Bruins cough up late goal, lose 4-3 to Ducks

Steve Conroy, Boston Herald on Nov 20, 2025

Published in Hockey

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Silver linings are not cutting it for the Bruins anymore.

Once more, the B’s fought back from a two-goal deficit to start the game and then a one-goal deficit in the third period on Wednesday against the Ducks in Anaheim. But as has happened far too often this season, the depleted B’s failed to get anything out of their otherwise admirable effort, giving up the game-winning goal with 3:35 left in the game and lost to the Ducks, 4-3.

After Ian Moore’s screen shot beat Joonas Korpisalo for what would be the GWG, the B’s threw heavy pressure on goalie Lukas Dostal but he held it down for the Ducks.

The B’s have simply left too many points on the table this season. They are now 12-10 and they’ve allowed the game-winning goal in the final 10 minutes of the third period five times.

The Bruins played a very good first period, outshooting the Ducks 18-11, but found themselves in an early hole 2-0 when they gave up a pair of goals in a four minute span.

Jansen Harkins got Anaheim on the board at 2:29. Ross Johnston threw a bad angle shot on Korpisalo that produced a rebound. Hampus Lindholm, who had his stick broken earlier in the shift, could not tie up Harkins and the fourth liner poked it home.

The B’s immediately pushed back, but goalie Dostal was excellent in keeping the B’s off the board. And at 6:29, Radko Gudas’ slapper deflected off Fraser Minten and past Korpisalo.

After killing an Anaheim penalty, the B’s got a chance of their own on the man advantage and they capitalized at 14:58. Lindholm wristed the puck toward the net and Morgan Geekie got his 13th of the year on a high tip that was just under the crossbar. The puck had rested on Dostal’s pad for instant as Matej Blumel hacked it before going in. Blumel originally thought it was his goal but it didn’t appear that he touched the puck.

Dostal made numerous Grade A stops but none were better than late in the period when Alex Steeves and Nikita Zadorov broke out on a 2-on-0. Steeves dished to Zadorov but Dostal was able to get over in time to make the good positional save.

The B’s dominated the early going in the second period but it looked like the Ducks had regained their two-goal lead at 8:56 when Mason McTavish came from behind the net to tuck by a flailing Korpisalo. But the goal was quickly washed out for incidental contact that McTavish had made with Korpisalo to put the net minder on his backside.

But that disallowed goal seemed to energize Anaheim and the Ducks would get it to 3-1, in maddening fashion.

Mason Lohrei took a tripping penalty and the B’s had done a decent job of killing it off. But with two seconds left on the kill, the Ducks struck. After the B’s could not get the puck out, McTavish set pass down low for Ryan Strome, who scored on a pretty tip from the side of the crease at 13:47.

The B’s, however, got one back with 1:33 left in the period. After Nikita Zadorov’s end-to-end rush did not bear fruit but he recovered in time to retrieve a puck high in his own zone and caught the Ducks in a change with a quick pass to Mikey Eyssimont at the Anaheim blue line. It looked like he was going to have an odd-man rush, but that got caught cut off. Eyssimont waited for the recovering Anaheim defender to go and give him a shooting lane. He picked his spot and buried his fifth of the year under Dostal’s glove.

The B’s held a 30-20 shot advantage through two periods, but they were still playing catch-up going into the third.

There was some tension early in the third when Gudas delivered a dangerous hit on Eyssimont’s knee. Jeffrey Viel immediately went after Gudas, who covered up while Viel threw a couple of shots. Gudas ultimately slammed Viel onto the ice, after banging his head on the ice, Viel was clearly wobbled. He headed to the room and was tagged with the full 2-5-10 for instigating.

The B’s, who did not like anything about that exchange, killed that minor off and got a power play of their own at 7:31 when Harkins crosschecked David Pastrnak.

It took them eight seconds to tie it up. Geekie picked up his 14th goal when he tipped a Pastrnak shot past Dostal.

Then things got a bit wild, with both goalies making excellent saves to keep the game. First Dostal robbed Geekie of his hat trick bid with a great arm and then the Ducks poured on the pressure. Korpisalo had to make great stops on McTavish and Frank Vatrano to keep the score even.

But the ice was tilting the wrong way and the Ducks regained the lead with 3:35 left in the third. With Alex Steeves battling Chris Kreider in front, Moore’s long distance shot got through Steeves’ block attempt and through Korpisalo for the winner.

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