Recap: Bruins blow three-goal lead, fall to Penguins 4-3 in Pittsburgh

The Bruins had a heck of a first period but that was about it this afternoon, as the black and gold gave up four unanswered goals to the Penguins, to lose the game, 4-3, in Pittsburgh.

Thursday night might have started by a quick goal from Sidney Crosby, but Patrice Bergeron one-upped that to put the Bruins on top 11 seconds into the game. David Pastrnak was looking for Brad Marchand skating down the center, but the pass continued to go pass Marchand’s stick to find Bergeron crashing the net where he put the puck past Matt Murray’s glove.

Anders Bjork gave the team a 2-0 lead less than two minutes later on a 3-on-2 play when Charlie Coyle found him in the high slot for a wrister past Murray’s glove at 2:02.

Pastrnak notched No. 37, courtesy of Pens’ defenseman Jack Johnson at 15:07 of the first period. Marchand passed to Pastrnak who carried the puck behind the net before pivoting at the low right-wing circle where he threw the puck to the front of the net for a beautiful pass to Johnson…I mean accidental deflection through Murray’s five-hole, to make the score, 3-0.

The Penguins answered back and got on the board at 16:34 of the first. Sidney Crosby shielded the puck from John Moore behind Jaroslav Halak to find Dominik Simon at a hard angle along the right goal line, where he picked the opposite top shelf corner in his one-timer past Halak.

The Penguins responded fast in the second period to make it a one-goal game just 33 seconds in. Kris Letang found Crosby, who between his legs, made a backhanded pass to fresh-out-of-the box Teddy Blueger for a low goal past Halak, to make the score, 3-2.

The second period was dominated by the Penguins and the Bruins were lucky to come out of it with a one-goal lead. Halak kept the team in the game during this frame, as most of the play was in the defensive zone.

The third period started off with more of the same from the previous 20 minutes with Pittsburgh carrying the play. Johnson added a real goal of his own, with a shorthanded goal at 11:41 of the third to tie the game at 3-3. On a 3-on-2, Johnson received a pass from Brandon Tanev at the top of the left-wing circle for a slapshot past Halak’s stick.

Bryan Rust capped of a comeback win for the Penguins in the third period. Malkin won the puck behind the net from McAvoy and fed it to Rust for a one-timer from the low left-wing circle to go top-shelf over Halak’s stick, for a final score of 4-3.

The Bruins return home on Tuesday to face-off against the Vegas Golden Knights in their last game before the All-Star break.