The Boston Bruins are now riding a season-high seven game winning streak after a 3-2 overtime shoot-out victory against the Las Vegas Knights in Nevada.
Jake DeBrusk continues his hot streak as well, now having scored in five straight games, including a nifty spin-o-rama wrister to get the Bruins on the board first last night.
Brad Marchand also tallied for Boston, his 24th of the season, but ex-Bruin Reilly Smith got one for Vegas and Nate Schmidt did as well, so to overtime it went and then into the shoot-out, which went through six rounds before David Backes scored the game winner for Boston, beating Marc Andre-Fluery with a low wrist shot, glove side.
The Bruins have won four of their first five games during this west coast road swing to keep the winning streak alive, and haven't lost in regulation since a setback against the NY Rangers on January 19th. They've also increased their lead over Toronto for second place in the Atlantic division to two games.
Still, general manager Don Sweeney is trying to improve the team for a playoff push, and to that end he made a trade yesterday, sending Ryan Donato and a fifth round draft pick to the Minnesota Wild for center Charlie Coyle, a 26-year old Massachusetts native.
Like the now-traded Donato, Coyle had a sensational rookie year, but has seen his point totals decrease each year since. He has ten goals and 18 assists for the Wild this season, but there's potential here, as Coyle has good size and speed and can play wing as well as center as the team awaits news on how long their leading goal scorer David Pastrnak will be out following surgery to repair a tendon in his thumb.
Donato, though, may be missed down the road for his speed, skill, and wicked shooting skills, so Sweeney better hope Coyle becomes a strong contributor for the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs, the Bruins now in a good position to make it there.
To men's college hoops, and the St. Michael's Purple Knights came within one missed shot of making a remarkable comeback against regionally ranked Bentley college in a match-up of Northeast-10 conference foes at the Ross Sports Center in Colchester last night.
Down by 17 points at half-time, the Purple Knights roared back and pulled to within three with just seconds remaining, but their potential game tying attempt from the beyond the arc was off the mark and Bentley escaped with a 77-74 win.
Senior Levi Holmes scored a game-high 35 points, 20 of those as part of the big second half comeback. Jordan Guzman added 15 in the losing effort, but a great effort it was against a Falcons team that's number six in the NCAA division two east region rankings.
The St. Michael's women also fell to their Bentley counterparts 71-59 despite a game-best 17 points from Emily Ferreri.
Elsewhere in women's college hoops the UVM Catamounts topped the Retrievers of UMBC 58-50 at Patrick Gym in Burlington.
Hanna Crymble led the way with 18 points and UVM has now evened its record for America East conference play to 7-7, their best mark in nine years against in-conference opponents. Candace Wright and Rose Caverly also reached double figures for UVM with 12 points apiece.
In men's college hockey the Plattsburgh State Cardinals killed off all six power plays that went to the College of Brockport and went on to a 3-1 win in the first round of the division three SUNYAC Tournament yesterday. Senior forward Cole Stallard had the eventual game winner for Plattsburgh State, breaking a 1-1 tie in the third period.
