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.
Paul Cotter doubled his season output with 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 last 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 5-on-3 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