Cole Caufield served discover that Workforce USA made a grave mistake leaving him off the Olympic crew, however Morgan Geekie’s deuce trumped the good Montreal Canadiens ahead’s hat trick within the Bruins’ thrilling come-from-behind 4-3 win at TD Backyard on Saturday night time.
The beforehand slumping Geekie scored two objectives, together with the game-winner late within the third interval, a shot that was hammered so arduous that nobody noticed the puck go within the web, till Geekie raced down and pointed to the place the puck was lodged.
“I simply noticed (Elias Lindholm) wanting up within the air so I wasn’t fairly certain, both, however I noticed slightly black factor within the web and I figured the digicam didn’t go that far over. So I hoped for the very best. I’m glad I used to be proper,” stated Geekie.
That little black factor had not been Geekie’s pal for a number of weeks. He snapped a 12-game goalless streak on Tuesday in Dallas, however that was a meaningless aim within the blowout loss, and a tip at that. The sport-winning aim Saturday introduced the return of the participant we had seen all through the calendar yr of 2025.
“Each participant goes to undergo this typically and that’s simply a part of the expertise that I’ve been by way of many occasions in my profession,” stated David Pastrnak, who arrange Geekie’s first aim on a sublimely inventive play. “He was positively round it already within the final 4 or 5 video games…Generally that’s simply the best way it’s.”
At occasions it regarded just like the speedy Habs would possibly win this one going away, however the B’s scored three power-play objectives, together with Geekie’s game-winner. The win pulled the B’s to inside some extent of the Habs within the Atlantic Division standings.
It was the primary time this yr the Bruins, trailing 3-2 after 40 minutes, got here again from a deficit after the second interval in 18 tries.
The sport had a a lot quieter begin than the primary two conferences between the groups, each of which started with fisticuffs proper off the bat.
Possibly the B’s ought to have began one thing instantly as a result of the Habs had been a lot sharper within the opening interval they usually took the primary lead of the sport at 6:36.
Going through 4 Bruins defenders on the high of the Boston zone, Caufield slipped by way of the fence to get behind with out the puck after defenseman Mike Matheson gained the blue line. Matheson flipped a move simply off the ice that eluded Jonathan Aspirot’s attain and landed on the stick of Caufield, whose fast snap shot beat Jeremy Swayman excessive to the glove facet.
The B’s had been outshot 7-2 within the first interval and the Habs did actually play very properly defensively, beating the Bruins to unfastened pucks and killing performs earlier than they’d an opportunity to develop into something harmful.
However the B’s had extra possibilities than those who confirmed up on the shot clock. Geekie, who had one aim in 14 video games, fanned on two wonderful one-time makes an attempt on the one energy play within the interval. Pavel Zacha additionally heeled a great one-time probability.
And within the closing minute of the interval, Pastrnak cruised by way of the slot and ripped a shot that many thought went in – the aim horn sounded and the group erupted – however it solely clanged the put up.
There was one battle that occurred organically when Aspirot dropped the gloves with Kirby Dach after a net-front battle. The B’s wanted slightly extra of that. They had been down solely a aim, however they’d loads of work to do to get their play as much as the extent of Montreal’s. It took them nearly all 40 minutes, however the B’s did certainly reply.
“I knew they had been going to reply however (the primary interval) was not good, for some motive. It was very quiet, no power, we made some actually unhealthy errors,” stated coach Marco Sturm. “It was a great response after that for certain.”
The refs threw the B’s a lifeline after they known as a marginal interference on Noah Dobson on Casey Mittelstadt simply 25 seconds into the second interval.
The primary power-play unit was all around the Habs however Sam Montembeault made a few high quality saves till the second unit cashed in. Fraser Minten made a terrific backdoor move to Viktor Arvidsson (12), who was stopped by Montembeault on his first shot however the veteran caught with it and scored on the observe at 1:45.
However the B’s regarded the reward horse within the mouth. After Arvidsson’s backhander practically gave the B’s the unlikely lead, the Habs had been breaking the puck out when Zacha took a foul offensive zone penalty.
On the benefit, Caufield took a Nick Suzuki feed on the backside of the left circle and beat Swayman with the tough-angle shot with Swayman down at 7:37.
The Habs determined to maintain the B’s on this one. Kaiden Guhle clipped Sean Kuraly with a excessive stick – this one a no-doubter – and the B’s went again on the PP.
This time they cashed in on a terrific play by Pastrnak. After Matheson’s shorthanded bid was turned away, Charlie McAvoy zipped the puck as much as Pastrnak on the left facet. On the assault, Pastrnak flipped the puck within the air on a self-pass to his forehand. With the recovering Montreal defenders chasing Pastrnak, the famous person handed it again to Geekie (27) for the open-net equalizer at 9:46.
The impasse didn’t final lengthy. Pastrnak was masking on protection on a Montreal dump-in, slipped down and obtained up in time to intrude with Jake Evans. And Caufield scored from nearly the identical spot he scored his second aim. This time it regarded like Swayman had the whole lot coated besides the smallest of slots by his ear. Caufield discovered it and he had a hat trick at 13:29 of the second.
Then got here a serious scare. Nikita Zadorov had simply pushed the puck up alongside the boards and Zach Bolduc completed his verify on him. Zadorov went airborne and when he got here down, the blade of is correct skate planted and with most of his 255 kilos coming down, the knee torqued in a regarding manner. Zadorov stayed down on the ice and wanted some help as he skated ever so gingerly off the ice.
However when the third interval started, Zadorov was surprisingly again on the ice. He gutted it out however labored. Time will inform if it lingers.
“I used to be really actually stunned when our coach got here and stated ‘Yeah, he’s going to attempt it,’” stated Sturm. “It exhibits loads, too, that he got here again and he was not one hundred pc. I feel we might all see that. However he was on the market and battling arduous for the blokes.”
The Zadorov return proved to be inspirational.
With the Habs within the lead — safety mode slightly too early — the B’s stored at it within the third till they tied it with 6:05 remaining in regulation. Minten’s move supposed for a speeding Geekie down the slot didn’t join, however Minten (13) adopted it up and beat Montembeault on a backhander.
Then, after Alexandre Texier took a holding penalty on Tanner Jeannot off the following faceoff, the B’s took their first lead of the sport with 5:50 left — although solely Geekie knew it at first. The sniper, who had been so chilly for thus lengthy, ripped a slap shot that was such a bullet that nobody noticed it go previous Montembeault. Everybody assumed it deflected out of play, everybody besides Geekie, who skated down and pointed to the place it was lodged behind the digicam within the web. Fairly a technique to rating the a hundredth aim of your profession.
“I actually thought the goalie had it beneath his pads,” stated Pastrnak.
Nope, it was within the web. And abruptly, the B’s had a result in defend.
The Habs pulled Montembeault with 2:02 left in regulation and, although the B’s iced the puck twice, they gained battle after battle to nail down the 2 factors and deny the Habs any.
