Jake DeBrusk and Charlie Coyle scored on back-to-back shootout attempts as the Boston Bruins held off the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in Thursday night’s Atlantic Division clash.
Pavel Zacha and DeBrusk scored in regulation for Boston, which has gained points in every game this season with its 9-0-1 record.
Jeremy Swayman improved to 5-0-0, making 33 saves before stopping William Nylander and Auston Matthews in the shootout.
Boston finished with a 40-35 shot advantage.
Matthews scored and added an assist for Toronto, combining with Mitch Marner to erase the hosts’ 2-0 lead with two goals in a span of 1:03 in the second period.
Ilya Samsonov stopped 38 shots for the Maple Leafs, who are 0-2-1 in their last three games.
Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei recorded his first career point, assisting Zacha in the first period. The 25-year-old out of Ohio State was making his NHL debut, becoming the first Louisiana-born player to skate in an NHL game.
Boston buzzed in the later stages of the third and early in overtime, drawing an ultimately unsuccessful power play on Nylander’s hook 2:25 into the extra frame — shortly after a Morgan Rielly wrist shot clanked the crossbar behind Swayman.
However, the power play was unsuccessful, and Toronto forced a shootout after being held without an official shot in overtime.
Zacha’s third goal in as many games put the Bruins ahead with 1:09 left in the first, slotting home Brandon Carlo’s feed from the left wing through the slot. Danton Heinen’s diving effort sent the puck to Lohrei above the circle.
Boston needed only 1:36 of the middle frame to make its lead. On his first goal of the season, DeBrusk banged in the rebound of a Brad Marchand shot after beginning an exchange between the two in transition.
The Bruins’ lead evaporated with two quick-fire goals before the middle frame was even eight minutes old.
At 6:31, Marner’s third goal of the year brought the Leafs within 2-1 when he hopped off the bench for a feed from Matthews and slotted home a shot that changed directions on Swayman.
The tying goal at 7:34 belonged to Matthews, who one-timed Calle Jarnkrok’s feed out of the left corner from the inside of the circle for his eighth goal of the season.
With a secondary assist on Marner’s goal, Nylander’s franchise-record point streak to begin a season stands at 10 games.
Toronto defenseman Timothy Liljegren did not return after suffering a lower-body injury in a collision with Marchand in the first period.
–Field Level Media
