BOSTON (AP) — David Pastrnak scored the tiebreaking goal with 5:49 left in the third period and the Boston Bruins beat the New Jersey Devils 5-3 on Tuesday night.
Curtis Lazar had a goal and an assist, Oskar Steen scored his first career goal and the Bruins won their third straight since returning to the ice after they had six consecutive games postponed because of COVID-19.
Trent Frederic also scored for Boston, and Brandon Carlo sealed it on a goal with 23 seconds to play. Linus Ullmark finished with 23 saves for the Bruins, who ended New Jersey's three-game winning streak.
Nathan Bastian, Tomas Tatar and Damon Severson scored for the Devils.
Mackenzie Blackwood made 29 saves for New Jersey, which rallied from deficits of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 to tie it but could not answer after Pastrnak scored from the slot for his ninth of the season.
Just 20 seconds after Bastian scored on a breakaway in the opening minute of the second period, a pair of unlucky bounces for the Devils put Boston back up 2-1 when a shot by Nick Foligno bounced off Blackwood’s right shoulder and landed on top of the net. Steen reached under the crossbar with his stick and tapped the puck, which bounced off Blackwood’s other shoulder and in for a goal.
Another bounce put Boston up 3-2 late in the second when Lazar forced a turnover deep in New Jersey’s zone and Frederic took a backhand from behind the goal line and banked the puck off Blackwood’s hip.
New Jersey tied it 2-all when Tatar scored on a rebound after Jack Hughes put a backhand on Ullmark.
Severson tied it at 3 when he came out of the penalty box after serving a minor for holding the stick and took a long pass from Michael McLeod for a breakaway.
HAMILTON OUT
The Devils were without defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who is scheduled to have surgery on his broken jaw Wednesday. Hamilton, a first-round draft pick by the Bruins in 2011, took a puck to the face Sunday early in the Devils’ overtime win at Boston. New Jersey put Hamilton on injured reserve and did not give a timetable for his return.
NOTES: Steen, recalled from AHL Providence on Saturday, had three assists in four games before getting his first career goal in the second period. … Devils forward Andreas Johnson took a puck to the face with 8:41 left in the first period and needed a few minutes to get back on his skates. Johnson went straight to the locker room but was back on the bench a few minutes later. … Tatar was activated from the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list after missing three games. … Devils forwards Pavel Zacha and Yegor Sharangovich were placed on the protocol list Tuesday. … Devils G Jonathan Bernier underwent surgery on his right hip and will miss the remainder of the season. … Bruins C Karson Kuhlman remained on the protocol list.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
Bruins: Host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night.
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