Taylor Hall flipped in a loose puck in the crease for the winning goal 1:41 into overtime to lift the Boston Bruins over the visiting Nashville Predators 4-3 on Saturday afternoon.
Hall’s goal was his eighth of the season and was assisted by David Pastrnak.
Brad Marchand netted his team-leading 20th goal and Craig Smith and Mike Reilly also scored for the Bruins, who picked up a season-best fifth straight victory and have won eight of their last nine games. Linus Ullmark made 26 saves in net for Boston.
Colton Sissons, Luke Kunin and Roman Josi each had a goal for the Predators. Juuse Saros stopped 40 of 44 shots for Nashville, which dropped its second straight game.
Nashville remains without star center and leading goal scorer Filip Forsberg, who missed his fourth straight game in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. Defensemen Mattias Ekholm (COVID protocol) and Ben Harper (healthy scratch) also sat out.
Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort returned after missing three games in COVID protocols. Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk and Connor Clifton remained sidelined in the protocol and center Trent Frederic was sidelined with an upper-body injury.
Boston’s Smith opened the scoring 3:20 into the first period after skating into the right circle and firing a wrist shot high glove-side to beat Saros.
Reilly doubled the Bruins’ advantage at the 7:37 mark. The uncontested defenseman took Erik Haula’s feed from the right circle and dragged the puck through the slot before beating Saros on a nifty backhand goal.
Sissons trimmed Nashville’s deficit to 2-1 at 14:30 after a failed clearing attempt by Boston. The center collected a loose puck in the left circle and skated into the slot before ripping a wrister past Ullmark low stick-side.
Kunin tied it at 2-2 at 7:32 of the second on a wrist shot from the top of the right circle through traffic that sailed past Ullmark’s stick-side.
Marchand’s power-play tally 3:50 into the third restored Boston’s lead at 3-2. The Bruins’ alternate captain skated into the right circle and beat Saros on a wrist shot at a tight angle high glove-side.
Less than three minutes later, Josi re-tied the game for the Preds on a low wrist shot from the high slot at the 6:26 mark.
–Field Level Media