Jonathan Marchesseault and Ryan O’Reilly scored back-to-back goals in a 1:03 span in the third period to propel the visiting Nashville Predators past the Boston Bruins 6-3 on Tuesday.
O’Reilly capped a two-goal, one-assist performance, following up Marchesseault’s eventual game-winning goal with 11:32 left in regulation.
Steven Stamkos (one goal, two assists) also had three points, Tommy Novak and Mark Jankowski also scored, and Luke Evangelista had two assists for Nashville, which had lost four of five and won just six of its first 30 road games (now 7-20-4).
Juuse Saros made 18 saves for Nashville.
Charlie Coyle, Jordan Oesterle and Morgan Geekie scored, David Pastrnak had two assists, and Jeremy Swayman stopped 24 shots for the Bruins, who are 1-5-2 in their last eight.
The see-saw game saw Nashville lead 2-1 after one period and 3-2 after two before going ahead for good.
Boston drew back even at 3-3 as Geekie reached the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career with 14:25 left. Off a sustained shift, Pavel Zacha fired a pass out of the corner to Geekie who slammed home a shot from below the left circle.
On the winner, Marchesseault beat Swayman from close range after receiving a backhand pass from Michael McCarron.
The visitors doubled their lead for the first time when O’Reilly netted his second goal. After Luke Evangelista picked up a loose puck at center and fed Stamkos on the wing, O’Reilly got the puck in the middle and scored coming down the slot.
Jankowski added an empty-netter with 2:08 left.
Coyle opened the scoring for the Bruins 4:25 in, crashing to corral an Elias Lindholm wraparound attempt and slotting it home at the top of the crease.
Nashville turned the period around from there, with Novak scoring an unassisted tying goal just 1:07 later. He capitalized on Zacha’s turnover and beat Swayman with a wrist shot from the right circle.
O’Reilly put the Predators in front at 11:33, finishing off a tic-tac-toe passing sequence with Evangelista and Stamkos with a quick snap shot at the left crease.
In the middle frame, Oesterle brought the Bruins back into a tie game when his pass deflected off a defenseman and past the left skate of Saros at 5:08.
Again, the tie was short-lived. At 6:25, O’Reilly picked a puck off the side boards and sent a cross-ice pass to Stamkos, who fired a one-timer from the left circle to give the Predators a 3-2 lead.
–Field Level Media
