Down by a goal entering the third period, the Boston Bruins fought back to secure a victory before heading into the All-Star break.
Jake DeBrusk tied the game early in the third period, and David Krejci scored the go-ahead goal with 7:42 left, lifting the Bruins to a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.
“We can enjoy the break a little bit more now,” said Krejci, who returned from missing two games with an upper-body injury and contributed both a goal and an assist.
Krejci also assisted on Jeremy Lauzon’s first goal of the season. Goalie Jaroslav Halak made 27 saves and added an assist as Boston headed into the break on a positive note after a tough 1-2-1 stretch.
With the Bruins set for a bye week after the All-Star festivities, they don’t play again until Jan. 31. Their record of 29-10-12 leaves them atop the Atlantic Division.
“We know how we want to play. We know if we play good or bad,” Krejci said. “At the end of the day, we’ve got 70 points. We’re sitting on top of the division now, so obviously, we’re happy where we’re at, but we know that the (playoff) stretch will be the most important.”
Mark Stone opened the scoring just 1:24 into the game for Vegas, while Nicolas Hague added his first career goal. Nate Schmidt contributed two assists. However, the Golden Knights, now 1-1-1 under new coach Peter DeBoer, couldn’t hold off Boston’s third-period surge.
“There was some good tonight, but we weren’t good enough overall to come into a place like this and win,” DeBoer said. “Boston’s a team where you have to do everything right.”
Marc-Andre Fleury made 34 saves, helping the Golden Knights kill off five Bruins power plays in the first two periods.
DeBrusk tied the game with a wrist shot at 4:26 of the third period, capitalizing on a slick pass from Halak. Krejci scored the game-winner on his rebound after tipping a shot from Brandon Carlo.
“They had the lead there, and it seemed like they were pushing pretty good,” DeBrusk said. “We understood that we just needed to tie the game, and I thought we started off the third period really well.”
Hague gave Vegas a 2-1 lead with a powerful one-timer on the power play in the second period. “That’s a goal scorer’s goal. He’s got an absolute bomb of a shot,” Stone said.
Lauzon, who had been recalled from the AHL’s Providence Bruins earlier in the day, scored his slapshot goal at 11:40 of the first period to tie the game 1-1.
Game Notes:
- Lauzon has scored two career goals, both against the Golden Knights.
- Vegas forward Tomas Nosek played in his 200th career game.
- Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk left the game with about nine minutes remaining after a collision with Cody Eakin and did not return.
UP NEXT:
- Golden Knights: Visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 31.
- Bruins: Visit the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 31.