Bruins finish trip with a 3-2 OT loss to Stars

Steve Conroy, Boston Herald on Oct 20, 2026

Published in Hockey

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The Boston Bruins got the start they desired in Dallas on Tuesday, but this time their finish was lacking.

Looking for the sweep of their four-game road trip, the B’s lost two one-goal leads and went 0 for 4 on the power play before bowing to the Stars 3-2 in overtime on Mikko Rantanen’s third goal of the game, coming on the power play.

The B’s got initial control of the puck in OT but things went haywire when David Pastrnak turned over the puck at the Dallas blue line. Jeremy Swayman (22 saves) stopped Wyatt Johnston on a clean breakaway and then on a second clean break-in. But after Pavel Zacha had to take a slashing penalty, Rantanen finally lifted a backhander over Swayman for the winner.

It was a frustrating loss for the B’s, but seven out of a possible eight points isn’t bad.

Coach Marco Sturm spoke before the game about having better starts than they had been putting forth recently. They needed to shake off bad first periods to notch wins in Anaheim and Los Angeles.

Sturm got what he wanted.

The B’s got on the board just 2:09 into the game on Matt Poitras’ fourth goal of the young season. Mason Lohrei used his long reach to keep in a Miro Heiskanen clear attempt at the blue line. His golf chip went to Tanner Jeannot, who in turn passed it to Frederic Brunet on the right side. Surveying the ice quickly from his off side, Brunet found Poitras in the slot and the young centerman ripped a one-timer past Jake Oettinger.

The B’s had a couple of good chances to extend the lead in the first. Morgan Geekie just missed the net on a backhander and, later, it appeared that James Hagens had Oettinger flat-footed at the top of the crease but the Dallas netminder made a pad stop on the rookie’s backhander.

The Stars didn’t have much going until Jeannot was called for roughing Radek Faksa with 1:33 left in the period. The Stars peppered Swayman with a handful of shots on the advantage – the toughest one a Johnston slot shot that his Swayman in the mask – but the B’s got to the locker room still up, 1-0.

The B’s showed their commitment to details in the first, blocking 11 shots in the first.

But they could not hold the lead for long in the second as the Stars tied it up at 2:50 in the second off a turnover. Fraser Minten could not handle Lohrei’s breakout pass and Rantanen pounced. Swayman made the initial save on Rantanen’s and appeared ready to smother the rebound. But Jason Robertson sneaked in to poke the loose puck away and Rantanen tapped it home.

But the B’s got it back at 7:30. Nikita Zadorov, back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch on Saturday, moved the puck quickly up ice from his own blue line to Casey Mittelstadt. The wing gained the zone and circled behind the net while Hagens went to the net. Mittelstadt centered it and, after getting stick position on Heiskanen at the top of the crease, the rookie deflected it home for his third of the year.

The B’s first two power plays were anemic, producing zero shots. Their third one at the end of the second period looked much better but Oettinger came up big, making four quality saves as the Stars got to the second intermission down by just a goal.

The B’s went into the third period having outscored their opponents, 16-5, in the final period, but this third would not be one of their better ones.

Almost immediately at the start of the third period, the B’s got their fourth PP and yet again they failed to extend the lead.

The B’s had to come up with a big kill when Charlie McAvoy was called for tripping Roope Hintz. They gave the Stars very little on the advantage and maintained the slim lead.

But with 6:22 left in regulation, Rantanen tied it up. Rantanen had been controlling the shift below the goal line and it came out to Hintz in the slot. Hintz’ shot hit McAvoy in the shin pad and the rebound bounced directly to Rantanen, who had an empty net at which to shoot. He didn’t miss.

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