Recap: Bruins drop to Kings, 3-2, in OT

The Boston Bruins fell 3-2 in overtime to the Los Angeles Kings tonight at the TD Garden, after the B’s allowed yet another late goal in the game’s final minute.

The Bruins controlled most of the game offensively, but the Kings rallied and won possession with less than 30 seconds in regulation to tie things up and shift momentum to their favor in overtime where they ultimately capitalized on a breakaway.

The B’s started off strong and kept offensive-zone possession for most of the first period. They outshot the Kings 11-4 through 15 minutes and limited LA to the outside. It took the Bruins nearly that long, however, to break through on Cal Petersen despite solid efforts all around.

Trent Frederic put the Bruins up 1-0 as Charlie Coyle found his winger in the slot.

But the Kings added a quick goal a minute later from Blake Lizotte to even the score at 1-1 and put LA on the offensive to close out the period.

The Kings continued to carry the play in the second period. They gained some traction down the middle. Linus Ullmark made a timely glove save against Adrian Kempe with the Kings pressing.

But a strong Bruins’ penalty kill boosted the game for the B’s as Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron dominated the Kings’ power play.

After eight minutes of continuous back-and-forth play paced by stronger B’s breakouts and physicality, the third line regained the Bruins’ lead. Another good read from Coyle to find Craig Smith made it a 2-1 game with less than a minute to go in the second period.

Throughout the third period, the Bruins continued to have better puck work, especially along the boards. Their forecheck broke up LA set-ups and the B’s defense kept lengthier offensive-zone possession with sounder puck movement.

Things were trending towards another W for the Black and Gold, but the Kings rallied in the final minutes.

With Petersen pulled and the extra attacker out, the Kings won a crucial o-zone face-off back to their defense. The Bruins’ defense lost their position on Trevor Moore and a deflected shot found his stick at the top of the crease, making it a 2-2 tie with 26 seconds left in regulation.

The Kings were the better team in overtime. Jake DeBrusk and Mike Reilly gave the B’s two chances and Ullmark made another crucial save on Anze Kopitar. But a turnover led to Andreas Athanasiou scoring on a breakaway to give the Kings the 3-2 OT win.

Overall, the Bruins played well and that’s the most disappointing part of the night. They were the better team, but in the final seconds, they couldn’t hold onto the lead and only picked up one point on the night.

The Bruins are back in action on Thursday March 10 at the TD Garden against the Chicago Blackhawks. Puck drops at 7 pm.

Here’s a look at the goals:

First period:

The Bruins opened the scoring at 14:02 of the first period.

Coyle picked up the loose puck from Smith’s attempt and found Frederic in the slot for a quick shot over Petersen’s glove. 1-0 Bruins.

The Kings quickly bounced back at 15:11 of the first period.

Olli Maatta threw a pass out front which David Pastrnak failed to clear. Lizotte picked up the puck out front for an in-close shot through Ullmark’s legs. 1-1 game.

Second period:

The Bruins extended their lead at 19:05 of the second period.

Coyle collected the puck along the boards and found Smith in the slot for a wrist shot over Petersen’s blocker. 2-1 Bruins.

Third period:

The Kings tied the game at 19:34 of the third period.

With a face-off win, Arthur Kaliyev’s shot deflected out to Moore at the top of the crease where he put a quick shot past Ullmark’s stick. 2-2 game.

Overtime:

After a turnover by Coyle, Athanasiou beat Charlie McAvoy at the blue line and down the center lane for a breakaway on Ullmark, ending the game with a wrist shot over his blocker. Final score: 3-2 Kings.