Pavel Zacha scored with 5.6 seconds left in overtime to propel the Boston Bruins past the visiting Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Thursday night.
Zacha stuffed home a loose rebound in front of the crease after Charlie McAvoy’s hard net drive for the deciding goal, sending Boston to its fifth consecutive win and avenging a 7-2 loss to its Atlantic Division rival on Oct. 27.
Sean Kuraly and Morgan Geekie also scored, Andrew Peeke had two assists, and Joonas Korpisalo made 20 saves for the Bruins.
Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist to lead Ottawa, which has gone four straight without a regulation win (1-1-2). Michael Amadio also scored his third goal in four games.
Senators goalie Linus Ullmark stopped 22 shots.
Boston led 25-22 in shots on goal. Neither side scored on the power play.
Boston forward Johnny Beecher was not on the bench to start the second period and did not return due to an upper-body injury.
Boston held a 9-2 shot advantage in the first, but trailed the game 1-0 after Amadio rushed down the right wing and buried Shane Pinto’s pass in transition for the opening tally at the 5:42 mark. The goal came on Ottawa’s first shot.
Geekie brought the visitors even just 1:22 into a physical middle frame. After Peeke’s drive from the right circle clanked off the far post, Geekie slotted the carom into the net for his team-leading 10th goal of the season.
Kuraly gave the Bruins their first lead with 3:57 left in the second, taking Tanner Jeannot’s perfect centering pass and burying a wrist shot while alone in the slot.
The visitors knotted the score with 8:08 left in regulation. Just as an Ottawa power play expired, Giroux slid down the left wing circle to sneak a shot through traffic and past Korpisalo.
Ullmark made one of his biggest stops inside the final five minutes, using his pad to deny Henri Jokiharju’s open wrist shot from close range.
Earlier in the 3-on-3 session, Korpisalo went post-to-post to take a shot away from Pinto. David Pastrnak’s odd-man chance with Geekie drew a slash with 41.9 seconds left, but the Boston power play was negated off the ensuing faceoff with Geekie taking a penalty.
–Field Level Media
