Jeremy Swayman topped off a 24-save effort with three straight stops in a shootout, leading the Boston Bruins to a 3-2 win over the visiting Detroit Red Wings in the front end of the Atlantic Division rivals’ home-and-home series on Saturday night.
Casey Mittelstadt scored a backhander for the lone shootout goal after Morgan Geekie tallied twice in regulation, and Elias Lindholm had two assists for Boston.
Geekie is tied for the NHL lead with 20 goals this season, including eight in a recent six-game span.
Swayman made 15 stops in the third period in overtime and stopped Lucas Raymond, Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat in the shootout to deliver the Bruins’ third win in the last five games.
The Bruins went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill, including fending off an Elias Lindholm hook at 1:24 of the extra session.
Michael Rasmussen scored with 1:54 left to force overtime, while Raymond also lit the lamp for Detroit. Dylan Larkin assisted on both goals.
Red Wings goalie Cam Talbot made 17 saves.
After the teams combined for just nine shots during the opening period, Geekie broke the scoreless duel 4:25 into the second when he redirected Lindholm’s drive from the right point while stationed in traffic in the slot.
Swayman helped the Bruins maintain the one-goal lead, making two saves in succession on Rasmussen’s point-blank chances halfway through the middle frame.
Boston nearly made it 2-0 in the waning seconds of the period. After Lindholm won an offensive-zone draw, he tipped Andrew Peeke’s point shot on net and Talbot got a piece of the puck to send it past the post.
Detroit had key chances stopped by Swayman within a minute early in the third. Emmitt Finnie went in 2-on-1 after picking off an errant pass, then J.T. Compher broke in ahead of the defense.
The visitors’ push resulted in a tying goal with 13:22 remaining. Finnie picked off an attempted clearance near the blue line and fed Larkin whose shot from above the right circle was tipped in by Raymond at the net front.
Alex Steeves drew a high-sticking call leading to Boston’s second power play with 6:48 left, and Geekie netted his second go-ahead goal just 26 seconds later. Mittelstadt and Lindholm started the sequence that led to the score on a wrister from the left dot.
The Bruins also completed a kill with 3:56 to go in regulation, but Rasmussen forced the extra session as he slotted home Kane’s backhand pass while crashing the net.
