BOSTON — In a thrilling matchup on Friday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins edged out the Boston Bruins with a close score of 2-1, thanks to a decisive goal from Philip Tomasino in the third period.
Tomasino netted his first goal of the season with just over 12 minutes left on the clock after the Bruins struggled to clear the puck, allowing the forward to make a play from the left circle. Prior to that, Rickard Rakell had tied the game for the Penguins with his ninth goal of the season just milliseconds before the end of the second period, executed on an assist from Sidney Crosby.
For the Bruins, Charlie Coyle found the back of the net early in the game, scoring just 1 minute and 24 seconds into the first period. This marked his fifth goal of the season and came as a result of a defensive lapse in the Penguins’ zone. The Bruins seemed poised to take a 1-0 lead into the third period, but Rakell’s timely equalizer prevented that.
In terms of performance, Tomasino, who has recently joined the Penguins after a trade from Nashville, made a notable impact during his second game with the team, registering six shots on goal. Meanwhile, Boston’s Jeremy Swayman turned away 34 shots to keep them in the game. The Bruins’ power play struggled, going 0 for 3 on the night.
A critical moment occurred with eight minutes remaining in the game when Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang made a remarkable defensive play, stopping Coyle from scoring with a wide-open net in front of him.
Looking at the numbers, Crosby’s impressive season continues as he tallied his 15th assist, adding to his eight goals across 25 games this season. His current pace ties him with Wayne Gretzky for the most point-per-game seasons in NHL history, both boasting 19 such seasons.
The Penguins will next return home to take on the Calgary Flames, while the Bruins will be preparing to face the Montreal Canadiens in their upcoming game.