Reilly Smith scored in the fifth round of the shootout as the visiting Vegas Golden Knights held off the Boston Bruins for a 4-3 win on Monday night, ending the Bruins’ historic home win streak.
Boston was 14-0-0 on home ice this season — the longest home winning streak to begin a season in NHL history — before former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy’s club took two points.
Logan Thompson backstopped Vegas, making 40 saves before going a perfect 5-for-5 in the shootout (though two Bruins didn’t put their shootout attempts on target).
Vegas’ Paul Cotter doubled his season output by scoring two goals while skating on the top line in the absence of Massachusetts native Jack Eichel (lower-body injury).
Cotter is just the third rookie in Golden Knights history to record a multi-goal game.
Jonathan Marchessault also scored and Shea Theodore logged two assists for Vegas, which was 2-3-0 in its previous five games.
The hosts had a 43-24 shots advantage through 65 minutes, including 6-1 in overtime and 15-6 in the second period.
Boston climbed out of a 3-0 hole to force extra time. Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak scored in the second period and Taylor Hall netted the tying goal at 3:08 of the third.
Marchand finished with a goal and an assist for the Bruins, who were 10-1-0 over their past 11.
Jeremy Swayman made 21 saves.
Just 1:36 into the game, Vegas buried the first shot for either team as William Karlsson found a wide-open Cotter for the goal in the left circle.
The Golden Knights became just the fourth team to score first against the Bruins since their season-opening home win streak began. Vegas leads the NHL with 33 first-period goals.
A Pastrnak turnover led to the visitors doubling their lead at 5:04. Marchessault corralled his own rebound and beat Swayman from below the right circle for an unassisted goal.
The Vegas lead ballooned to 3-0 when Mark Stone dropped the puck for Cotter for a wrist shot goal from the high slot 51 seconds into the second.
Marchand’s tap-in at the left post following a Patrice Bergeron feed got the Bruins on the scoreboard with 6:14 left in the middle stanza.
With just 24.4 seconds until the second intermission, the Bruins made it 3-2 as Pastrnak spun off the wall and slipped a shot through Thompson.
Two penalties earned Boston 1:35 of five-on-three power play time early in the third, and Hall’s follow-up for his own rebound at the 3:08 mark tied the score.
–Field Level Media
