The visiting Boston Bruins finished the first period with three consecutive goals and never looked back in a convincing 6-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.
Pavel Zacha tallied twice and Elias Lindholm had the eventual game-winner to lead Boston to its third victory in a row. Morgan Geekie logged a goal and an assist for the Bruins. Mark Kastelic and Fraser Minten also lit the lamp, and David Pastrnak and JJ Peterka both dished out two helpers.
Boston backup goaltender Michael DiPietro earned his fourth victory in five outings, needing to make only 16 saves.
Justin Brazeau and Nick Robertson scored for Pittsburgh, which has lost four straight (0-3-1). Kaedan Korczak assisted on both goals.
Arturs Silovs allowed six goals on 24 shots in the Penguins’ net.
After being held without a shot nearly halfway through the first period, Pittsburgh netted its first to take a 1-0 lead at 9:04. Korczak fired the puck from the blue line down off the end wall, where Hendrix Lapierre picked up the carom and set up Brazeau in the right circle for a one-timer goal.
Boston’s top line connected for the tying goal three minutes later. Peterka knocked down a bouncing puck between his legs to Pastrnak, who slipped a saucer feed that Zacha buried high on Silovs.
Kastelic gave the Bruins their first lead with 4:56 remaining in the first, gliding backwards in the slot to tip in Frederic Brunet’s point shot.
The visitors made it 3-1 with 1:03 left before intermission. Lindholm picked off Erik Karlsson’s attempted clear and moved to the net to score past an outstretched Silovs.
Robertson brought Pittsburgh back within one at 7:57 of the middle period. While stationed out front, the Penguins’ top goal-scorer redirected a Korczak point shot through DiPietro’s five-hole for his seventh of the season.
Two goals in less than three minutes moved the Bruins into a 5-2 lead through two periods, beginning with Zacha scoring off Peterka’s aerial pass in transition at the 14:24 mark.
Geekie capped off the frame by tallying his third goal in three games with 3:03 left in the second. He created space after gloving down Hampus Lindholm’s feed from the defensive zone and scored high on Silovs.
In the third, Minten scored Boston’s sixth goal at 8:39. He received a stretch feed from Geekie and rushed down the right side with Peterka. Minten kept the puck all the way and lasered a shot past Silovs on the blocker side.
Bruins rookie James Hagens left the game in the third period after taking a cross-check in the back from Pittsburgh’s Samuel Girard. There was no update on Hagens’ status before the end of the game.