Bruins score four straight goals, stun Ducks, 4-2

Steve Conroy, Boston Herald on Oct 17, 2026

Published in Hockey

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The Boston Bruins were not ready to start the game against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. They were, however, prepared to finish it.

The B’s played a terrible first period and spotted the Ducks two first period goals in 21 seconds before they stormed back to score four straight goals to capture a 4-2 victory.

The B’s went 3-for-4 on the power play and 5-for-5 on the penalty kill while Michael DiPietro made 25 saves to record his first NHL win.

The B’s got goals from Frederic Brunet, David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm and Matt Poitras to capture the victory.

They have now earned at least a split on their four-game road trip.

It didn’t look like that was going to be the result on this night.

The Bruins’ season-long issue of stalled breakouts and turning over the puck in their own zone continued in the first period. But thanks to the netminding of Michael DiPietro, who made several high-quality saves in the opening period, it looked like they might escape to the first intermission having survived the barrage.

They did not.

The Ducks gashed them for two goals in the final 38 seconds of the period. The first one came on a harmless-looking shot from the left point. Tim Washe just threw the puck toward the net along the ice and, with a battle going on in front, the puck got through DiPietro, most likely screened.

That was bad enough, but they couldn’t limit the damage to one goal. On the next shift, the Ducks showed of some wizardry in the offensive zone. Former Boston College star Cutter Gauthier started it with a pass to Nikita Nesterenko, who in turn sent it down low to Beckett Sennecke for a pretty redirect and a 2-0 Anaheim lead that was well-deserved.

The Ducks held a 14-7 shot-on-net advantage but a gaudy 28-11 total shot edge. It was total domination.

The B’s got their heads into the game early in the second period when they were given their first power play. It had a nearly disastrous start when Charlie McAvoy whiffed on a shot out high and Nesterenko took off on a clean breakaway, but he fumbled his chance and did not get a shot off.

As the PP was winding down, Pastrnak kept a puck from rimming around the boards and James Hagens fed it out high to Frederic Brunet. It was a bouncing pass, but Brunet did a great job of keeping the puck in at the line and quickly fired it to the net. Pastrnak was in front, but it eluded his stick and sneaked by Lukas Dostal for Brunet’s first NHL goal at 3:15. Brunet was the 16h Bruin to find the back of the net this season.

While Anaheim still controlled more of the play in the second, it wasn’t quite as lopsided as the first. But they would create a challenge for themselves for the third period. With 59 seconds left in the second, Nikita Zadorov was called for elbowing on Frank Vatrano, which was a dubious call. But then Zadorov shoved Vatrano to the ice for a well-earned roughing penalty for two minors.

It did not lead to the calamity that it could have.

The B’s managed to kill the first one off and, with 40 seconds left in the second minor, Ducks rookie Roger McQueen was called for interference.

The B’s then tied it up at 3:26 of the third when they went on the PP. Operating in tight quarters in the mid-slot, Pastrnak passed it to Lindholm, who gave it right back to Pastrnak. The captain managed to one-time a backhander that beat Dostal and, improbably, the game was even.

The B’s then took lead at 8:18 on the PP after Poitras drew a penalty. The first PP unit did a great job winning battles all over the offensive zone until Pavel Zacha fed Lindholm for a tap-in at the top of the crease.

Morgan Geekie was called for a hook on a backcheck in the neutral zone but they killed it off and then the B’s got a glimpse-of-the-future insurance goal with 3:40 left in regulation. Poitras broke out of the defensive zone with Hagens for a 2-on1. He pushed it to Hagens, who gained the zone and then fed it back to Poitras for nice backhander to make it 4-2.

That all but ended it and the B’s had another good two-point night.