Just when it looked like the Bruins would be foiled by Nipawin Hawks goalie Taran Kozun, they scored twice simply by throwing the puck on net, en route to a 3-2 overtime win over the Hawks on Friday at Spectra Place.
Only 57 seconds into the overtime period, Zach MacLellan carried the puck deep down the left wing, then saucered the puck at the net and it went off Dylan Smith's stick and in for the winner.
The Bruins had tied it up with 1:18 left in regulation when Matt Brykaliuk threw it out front. Smith and Calder Neufeld both whacked at it, and Neufeld put it in for his second of the night.
After a scoreless first period, Wheaton King opened the scoring at 10:11 of the second on a power play. Dominic Perrault dropped to his knees in the slot to try to block King's centering pass, and it went off Perrault's leg past Tyler Ross.
Neufeld countered about two minutes later when a Tyler Poskus shot took a crazy hop off the end boards and landed right on his tape in the slot.
Then just 1:26 after the Neufeld goal, Darius Cole showed off great hand-eye coordination. He was sprung for a break, but had to tip the puck to himself in mid-air, then ripped a shot that went off Ross' glove and in. The 2-1 score would stand until late in the third.
The Bruins had some great chances in the third - at one point they thought they'd scored twice on the same power play - but Kozun made some huge saves and for my money was the first star of the game.
For most of the game it seemed like the Bruins were trying to manufacture the perfect play instead of just getting bodies in front and putting the puck on net. They had a lengthy 5-on-3 in the first period where no one wanted to shoot - although they did kill off a long two-man advantage with about eight minutes left in the third that seemed to shift the momentum of the game.
The Bruins did a great job of keeping plays alive by holding the puck in at the point by whatever means necessary. For the second straight game, MacLellan showed lots of poise and an extremely low panic threshold with the puck. If he continues to play like this, he's going to be absolutely huge down the stretch and into the playoffs. He could be the steal of the trade deadline.
Post-game with Keith Cassidy and Calder Neufeld:
