The Boston Bruins have been nothing short of bad on the road lately. Looking to buck that trend on Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh against the Penguins was something that they should have done. Again, should have done.
Pittsburgh was without Sidney Crosby (injury) and Evgeni Malkin (suspension), and Boston built a 3-0 lead in the second period. Then, they took two penalties to give the Penguins a 5-on-3, and the rest, they say, was history. Pittsburgh scored on the two-man advantage and then struck twice in 33 seconds in the third period to tie the game. Pavel Zacha gave them the lead at 4-3, but the Pens tied it and won it 17 seconds into overtime. Yeah, they collected a point, but this was another road loss for the Black and Gold. Here are three takeaways.
Brutal third-period meltdown by Bruins
Again, games like this, with a three-goal lead on the road with 26 minutes left, there is no excuse not to get out with two points. None whatsoever. There is no way anyone can spin it. Especially with no Malkin and Crosby for the Pens.
This, however, is par for the course for the Black and Gold with results on the road. They sat on the lead in the third period, and it cost them. Sure, Joonas Korpisalo could have made a save or two, but this is a point that will haunt them at in teh middle of April when the regular season ends. Remember, they still have two road games against the Columbus Blue Jackets that are going to be rather big and could decide who gets the No. 8 seed and who hits the golf course early.
David Pastrnak scores with a break
Bruins fans can rest easy after David Pastrnak finally broke out of his scoring drought. In the second period, with Boston leading 2-0, he got the puck behind the net with Penguins goalie Arturs Silvos out of position. He swung around the net, and his wraparound went in to the net off Silvos' pad. Hopefully, that's the type of goal that gets him going.
OH NO SILOVS MISPLAYS THE PUCK AND PASTA SCORES IT 😱🚨 pic.twitter.com/xr6CWyvHyj
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 8, 2026
Zacha finished with a hat trick for the Black and Gold. His first was on the power play and his second was on a nice backhanded shot. His third goal in the third period was on a snipe in the third period. He is now up to 19 on the season.
Joonas Korpisalo needs to be better
Sure, Korpisalo made some big saves, but Boston needed him to come up with saves in the third period and steal a game. He didn't do it. Not all the goals were his fault, but a good goalie makes up for mistakes and turnovers with some saves. It wasn't the best game either for Jonathan Aspirot or Charlie McAvoy on the backend, who had the turnover in overtime that led to the game-winning goal.