Boston 3, Minnesota 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Where: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Referees:
Brian Pochmara, Kyle Rehman
Linesmen:
John Grandt, Mark Shewchyk
Attendance:
18841
By SportsDirect Inc.
Bruins 3, Wild 2 (OT): Loui Eriksson scored 1:30 into overtime as visiting Boston snapped its three-game losing streak (0-1-2).
After losing three straight decisions 3-2, the Bruins finally put themselves on the positive side of the outcome with a rare victory over Minnesota. Carl Soderberg won a faceoff in the offensive end and captain Zdeno Chara skated out from behind the net before wiring a sharp centering feed to Eriksson, who tapped the puck home from in front to end the contest.
Soderberg ended a 15-game goalless drought and Patrice Bergeron added his first tally in 12 contests for Boston, which posted its third win in 11 contests (3-5-3). Eriksson also recorded an assist and Niklas Svedberg finished with 35 saves in his first start since Dec. 2.
Jason Pominville was credited with a tally and defenseman Ryan Suter notched an assist as both were playing in their respective 700th career games. Kyle Brodziak also scored to snap a 13-game goalless drought and Niklas Backstrom turned aside 22 shots for the Wild, who fell to 12-2-2 in the all-time series versus Boston.
Soderberg settled his own rebound and beat Backstrom 5:06 into the first period to open the scoring, but Brodziak answered 27 seconds later with a shot from the left faceoff circle for his first goal since Nov. 13. Bergeron's wrist shot from above the circle along the right-wing boards skipped wildly off the ice in front of Backstrom and inside the left post with 2:05 left in the first to give Boston a 2-1 lead before Suter's shot caromed off the heel of Pominville's right skate and past Svedberg 11:39 into the third.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Boston C David Krejci returned from an 11-game absence due to a lower-body injury, but his failure to clear the puck in his own zone directly led to Pominville's tally. ... Minnesota LW Erik Haula and C Brett Sutter each recorded their first assist of the season on Brodziak's goal. ... The Bruins failed on both of their power-play opportunities to drop to 1-for-26 in the last 14 contests. ... Twins LHP Glen Perkins was in attendance at Xcel Energy Center.
Top Game Performances
Boston |
|
Minnesota |
Loui Eriksson 2 |
Points |
Kyle Brodziak 1 |
Loui Eriksson 1 |
Goals |
Kyle Brodziak 1 |
Loui Eriksson 1 |
Assists |
Erik Haula 1 |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Niklas Svedberg .946 |
Save Percentage |
Niklas Backstrom .880 |
Niklas Svedberg 35 |
Saves |
Niklas Backstrom 22 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Boston
|
25 |
3 |
0-2 |
2-2 |
9 |
28 |
Minnesota
|
37 |
2 |
0-2 |
2-2 |
9 |
33 |
Upcoming Games
-
Minnesota will play their next game at home against Nashville. The Wild have a W/L % of .471 after a win and .615 after a loss.
-
Boston will play their next game on the road against Winnipeg. The Bruins have a W/L % of .467 after a win and .529 after a loss.