The Anaheim Ducks (4-3) suffered a 4-2 defeat to the Boston Bruins (6-2) on Friday night, despite holding a two-goal lead after the first period. The Bruins mounted a comeback, scoring four unanswered goals to secure their sixth win of the season.
The game's scoring opened late in the first period. After an early power play opportunity for Anaheim went unfulfilled following a tripping call against Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov at 1:14, the Ducks broke the scoreless tie at 19:22. Forward Tim Washe scored from a deep shot, assisted by defensemen Jackson LaCombe and Tristan Luneau, giving Anaheim a 1-0 lead. Just 21 seconds later, at 19:43, the Ducks extended their lead to 2-0 with a tip-in goal from forward Beckett Sennecke, assisted by forwards Nikita Nesterenko and Cutter Gauthier. These rapid scores sent the Ducks into the first intermission with a solid two-goal advantage.
The second period saw the Bruins begin their comeback. At 1:34, Ducks defenseman Tyson Hinds was called for holding, giving Boston a power play. The Bruins capitalized on this opportunity, cutting the deficit to 2-1 at 3:15 with a goal from defenseman Frederic Brunet, his first NHL goal. Brunet's score was assisted by forward James Hagens and forward Pavel Zacha. Prior to this goal, Anaheim boasted a 90.5 penalty kill percentage, which was the fourth-highest in the league.
Throughout the remainder of the second period, the Ducks had two additional chances on the power play but could not convert. The first came at 9:24 after Bruins defenseman Will Borgen was penalized for tripping. Later, at 19:00, Zadorov was again sent to the box for elbowing, and also received a minor roughing penalty, resulting in back-to-back power play attempts for the Ducks. However, the Bruins successfully killed off both penalties, maintaining their one-goal deficit heading into the final period.
The third period saw Boston complete their turnaround. Forty seconds of the Ducks' prior power play were negated when Ducks forward Roger McQueen was called for interference at 2:22. Once the Bruins returned to full strength and then went on a power play of their own, forward David Pastrnak tied the game at 2-2 at 3:26 with his third goal of the season, assisted by Zacha and forward Elias Lindholm. This goal also marked Pastrnak's 423rd career goal, giving him sole possession of fourth place for all-time Bruins goals, surpassing former Bruin Brad Marchand.
Minutes later, the Ducks faced another penalty as forward Nikita Klepov was called for hooking at 7:34. The Bruins once again took advantage of the power play, with Elias Lindholm scoring at 8:18 to give Boston their first lead of the night at 3-2. Lindholm's goal was assisted by Zacha and forward Morgan Geekie. Forward Matthew Poitras then extended the Bruins' lead to 4-2 at 16:20 with his third goal of the season, assisted by Hagens. Poitras' goal cemented the game for the Bruins, as the Ducks were unable to score for the remainder of regulation.
The Bruins are scheduled to travel to Los Angeles, California, to face the Los Angeles Kings (0-3-2) on Saturday night.
