon, as the Rangers finished the game with six power play opportunities. Boston only had one chance on the man advantage.

Given the fact that New York’s power play operates at a 21% success rate, all those penalties spelled bad news for the Bruins. Fortunately, the penalty killers came to play.

The Bruins killed all six of the Rangers’ power plays. In fact, they held the Rangers to only six total shots on the man advantage.

Zdeno Chara, as always, was a monster on the penalty kill. He finished the game with 7:21 in shorthanded time on ice. That’s insane for anybody, let alone a 42-year-old defenseman.

Brandon Carlo too was great on the penalty kill for Boston. He was the ice for 5:37 on the man advantage, usually with Chara as his partner.

Chara and Carlo came up big for the Bruins against the Rangers, and they continue to be difference-makers on the penalty kill night in and night out. They were especially big in the third period when the Rangers had over a minute of 5 on 3 time.

This was a major part of the game because the Bruins recently came back to tie it at two. If the Rangers scored, Boston probably wouldn’t have had enough left in the tank to salvage a point.

Nonetheless, the penalty killers held strong, as they kept the Rangers attackers to the perimeter and limited any high-danger chances. Chara made the biggest impact; in fact, he didn’t even leave the ice for a full two minutes!

This was a turning point for the Bruins, and it all but assured them a point in a come-from-behind effort.

Pastrnak and Krejci no doubt stole the show on Friday afternoon, and rightfully so. Those guys continue to show up in the biggest moments.

Pastrnak still leads the league in goals, while Krejci now has 19 points his last 20 games.

But, the penalty killers were the real difference-makers against the Rangers. It’s tough to when when your opponent has six power plays and you only have one. The Bruins, thanks to Chara, Carlo, and the rest of the penalty killers, made this work.