Recap: Bruins tie it late but lose to Ottawa in via shootout, 3-2

Canadian Tire Centre continues to be the Bruins’ 2022-2023 kryptonite, as the B’s were dealt their second loss in two tries in Ottawa, this time 3-2 in a shootout.

The B’s got a late third period goal from Pavel Zacha to tie the game, but went 0-for-3 in the shootout after a chaotic overtime.

The game was scoreless after one, then Patrice Bergeron appeared to give the Bruins the lead early in the second, only to have the goal wiped off the board by a successful Ottawa challenge.

The Sens would take the lead on the power play a few minutes later, courtesy of Tim Stutzle. 1-0 Ottawa

Jake DeBrusk evened up the score two minutes later, following his own shot and beating Cam Talbot to make it a 1-1 game.

Alex DeBrincat gave Ottawa the lead again just two minutes after that, beating Jeremy Swayman with a nice move to make it 2-1 Ottawa.

After the Bruins poured on the pressure in the third, Zacha eventually cashed in with a nice, one-motion “collect and shoot” to beat Talbot and make it a 2-2 game with just three and a half minutes left.

The teams traded chances in overtime, with Swayman in particular making two or three big stops.

It went to the shootout, where DeBrincat beat Swayman again — this ended up being the only goal by either side.

The hometown fans left happy, with Ottawa winning, 3-2 final.

Game notes

• Talbot deserves a lot of credit for this one, making a whopping 49 saves — including a perfect ten for ten on the power play. Per Natural Stat Trick, the Bruins had an xGF of 2.3 in the third period with six high-danger chances, but Talbot allowed just the one goal.
• Another game where we can be grateful that the NHL is cracking down on the scourge of millimeter offside goals.
• Nice to see Pavel Zacha break his scoring drought. The goal was Zacha’s first since November 13, which isn’t great; however, it’s worth noting that Zacha had 11 assists during the drought. He’s been playing fine, so getting a goal on the board is a nice bonus.
• Swayman probably deserved a better result, particularly after an overtime where he had to stop more than one grade-A Ottawa chance.
• Hampus Lindholm had an assist on Zacha’s goal, his 21st assist of the season. Lindholm’s career high in assists is 27, set back in his second season. Barring a disastrous injury, Lindholm will easily surpass his previous high-water mark offensively (34 points).

The B’s are back at it tomorrow night in New Jersey. Yes, again.