The Boston Bruins are on fire. They currently lead the NHL standings because they came into Tuesday with only one loss on the season. They knew that things would be tough on Tuesday night, however, as they were on the road to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It certainly was tough as the things that have made the Penguins dangerous over the last decade and a half still make them dangerous. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are still the two-headed monster that dominates whoever they are playing.
Each of them scored a goal in this one, which always makes them even harder to beat. Malkin even made a highlight reel play which led to a goal from Rickard Rakell. They eventually had a 5-2 lead. The Bruins wouldn’t give up there though.
Patrice Bergeron appeared to get the Bruins within two goals but it was waved off after a review for goaltender interference. A lot of teams would come out of that review very deflated as they were still down three.
Not these Bruins. Brad Marchand, Pavel Zacha, and Taylor Hall all scored in regulation to get the Bruins and Penguins all squared up at five. Hall’s goal came with 1:17 to go in regulation. It would then go to overtime.
The Boston Bruins pulled out a big win in overtime thanks to Hampus Lindholm.
Yep, the Bruins would pull out the win in overtime, but there was some drama. Hampus Lindholm took a tripping penalty while defending Evgeni Malkin to give Pittsburgh a 4-on-3 power play. The Bruins killed it off and then the guilty Lindholm rifled home the overtime game-winning goal.
This was one of the most exciting games of the 2022-23 NHL season so far. It was a barn burner that had an amazing comeback and drama in overtime. Those are the types of games that make the NHL the best.
Lindholm has been everything the Bruins needed and more since he was acquired last year from the Anaheim Ducks. Not only did he score the overtime winner, but he also had three assists throughout the game. As a result, he earned the well-deserved First Star of the Game honor.
This has to be one of the most underrated trades made in the NHL over the last few years. The Bruins added a top-pair defenseman in this deal and now they are really seeing the rewards. They were good in 2021-22 but they didn’t score as much as they should have. It was a one-line team.
So far this year, with a few tweaks to their lineup, they have looked much better. Now, Lindholm has 11 points in 10 games which is second on the team only behind David Pastrnak (18 points).
If he can keep this going along with the rest of the scorers on the team, they will continue to dominate. It is about time that Lindholm gets the respect that he deserves after this breakout game because he is truly sensational.