Jake DeBrusk scored early in the third period to secure a lead for the Boston Bruins, who defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 3-1 on Sunday in a clash of division leaders.
DeBrusk’s goal came at 2:10 of the final period on a brilliant pass from Pavel Zacha, who navigated the puck past a sliding Vegas defenseman Alec Martinez. Zacha stepped up on the second line in place of David Krejci, who was sidelined with a lower-body injury but is expected back Tuesday against the New York Islanders.
“When I saw J.B. coming back door, (Martinez) tried to slide down, and I was able to make a play and find him there,” Zacha said.
Charlie Coyle extended the Bruins’ lead to 3-1 with a goal at 9:04 in the third period.
Patrice Bergeron also scored for Boston, while Linus Ullmark, who stopped the final 30 shots he faced, improved to 16-1. The only goal Ullmark allowed came on Vegas’ first shot of the game.
“You just focus on the next puck, always,” Ullmark said. “That’s the focus. You can’t change what just happened. Just keep moving forward.”
The Bruins, leading the Atlantic Division, split the season series with the Pacific-leading Knights. The teams last met Monday in Boston, where Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy faced his former team for the first time in a 4-3 shootout victory. Cassidy coached the Bruins for six seasons, leading them to the playoffs each year.
Boston improved to 11-1-1 against Western Conference teams.
Mark Stone scored for Vegas, and Logan Thompson made 24 saves.
“The compete level was high from start to finish,” Cassidy said. “We were ready. When you get into those types of games with a team as good as Boston with all the depth they have, the margins become slimmer when you’re missing some of your guys who are difference-makers.”
The Knights entered the game, missing their leading scorer and two defensemen. Defenseman Zach Whitecloud appeared to injure his knee early in the second period. Cassidy said he didn’t have an update on Whitecloud.
Stone put Vegas ahead 1-0 just 4:04 into the game, converting a pass from Chandler Stephenson for an easy power-play goal. The Bruins entered the game with the league’s best penalty kill, and this was only the 15th power-play goal they have surrendered on 100 attempts. Boston killed off the remaining three Knights’ power plays.
In a chippy opening period, the teams combined for just 11 shots on goal, with five near-fights breaking out. Boston came out strong in the second period, taking the first nine shots on goal. They tied it 3:55 into the middle period when David Pastrnak set up Bergeron for a point-blank shot.
Bruins coach Jim Montgomery shuffled his lines in the second period, pairing Pastrnak and Bergeron to boost the team’s offense after a slow first period.
“Sometimes you just get a feel it’s going to be a tight game,” Montgomery said. “If you think you have the best players, you should put them together and let them win it for you.”
NOTES
Vegas top scorer Jack Eichel (lower body) missed his third game in four. Defenseman Shea Theodore also sat out after injuring his shin Friday night against Philadelphia. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo missed his seventh consecutive game due to a family illness. … Pastrnak has points in 14 of his past 15 games (11 goals, eight assists). … Three members of the United States’ women’s hockey team were in attendance. The U.S. plays Canada in an exhibition on Thursday in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson.
UP NEXT
- Bruins: Host the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
- Golden Knights: At Winnipeg on Tuesday night.